Lateefah Simon wins Democratic Party support; no consensus in competitive state Senate race

IE contributes $150,000 to DA Pamela Price recall campaign; San Leandro's Rent Review Board to meet for the first time in years

Seventh State Senate candidate Jesse Arreguin’s chances for the California Democratic Party pre-endorsement was blocked on Saturday by a large competitive field of candidates.

ELECTION 2024

134 days until Primary Day

PRE-ENDORSEMENT CAUCUS

—THE PICKS ARE IN—Lateefah Simon’s bid for Congress received a major boost on Saturday after receiving the pre-endorsement of the California Democratic Party.

—Simon, a member of the BART Board of Directors, won the pre-endorsement vote with 83 of 85 votes in support of her bid to replace Rep. Barbara Lee in the 12th Congressional District.

—(The field of candidates could have up eight Democrats on the ballot, but just two were nominated for Saturday’s pre-endorsement caucus.)

—Meanwhile, there was nowhere near a clear consensus in the East Bay’s highly competitive 7th State Senate District race.

—Seven Democrats in the race to replace termed out state Sen. Nancy Skinner split Alameda County Democrats on Saturday.

—None were able to come close to the 70 percent threshold for winning the endorsement outright, or a simple majority to take the question to the party’s state convention next month in Sacramento.

—Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin was the top vote-getter with 38 votes, followed by a strong result for AC Transit Board Director Javonka Beckles, who received 30 votes.

—Saturday’s vote was disappointing for Kathryn Lybarger, the labor leader who is one of the race’s top fundraisers. Lybarger gained just 12 votes.

—Beckles’ performance shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. This group of Democrats tend to favor very progressive candidates. In addition, Beckles is a known quantity after stints as a Richmond councilmember and a previous run for the state assembly.

—In the two new state Senate districts that now include Alameda County, Rhodesia Ransom easily gained the pre-endorsement in the open 5th State Senate District on Sunday afternoon over Edith Villapudua.

—The 5th District includes areas in San Joaquin County and all of the Tri-Valley.

—Democrats appears to have issue with the Villapuduas. They denied an endorsement to incumbent 24th District Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua, the husband of Edith Villapudua. He registered 24 no endorsements out of 33 votes.

—In the open 9th State Senate District race, Democrats backed San Ramon Councilmember Marisol Rubio over Assemblymember Tim Grayson on Sunday. However, Rubio failed to gain the 70 percent threshold of support to win the pre-endorsement on Sunday.

—Rubio will have to take her case for endorsement to the party’s convention next month.

—The 9th District mostly covers Contra Costa County, but also San Leandro, Castro Valley and other areas of unincorporated Alameda County.

—What does this all means? The axiom that endorsements matter very little at the end of the day is often true.

—But the backing of the California Democratic Party, even the local Alameda County Democratic Party, is a valuable endorsement for campaigns, serving as a wayfinder for many Democratic voters not in tune with the daily rhythms of a political campaign.

MORE INSIDE:

• ELECTION 2024: Pre-Endorsement Results and what the candidates said

• Price recall gets infusion of cash

• County is eyeing two charter ballot amendments in March

• COUNTY NEWS: Election Commission fills out its roster

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• CITY NEWS: San Leandro rent board meets for first time in four years(!)