No contest: Many local mayoral, city council races won’t be on the ballot this November

MANY LOCAL RACES for mayor and city council seats are going uncontested in this November’s election, from rural Salinas Valley to some of the Bay Area’s richest cities and towns up in the hills.

In Santa Clara County, for example, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga all chose to appoint councilmembers rather than hold elections on Nov. 5 because the number of candidates did not exceed the number of open seats, according to the county Registrar of Voters’ office.