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Missing signs and ballot listing challenge Katz campaign

By HUGH BIGGAR

Incumbent school board president Avie Katz's re-election challenges now include getting his message out.

According to authorities, Katz is the lone Fremont Union High School District board candidate to have a significant number of his campaign signs stolen.

"We don't know specifically who [is responsible]," Capt. Terry Calderone of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said, "but it could be kids."

Katz said in an email he did not know who might have taken the signs.

"At least 15 signs were taken Friday night, and at least 40 signs were taken Tuesday night," he said, noting the 55 missing signs cost $5 each.

At the same time, Katz says the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters has put him at a disadvantage on the sample ballot, listing him three pages away from the other candidates.

"Untold numbers of voters are going to miss my name when they review their voter pamphlets because I'm nowhere near the rest of the candidates," Katz said.

Elma Rosas, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, said the issue was likely due to page layouts.

"Generally, what happened was voting pages were moved to the center so voters could remove them and take them with them," she said. "Once the pages are removed, the names should line up."

As for the missing signs, Calderone said such pilfering is not unusual. "It's a routine part of election campaigns. Somebody in Saratoga had up to 100 signs taken," he said.

Katz hopes these problems aren't a setback for his campaign.

"All I'm asking for is a level playing field," he said.

Katz is running for one of three open seats on the FUHSD board along with Michael Flores, Kathryn Ho, Don Mackenzie, Barbara Nunes and Bill Wilson.