Parent · Union organizer · 17 years in Pacifica
Katy Bradley
for Pacifica School Board
I've lived in Pacifica for seventeen years. My oldest daughter is in her third year of college and my youngest is in fifth grade at Vallemar School. My husband went to Vallemar and so did most of his family, so we have seen the district in very different eras. I want to use the skills I developed as a union organizer to give back to my community and help rebuild a stronger district, one where the people it serves are heard before the decision, not after it.
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Monday, October 5
Vote-by-mail ballots go out to every registered voter in San Mateo County, and early voting opens.
Monday, October 19
Register by today for a regular ballot. After this you can still register up to election day — you'll vote a provisional ballot, and it counts. Register or check your status →
Saturday, October 24
Vote centers open across San Mateo County for early in-person voting.
Tuesday, November 3
Polls close at 8:00 p.m. Mailed ballots postmarked that day still count.
On your ballot, November 3
Two things to know before you mark it
I'm running for a four-year seat
Ten candidates are running for four seats on this board, and I'm running for one of the four-year terms. You can vote for up to four candidates — so I'm asking for one of your four.
Measure T — I'm voting yes
Measure T renews the $118-per-parcel education tax that Pacifica voters approved as Measure D and that expires June 30, 2027. This local funding supports teachers, academic programs, libraries, technology and other student services.
I'm voting yes on Measure T because allowing that funding to expire would remove an important source of local revenue from a district already facing serious financial challenges.
Official voter guide
The voter guide is out. Here’s my statement.
San Mateo County’s Sample Ballot & Official Voter Information Pamphlet is arriving in mailboxes now. Look for my statement under Pacifica School District, Candidates for Member, Governing Board.
Katy Bradley
Occupation: Union Organizer/Parent
As a mother of two, a parent at Vallemar School, and a Pacifica resident for 17 years, I am running for the Pacifica School Board because I believe every child deserves a high-quality public education. Having grown up in the Bay Area, I am proud to call Pacifica home and want to give back to the community that has given so much to my family.
As a union organizer and advocate, I have dedicated my career to bringing people together, solving problems, and standing up for working families. I will bring those same values of collaboration, transparency, and accountability to the School Board.
I believe strong schools are built through partnerships with students, families, educators, and staff. I am committed to supporting our schools and making decisions that put students first so every child in Pacifica has the opportunity to succeed.
The part that's up to me
How I'll work
A seat on this board is one vote out of five, so I won't promise you outcomes I can't deliver alone. But this is how I will work for you.
Office hours, monthly
You shouldn't have to sit through a four-hour meeting to ask me one question.
Consult first, vote second
Teachers, staff and families hear about a decision while it can still change — not after.
Every vote explained
What I voted, why, and what it costs. In plain language, not board-speak.
The budget, taught
Open sessions on how district money actually moves, so the next hard choice isn't a shock.
No hedging
Where I stand when the cuts come
| Would you consider… | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting educational programs | No | Programs are the product. Cutting them makes families leave, which shrinks the budget again. |
| Cutting employee wages or benefits | No | Commitments made to employees — healthcare included — should not be walked back. |
| Increasing class sizes | No | The burden of a budget problem shouldn't land on the kids in the room. |
| Reducing classified staff | No | Classified staff are the ones holding the school day together. |
| Opening a charter school | Worth discussing | I understand the desire for more local control. The financial impact on the district needs to be part of that conversation. |
| School vouchers | No | Vouchers move public dollars out of public schools. They haven't been proposed in Pacifica, and I wouldn't support them here. |
| Contracting out school services | Generally no | Short-term specialty programs are a fair exception. Replacing our own people is not. |
| Drawing on reserve funds | Case by case | Depends how much and what for. |
Cutting educational programs
No
Programs are the product. Cutting them makes families leave, which shrinks the budget again.
Cutting employee wages or benefits
No
Commitments made to employees — healthcare included — should not be walked back.
Increasing class sizes
No
The burden of a budget problem shouldn't land on the kids in the room.
Reducing classified staff
No
Classified staff are the ones holding the school day together.
Opening a charter school
Worth discussing
I understand the desire for more local control. The financial impact on the district needs to be part of that conversation.
School vouchers
No
Vouchers move public dollars out of public schools. They haven't been proposed in Pacifica, and I wouldn't support them here.
Contracting out school services
Generally no
Short-term specialty programs are a fair exception. Replacing our own people is not.
Drawing on reserve funds
Case by case
Depends how much and what for.
Get to know her
About Katy
I've lived in Pacifica for seventeen years. I'm a union organizer with UPTE and Vice President of my staff union, and before that I was our Northern California Steward — a decade of work that really comes down to getting people in a room and making sure the ones affected by a decision are part of making it.
I'm a Pacifica School District parent twice over. My oldest daughter is in her third year of college and my youngest is in fifth grade at Vallemar School — my husband went to Vallemar, and so did most of his family. We are deeply rooted in this community, and it's time we give back. He's a second-generation sheet metal journeyman with Local 104 — one reason I think the trades belong in the conversation about our kids' futures right alongside college.
This is my first run for public office. I got into the labor movement after watching an employer put the bottom line ahead of the people doing the work, and everyone suffer for it. That's what shaped what I believe about this job: the people a decision lands on should have a say in making it.
“People deserve to have their voices heard, to understand how and why a decision was reached, and to have a clear understanding of the pathway forward.”
Katy Bradley
Endorsements
Who's with Katy
San Mateo County Labor Council
The county's labor federation, representing working families across San Mateo County.
Elected officials
Andy Lie
Trustee, Jefferson Union High School
Titles for identification purposes only.
Candidate forum · September 19
Hear every candidate on the same questions
On September 19, 2026, the Pacifica Democrats hosted a candidate forum for the Pacifica School District Governing Board. Eight of the ten candidates sat on the panel to make their positions known. To see Katy's responses, use the links below.
Photos from the forum and the campaign trail →
Video by Pacific Coast TV. Links open on YouTube.
Candidate introductions
All intros 1:11Upcoming events
Meet Katy at Safeway
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Manor Safeway. Come say hello and bring a question — no agenda beyond that.
Coastside Indivisible regular meeting
6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Coastside Museum Building, 1850 Francisco Boulevard.
All-candidate school board forum
Katy attends 9:00 to 9:45 a.m., then leaves for a work conference. Hosted by the Pacifica Democrats. Rear banquet room, Sharp Park Golf Course Restaurant, 2600 Francisco Boulevard. Open to the public and to all candidates — no pre-registration needed. Breakfast available for purchase.
Meet Katy at Rockaway Beach Brewery
6:00 to 8:00 p.m. 4627 Highway 1.
All-candidate school board forum — CSEA
6:00 p.m. Hosted by CSEA, the California School Employees Association. Library, Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School, 1427 Palmetto Avenue.
Pacifica School Board forum — AAUW
9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Hosted by AAUW Pacifica, the American Association of University Women. Pacifica Council Chambers, 2212 Beach Boulevard.
In the news
Coastside News · August 2026
10 candidates vie for 4 seats on Pacifica School Board
The most competitive school board race Pacifica has seen in years, following the Ocean Shore closure and the recall effort.
Get involved
Ten candidates. Four seats. You get four votes.
Use all four. This race turns on a few hundred votes, and the neighbors who talk to their neighbors are the ones who decide it. Sign up and I'll tell you where to find me, what's on the ballot, and when to vote.