Meet The Livermore School Board Candidate: Sam Phelps

LIVERMORE, CA — Patch reached out to all candidates for the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees Areas 2, 3, and 5 with questions we feel San Ramon voters want to know. This is the first LVJUSD Board election with districts.

We reprinted their answers verbatim.

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Below, read the responses of Sam Phelps, a construction project manager running to represent Area 2.

What is your educational background?

Graduated high school from Amador Valley high

What is your professional background?

15 years working for a general construction company currently a project manager on a commercial office in warehouse buildout. Significant commercial and residential construction background and heavy equipment operator.

Have you ever held public office, whether appointive or elective?

I have never held public office before

What are the top three issues facing LVJUSD right now?

I believe the top three issues facing LVJUSD are kids mental health and safety a well balanced budget and a strong desire for consistency and transparency from the top to the bottom of the school education system

What is one specific action you would prioritize during your first year in office?

I look forward to bringing my background to LVJUSD by getting back to basics and doing the basics very well, which is communicating to our parents and two the superintendent the direction that we wanna go and actually executing on getting there

LVJUSD approved nearly $15 million in ongoing budget reductions for 2026–27. Which reductions do you support, oppose or hope eventually to restore, and how would you pay for any restoration?

I hope to restore the reductions in staff I feel that whatever ratio we have from children to staff the smaller that Delta better everyone does

This is LVJUSD's first election using trustee areas. What unmet need do you see in your trustee area, and how would you advocate for it while still governing on behalf of the entire district?

I think the element of consistency is gone. We have had multiple superintendent and I think that makes everyone feel shaky in the district.

Why do you feel you're a better candidate than your opponents?

I don't necessarily think that I am better than my opponents. I think I would be highly complementary to Deana and Christian as they stand and I think that's a really big benefit for everybody right now is that if I got this seat both of them stay and we all work together