A Mountain View councilwoman who was accused of having a tow truck driver arrested for towing her car has filed papers to run for school board.
Councilwoman Ellen Kamei is running to represent an area between Central Expressway and Highway 101 in the Mountain View-Los Altos High School District.
Kamei works as a spokeswoman for the Foothill-DeAnza Community College District. She was mayor in 2021 and 2025 and is reaching the end of her two-term limit on council.
Kamei is the only candidate to run in her area ahead of an Aug. 12 deadline.
This will be the school district’s first election where voters are divided into five areas, with a board member elected from each one, rather than having the entire district elect the full board.
Incumbents Thida Cornes and Catherine Vonnegut are running against former board member Sanjay Dave in another area of southern Mountain View, and engineer Nir Paz is running unopposed in the northeast part of the city, according to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.
Kamei was accused by tow truck driver Felix Salcido of using her power and influence on council to have him arrested for making tows without written authorization — a felony charge that was later dropped.
Kamei was allegedly “infuriated” when she picked up the car at the tow yard on April 12, 2023, Salcido said in a lawsuit against the city.
“Call the captain,” her husband allegedly said.
Kamei declined an interview on the towing dispute.
Judge Nathanael Cousins sided with Kamei and the city on Nov. 14, saying that Salcido didn’t show that Kamei’s actions led to his arrest.
Wait a minute, that’s a strange addition to this story! A tow truck driver SUED THE CITY of Mountain View THREE YEARS AGO and the JUDGE RULED IN FAVOR OF KAMEI yet that is somehow relevant to her running for school board??!!
And there is no name or contact information for who wrote this story?
Wow. High journalistic standards, huh?
I appreciate the Post bringing this to light. I realize that Ms Kamei, er Sunny, wants to sweep this under the rug. The civil suit was dismissed over technicalities, but the basic facts were never in dispute — that Kamei used her clout to hassle a tow truck driver who was simply doing his job. Kamei has never apologized to the tow truck driver, Felix Salcido. She has never paid him any compensation for the harassment he suffered because of her. She has never been punished for misusing the police. She didn’t even reimburse him for his legal fees in a case she caused. Now we’re trying to clean up the Mountain View Whisman schools after the corruption of the Ayinde Rudolph era. Given her past, she’s the last person we should ever put on this board.
Her behavior is a bad example for kids. She shouldn’t serve on the school board!!!
I don’t think the tow truck operator knew the car belonged to Kamei and her husband or he would have stayed away. I think everybody knows that the laws that apply to all of us don’t apply to people like her.
Government employees always stick up for each other, even if it means screwing the average person. Kamei’s mother is a council member in San Jose. When she needed a job, they created a make-work PR job at the Foothill College district for her. It’s obvious she wouldn’t be qualified for a private sector job. When this tow controversy happened, the police took her side as did the judge. They all watch out for one another’s back.