Alameda County's registrar of voters screwed up again
Voters in a San Leandro school board district received ballots with the Area 2 race omitted
ELECTION 2022
Days until Election Day: 14.
ALAMEDA COUNTY
—OOPS, HE DID IT AGAIN—Criticisms of Alameda County’s registrar of voters have been simmering for some time. News last week that the registrar’s office errored by not including San Leandro’s lone school board race on the city’s ballot only highlights the continuing problems at a county department crucial to maintaining the local integrity of elections.
—The mistake, announced a week after ballots were sent by the registrar’s office, only affects the San Leandro Unified School District contest in Area 2 involving Jackie Calderon Perl and Abbey Kerins. San Leandro Area 2 voters received a supplemental ballot that includes only the school board race.
—Omitting a race from the ballot is a monumental mistake and the error that could greatly affect the outcome of the open Area 2 school board campaign. There’s no guarantee those who already returned their ballot will bother to cast the supplemental ballot, thereby, reducing turnout for a single race. This fall’s election is already projected to have low voter turnout. Artificially lower turnout is an additional and unfair wildcard for both candidates.
—Nationally, the integrity of elections is typically viewed as a right-wing issue. Surprisingly, in Alameda County, it’s one of the few issues in which local Democrats and Republicans are in agreement.
—Far-right public speakers often harangue the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and the Alameda County Registrar Tim Dupuis about election integrity. Last summer, Alison Hayden, the Republican candidate facing Rep. Eric Swalwell in the East Bay’s 14th Congressional District, questioned the registrar’s actions during the June primary election night vote-counting.
—The rant sounded conspiratorial, and maybe it was, but Berniecrats voiced some of the same concerns following the 2016 presidential primary. At a Board of Supervisors meeting following Hillary Clinton’s win in Alameda County over Bernie Sanders, a number of residents repeatedly questioned the handling of large batches of ballots by Dupuis’ office. Like Hayden, the Berniecrats said Dupuis was unresponsive to their questions.
—Passionate political supporters are not alone, several public officials have recently questioned whether the Dupuis’ issues are related to incompetence or about an underfunded office.
—During a League of Women Voters candidate forum last month (the league also voiced concerns about Dupuis), candidates for the Alameda County Board of Supervisor race in District 3 both criticized the registrar for failing to provide them requisite voting data from the recent June primary.
—“The situation with the registrar of voters in Alameda County has been backsliding in recent years,” supervisorial candidate Rebecca Kaplan said. “This is a failure of leadership.” Kaplan said she was frustrated by the registrar’s inability to provide paper maps from the June primary election as promised by the registrar, unarchived results, and new district maps not being promptly posted were other concerns. “It’s unacceptable,” Kaplan added.
—In a rare moment of election comity, candidate Lena Tam said, “I share your frustration. What is the problem? Is it funding? Staffing? Technology? Tam added the registrar also appeared to be having technical problems with allowing students to vote in Oakland school board elections two years after voters in that city allowed 16-year-olds to vote.
—In addition, two years ago, roughly 200 Oakland voters were disenfranchised at a polling place at Mills College after the Registrar of Voters failed to properly train its volunteers.
UNION CITY
—MAYOR’S MELTDOWN—Union City Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernacci is not on the ballot this fall, but she has taken a starring role in her city’s trio of council races. A few weeks ago, three council candidates not favored by Dutra-Vernacci accused her and the city of taking down a large number of their campaign signs.
—On Saturday afternoon, Dutra-Vernacci again posted on Facebook criticism of District 2 Councilmember Jaime Patino, District 3 candidate Jeff Wang, and District 4 candidate Vipan Bajwa.
—Dutra-Vernacci repeatedly showed no mayoral restraint when each of the candidates took to Facebook to defend themselves and level their own criticism of Dutra-Vernacci. She accused some of illegally placing their campaign yard signs in the public right-of-way. Each asked Dutra-Vernacci for proof.
—Dutra-Vernacci then labeled Patino a “Trump Republican” on several occasions. There is no love lost between the two after Patino challenged Dutra-Vernacci’s re-election two years ago. In response, Patino charged her with “meddling” in the council race.
20TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
—CURIOUS STRATEGY—Liz Ortega-Toro, the 20th Assembly District candidate strongly backed by labor and progressives, is employing a noteworthy late-game strategy against opponent Dublin Councilmember Shawn Kumagai.
—Ortega-Toro’s campaign is labeling Kumagai as someone who “voted for luxury development projects and is supported by big developers, landlords, and other corporate special interests.” True statements.
—Taking the strategy further is an Independent Expenditure Committee backed by AFSCME Local 3299 and supportive of Ortega-Toro’s campaign, that has sent numerous mailers to voters recently that casts single-family housing units in a positive light, while demeaning new apartment buildings.
—The mailers get right to the point, using a drawing of an idyllic neighborhood block being marred by a multi-family housing developments dropped smack in the middle. The sentiment is incongruent with the push in the East Bay to encourage greater housing density. But the strategy is clearly intended for different eyes, especially those in the suburbs like Dublin and Castro Valley.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
—LANDLORDS’ PICKS—The California Real Estate Political Action Committee, otherwise, known as CREPAC, have made a series of local expenditures involving East Bay city council candidates in recent days. They included mailers and digital ad campaigns focused on the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas.
—CREPAC spent on Kathy Kimberlin in Fremont; Scott Sakakihara, Chuck Kennedy, and Lee Guio in Union City (coincidentally, the three opponents to the Union City candidates mentioned above); Julie Roche and Daniel Goldstein in Hayward; and Mel Chiong in Livermore. The expenditures are not much, but for housing-centric voters, CREPAC’s imprimatur is a good wayfinder for how to vote.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE DATA
—IE SPENDING—Below is Form 496 Independent Expenditure Reports from Sunday through Monday afternoon.
20TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
—California Credit Union League Political Action Committee (Supporting Shawn Kumagai in AD20), Total: $55,047—Mailer ($55,047).
ALAMEDA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
—Golden State Communities Project (Opposing Pamela Price for DA), Total: $30,000—Mailer ($30,000).
OAKLAND
—Californians for Safer Streets Supporting Ignacio De La Fuente for Mayor of Oakland (Supporting De La Fuente), Total: $49,000—Consulting ($30,000, $14,000), Newspaper Ads ($5,000).
—Working Families for a Better Oakland supporting Sheng Thao for Oakland Mayor 2022 (Supporting Thao for Mayor), Total: $49,382—Mailer ($46,432), Texting Campaign ($2,950).
UNION CITY
—California Real Estate PAC (Supporting Scott Sakakihara for Union City Council, Total: $7,809—Digital Ads ($7,809).
—California Real Estate PAC (Supporting Chuck Kennedy for Union City Council, Total: $7,950—Digital Ads ($7,950).
—California Real Estate PAC (Supporting Lee Guio for Union City Council, Total: $7,968—Digital Ads ($7,968).
—MONEYBALL—Below is Form 497 campaign contributions ($1,000 or more) filed from Sunday through Monday afternoon. *-local city campaign contribution limit.
COUNTY
ALAMEDA COUNTY DEMOCRATS
—Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, IBEW Local 595 PAC, $5,000; Oakland Education Association Political Action Committee, $1,200.
ALAMEDA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
—Terry Wiley (Alameda County District Attorney), Demitris Kaplanis of Livermore, $2,500; Silvanus Erickson of San Francisco, $1,000.
ALAMEDA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
—Rebecca Kaplan (Alameda County Board of Supervisors-Dist. 3), Lydia Facteau of Danville, $3,000.
AC TRANSIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
—Sarah Syed (AC Transit Board of Directors-Ward 3, Arman Syed of Emeryville, $3,000.
PERALTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES
—Seth Steward (Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees-Area 7, Laborers' Local 304 PAC Account, $1,500.
CITY
OAKLAND
—Oakland Neighbors for Affordable Housing and Safe Street (Supporting Oakland Measure U infrastructure bond), Eden Housing Inc., $25,000; BBI Construction, Inc., $10,000; Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union 342, $5,000.
—Oaklanders for the Oakland Zoo 2022 (Supporting Oakland Measure Y zoo parcel tax), The Conservation Society of the California (DBA Oakland Zoo), $150,000.
—Yes on V and Q - East Bay Tenants Union PAC (Supporting Oakland Measure V just cause, Measure Q affordable housing), Causa Justa :: Just Cause, $3,665.
—Working Families for a Better Oakland supporting Sheng Thao for Oakland Mayor 2022 (Supporting Thao for Mayor), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 21 TJ Anthony PAC Fund, $25,000; IBEW Local 595 PAC, $25,000; International Association of Fire Fighters Local 55 PAC, $10,000.
—Sheng Thao (Oakland Mayor), IBEW 332 Education Fund/All Purpose Acct, $1,800*.
—Harold Lowe (Oakland City Council-Dist. 2), East Bay Rental Housing Association PAC, $1,800*.
—Nenna Joiner (Oakland City Council-Dist. 4), East Bay Rental Housing Association PAC, $1,800*.
BERKELEY
—Committee for an Affordable and Resilient Berkeley (Supporting Berkeley Measure L infrastructure bond), Berkeley Firefighters Association Local 1227 PAC, $1,700.
—Berkeleyans for Better Planning No on Measure L (Opposing Berkeley Measure L infrastructure bond), Laurie Capitelli of Berkeley, $990.
ALAMEDA
—Paul Beusterien (Alameda City Council), Paul Beusterien, $4,500.
SAN LEANDRO
—Celina Reynes (San Leandro City Council), Campaign for Equality, $1,800.
UNION CITY
—Committee for PUSD Students (Supporting Pleasanton USD Measure I bond), Thomas Hart Middle PTSA, $1,000.
—Scott Sakakihara (Union City Council-Dist. 3), Scott Sakakihara, $20,000.
STATE LEGISLATURE
10TH STATE SENATE DISTRICT
—Lily Mei (10th State Senate District), Abbott Laboratories Employee PAC, $2,400.
—Aisha Wahab (10th State Senate District), United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health Care Professionals PAC Small Contributor Committee, $4,900; California State University Employees Union PAC, $1,000.
20TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
—Shawn Kumagai (20th Assembly District), California Association of Highway Patrolmen PAC Small Contributor Committee, $9,700; California Business Properties Association PAC, $4,900; California Manufacturers & Technology Association PAC, $4,900; Independent Insurance PAC, $3,000; California Hospital Association PAC, $2,000; 1-800 Contacts, Inc, $1,000.
—Liz Ortega-Toro (20th Assembly District), United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health Care Professionals PAC Small Contributor Committee, $4,900.
18TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
—Mia Bonta (18th Assembly District), JPMorgan Chase & Co. PAC, $2,000; Ford Motor Company Civic Action Fund, $1,500; IBEW Local 595 PAC, $1,500.
16TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
—Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (16th Assembly District), Southern California Pipe Trades District Council #16 PAC Small Contributor Committee, $5,000.
14TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
—Buffy Wicks (14th Assembly District), United Nurses Associations of California / Union of Health Care Professionals PAC, $2,000; California Optometric PAC, $1,900.
24TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
—Alex Lee (24th Assembly District), United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health Care Professionals PAC Small Contributor Committee, 3,500.