Santa Clara County supervisors call Nov. 4 special election after assessor resigns; interim appointment set for Aug. 12

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously June 25 to adopt a resolution calling a special election for county assessor on Nov. 4, 2025, and to waive Board Policy 2.2 so the board can appoint an interim assessor at its first regular meeting after recess on Aug. 12.

The action follows the June 23 resignation letter from Assessor Larry Stone, which the board was told takes effect July 6; by operation of state law, the assistant assessor, Greg Monteverde, will serve as acting assessor beginning July 7 until the board appoints an interim or an elected successor is sworn in. The resolution sets a potential runoff, if required by statute, within 56 days of Nov. 4; staff said the earliest a Registrar of Voters-run runoff could be held is Dec. 30, 2025.

Why it matters: the board has a charter obligation to call a special election within 120 days of the vacancy, leaving tight operational timelines for the Registrar of Voters and county staff. The board’s waiver of Policy 2.2 suspends the standard public application, posting and interview process for interim appointments so the board may name an interim at the Aug. 12 meeting if it chooses.

Board staff summarized the timeline and recommended actions. Staff said the nomination period for the special election closes Aug. 8, so the board will know who is running before the Aug. 12 appointment vote. The board majority approved both recommended actions — calling the Nov. 4 special election and waiving Policy 2.2 — by roll call.

Several members of the public urged the board to adopt ranked-choice voting as a way to avoid runoffs in the future. Public commenter David Neuswanger said, “Rank choice voting is also known as instant runoff voting because it holds a runoff using the ranked choices of the people who vote.” Steve Chesson, who identified himself as a member of the Citizens Advisory Commission on Elections, and other commenters argued ranked-choice voting could save the county money that would otherwise be spent on separate runoff contests; Chesson cited a figure of about $13,000,000 in potential savings if a runoff were avoided. County staff and the board said implementing ranked-choice voting is not feasible within the timeframe for this election and that county administration has estimated it would require roughly two years of operational and technical preparation.

The board clarified the scope of the waiver of Policy 2.2: waiving the policy would set aside the usual process for soliciting and vetting applications for an interim appointment (posting, application period, public interviews), but the board retains authority on Aug. 12 to follow those procedures instead if a majority so decides. The board also emphasized that waiving Policy 2.2 does not automatically appoint any particular person; it only allows the board to appoint at the Aug. 12 meeting without the formal posting/interview sequence. Staff noted the interim appointee must be a Santa Clara County voter who meets the statutory qualifications for the assessor office.

What the board voted on and the outcome: the motion to (a) adopt a resolution calling a special election for Nov. 4, 2025, with a statutory runoff if required, and (b) waive Board Policy 2.2 to allow the board to appoint an interim assessor at its Aug. 12 meeting carried by a 5-0 roll call. The board recorded the following votes: Supervisor Cecilia Aguilar Abakova — Aye; Supervisor Eunice Yoon — Yes; Supervisor Peter Allenberg — Yes; Vice President Otto Arenas — Yes; President David Lee — Aye. The motion carries.

Next steps and timeline: Larry Stone’s resignation takes effect July 6; Greg Monteverde will be acting assessor starting July 7 under state law until the board appoints an interim on or after Aug. 12 or until an elected successor is sworn in after the special election. The nomination period for the special election closes Aug. 8, and the board noted that administrative deadlines and Registrar of Voters operations constrain possible alternative voting methods for this particular contest.

Public comment and other context: four members of the public spoke during the meeting’s public comment period, urging adoption of ranked-choice voting to avoid future runoffs and reduced costs. County staff and the board said changing the voting system is outside the scope of the noticed item and not implementable within the current timeline for the special election.