After 26 virtually unopposed years, Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone may finally have met a match in Gary Kremen.

Leslie Reynolds, a San Jose Unified school board member, was a frontrunner early in the primary for San Jose District’s 10 City Council seat. Her deep roots in the community and conservative stances were considered a solid fit for Almaden. But after losing ground quickly, as well as having fellow Republican in the race, Johnny Khamis, question her ethical standards, it seems she hasn’t forgotten or forgiven.

Next week, voters will have the opportunity to create real change in San Jose and in Sacramento. In addition to choosing a new governor, we must decide on eight state initiatives and referenda, all of which will have a deep impact on California politics and culture. Locally, two measures could rescue the city from a crippling budget deficit, and deal with an imbalance of power that helped create it. At the same time, two tight races could put a couple of candidates on the San Jose City Council who promise to bring some much-needed independence to that body.

In the months leading up to today’s vote, the editorial team at Metro/SJI has been interviewing candidates and studying the issues. Posted here are our suggestions.