Politics & Government
SRVUSD Trustee Announces He Will Not Seek Re-Election
Area 1 Trustee Jesse vanZee, who was elected in 2022, said he is stepping back to spend more time with his family.
DANVILLE, CA — SRVUSD Trustee Jesse vanZee announced that he will not seek re-election this fall.
“Serving on the Board has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. I am deeply grateful to the San Ramon Valley community for entrusting me with this responsibility and for the strong support of everyone who encouraged me to run and serve,” vanZee wrote Friday on Facebook.
“After much reflection, I’ve decided the right next step for me and my family is to step back so I can focus more fully on them. I will complete the remainder of my term with the same energy and commitment I’ve brought throughout my service,” he said.
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VanZee, a health care executive and president of the Montair Elementary School Dads’ Club, was narrowly elected in 2022 to represent Area 1, which includes much of Danville, Alamo, Blackhawk, and portions of west San Ramon. He competed against two other candidates, and was in a close race with Michelle Peterson, a former firefighter and Alamo Elementary School PTA president. VanZee campaigned against hot-button issues like “woke education,” “gender theory,” and “anti-American education.”
During his tenure, vanZee regularly voted with the rest of the board. As vice president of the board, he and Area 4 Trustee Susanna Ordway joined neighboring districts in asking the state for structural funding reform. He also voted in favor of the 2025 SRVUSD Budget Reduction Plan, which was designed to address a $37.5 million budget shortfall. The plan included eliminating positions, reducing central office administrative spending, trimming school site budgets and increasing average class sizes, among other measures.
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VanZee said he remains “deeply committed to the success of public education in our community,” and encouraged residents to stay engaged and possibly run in the upcoming election. In 2026, the seats for Areas 1, 4, and 5 will be on the November ballot. As of July 13, neither vanZee’s potential successors, nor incumbents Susanna Ordway and Rachel Hurd, had announced their candidacy.
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