Los Altos Vice Mayor Neysa Fligor leads in Santa Clara County Assessors race

Santa Clara County’s first open assessors race in more than three decades appears to be heading to a runoff with Los Altos Vice Mayor Neysa Fligor holding a favorable lead over former Saratoga Councilmember Rishi Kumar in the four-person contest.

The special election was triggered by longtime Assessor Larry Stone’s decision to step down from the role in July ahead of the expiration of his term in December 2026. The 84-year-old was first elected as assessor in 1994, making him the longest-serving elected official in the county.

The assessor oversees an $8 billion public enterprise that assesses the value of more than 500,000 properties in the county.

Fligor, who is the assistant assessor and was endorsed by Stone, led Tuesday night with nearly 40% of the vote. Kumar trailed behind her with 24% of the vote followed closely by Saratoga Councilmember Yan Zhao with nearly 21% of the vote and East Side Union High School District Trustee Bryan Do with 15% of the vote.

If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, the two leading candidates will compete in a December runoff. Greg Monteverde, who previously was the assistant assessor, is currently serving in the role in the interim.

Fligor told The Mercury News that she was feeling “excited and relieved” despite the prospect of a runoff. She said she felt her message of protecting taxpayers, improving the office’s processes and modernizing the technology was the right one.

“I look forward to continuing to share my vision,” she said.

Kumar, who held a nearly 9,000 vote lead over Zhao after the latest release of results at 8:45 p.m., said in a statement that he was “thrilled” to make the runoff “while spending a fraction of what my opponent did.”

“I stand by my pledge to deliver property tax exemption for those aged 60 and over with a statewide ballot initiative that’s already forging ahead,” he said.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.