Comebacks complete: Pamela Price is Alameda County's next DA; Sheng Thao is Oakland's next mayor
Juan Gonzalez pulls off the upset in San Leandro; Alameda County voters don't like tax measure, they love them!
ELECTION 2022 UPDATE
ALAMEDA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
—HISTORIC VICTORY—Pamela Price will become Alameda County’s next district attorney, and first African American to hold the office. Price’s victory was cemented after an update by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters was posted on Friday evening that yet again increased her lead over Terry Wiley.
—Price has earned ?? percent of the countywide vote over Wiley’s ?? percent, a difference of roughly ??? votes.
—After an unsuccessful bid for district attorney in 2018 and several other high-profile losses, Price’s win is vindication after years of interference from the local political establishment for her consistent advocacy for criminal justice reform in Alameda County.
—Price won the June primary in decisive fashion, but failed to gain a majority of votes to avoid a November runoff. Despite a barrage of negative mailers and a constant financial disadvantage, Price was able to cobble together a majority of support outside of her strongholds in Oakland and Berkeley.
—A perception that crime is on the rise in the East Bay did not appear to dissuade voters from supporting Price and her progressive criminal justice platform. Last June, Alameda County voters showed a similar appetite for rejecting long-time Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern from office.
—Starting next January, law enforcement in Alameda County will be led by Sheriff-Elect Yesenia Sanchez, a Latina; and District Attorney-Elect Price, an African American woman.
OAKLAND MAYOR
—COMEBACK KID—Ten days ago, Sheng Thao’s chances of becoming Oakland’s next mayor seemed bleak. On Friday night, Thao’s shocking comeback is complete.
—It took until the last update of the county’s results to give Thao the victory over Loren Taylor, who had led since the Nov. 8 Election Night. Thao won the ranked choice voting race with a razor-slim 50.30 percent, despite having fewer first-place votes.
—Fueled by progressive candidate Allyssa Victory’s surprisingly strong performance and Treva Reid’s (a Taylor ally) underperforming results, Thao will be the third straight mayor from the City Council’s District 4, following Jean Quan and Libby Schaaf.
SAN LEANDRO MAYOR
—UPSET—Similarly in San Leandro, Juan Gonzalez, a first-time candidate, will be its next mayor. Gonzalez, through ranked choice voting, overtook Bryan Azevedo tonight.
—Azevedo lost the election despite holding a narrow advantage in first-place votes. Gonzalez will be San Leandro’s first Latino mayor.
BALLOT MEASURES
—WE HEART TAXES—There is no denying that Alameda County voters, by and large, rarely meet a tax measure they don’t like. Of the 23 ballot measures considered in Alameda County and its individual cities and jurisdiction, just two are headed for failure.
—Berkeley’s Measure L affordable housing bond is well short of the required two-thirds support for passage.
—Livermore Joint Unified School District’s Measure G facilities bond is likely headed to defeat, trailing by just under five percentage points. Otherwise, a vast majority of the ballot measures in Alameda County sailed to victory.
ALAMEDA COUNTY
Measure D - Expands maximum floor area ratio for agricultural buildings in Large Parcel Agriculture areas and equestrian riding areas (50%+1) PASSED—69.50%
Measure J - Sunol USD $10.9 million school bond (55%) PASSING—59.94%
ALAMEDA
Measure E - City Council salary increase (50%+1) PASSING—53.73%
Measure F - Transient Occupancy Tax increase to 14% (50%+1) PASSES—59.23%
ALBANY
Measure K - Public safety special parcel tax (2/3rds) PASSES—76.00%.
BERKELEY
Measure L - $650 million affordable housing bond (2/3rds) FAILS—58.02%
Measure M - Vacancy tax (50%+1) PASSES—63.97%
Measure N - 3,000 units of low-rent housing (50%+1) PASSES—75.12%
EMERYVILLE
Measure O - Real Property Transfer Tax increase (50%+1) PASSES—71.63%
LIVERMORE
Measure G - Livermore Joint USD $450m school bond (55%) FAILING—50.34%
Measure P - Extend sewer services to South Livermore Urban Growth Boundary (50%+1) PASSES 66.65%
OAKLAND
Measure H - Oakland USD parcel tax renewal (2/3rds) PASSES—80.94%
Measure Q - Authorize 13,000 low-income units (50%+1) PASSES—79.27%
Measure R - Replace gender terms in city charter (50%+1) PASSES—75.11%
Measure S - Allow non-citizens to vote in school board elections (50%+1) PASSES—65.42%
Measure T - Progressive business tax (50%+1) PASSES—71.38%
Measure U - $850 million affordable housing bond (2/3rds) PASSES—74.49%
Measure V - Just cause eviction ordinance (50%+1) PASSES—67.41%
Measure W - Campaign finance reform (50%+1) PASSES—72.99%
Measure X - City Council term limits/reforms (50%+1) PASSES—79.81%
Measure Y - Oakland Zoo parcel tax (50%+1) PASSES—62.52%
PLEASANTON
Measure I - $395 million school bond (55%) PASSING—56.59%
UNION CITY
Measure Z - Sales tax increase renewal (50%+1) PASSES—74.23%
COUNTY NEWS
SAN LORENZO
—LORENZO THEATER IMPROVEMENTS—The historic Lorenzo Theater, which suffered two fires in 2020, will receive a $2.3 million allocation for improving its façade and other exterior elements. Rehabilitating the theater in unincorporated San Lorenzo is part of an effort to breathe life into the downtown areas. The funding is part of a reallocation of $4.4 million in San Lorenzo Village Plaza funds, which also includes $1.35 million for a commercial kitchen to support “emerging food entrepreneurs.”
—FEDERAL RENTAL ASSISTANCE—Alameda County has paid out $120 million in state and federal rental assistance funds since the early stages of the pandemic, as of Nov. 2, the county’s Community Development Agency reports. That includes more than 15,000 applications, 8,600 of which have been approved. On Tuesday, the county is scheduled to accept another $900,000 in funding from the federal government.
