One day to go
Half of the mayoral seats in Alameda County are up-for-grabs, Fremont candidate makes serious allegation against opponent; Bas receives large, late donation; More cast vote records uncertainty
ELECTION 2024
1 day to Election Day
MAYORAL RACES
—HIZZONER/HERZZONER—More than half of the cities in Alameda County will elect a new mayor or decide the fate of an incumbent on Tuesday. Outside of the Board of Supervisors race in District 5, mayoral races in Berkeley and Fremont make up two of the most competitive and expensive races on the fall ballot.
Fremont—(frontrunners) Vinnie Bacon, Raj Salwan.
No race in Alameda County has been more brutally fought than the race for the open mayoral seat in Fremont. Both candidates have opened their personal purse strings to the tune of $200,000 each. Accusations about each others integrity have been thrown about, along with an onslaught of negative mailers by an IE against Bacon. With Oakland, the traditional center of Alameda County politics, flirting with economic disaster, the next mayor of Fremont has an opportunity to shift regional power to south county.
Berkeley—(frontrunners) Sophie Hahn, Kate Harrison, Adena Ishii:
Last winter, Berkeley easily eclipsed Oakland as having the most chaotic city council in the region. Berkeley voters appear in the mood for a mayor that will return comity to the council chambers. Candidate Kate Harrison resigned from her council seat earlier this year, calling out Berkeley city government as broken. Councilmember Sophie Hahn has racked up big endorsements and campaign contributions, while newcomer Adena Ishii is providing an outsiders take on the turmoil inside city hall. Popular state Sen. Nancy Skinner has endorsed Ishii.
Dublin—(frontrunners) Sherry Hu, Jean Josey.
The rising power of East Dublin could decide Dublin’s mayoral race. Hu comes from the growing eastside, where highly educated and economically stable immigrant families are becoming a force. Josey comes from the westside, the city’s traditional center of power where Dubliners who count their time in the city in generations, rather than years, hold sway. It remains to be seen, though, whether a reordering of Dublin’s politics will emerge during this election cycle. A candidate named Tom Evans, whose moderate-to-conservative platform has an audience in Dublin, could become kingmaker.
Pleasanton—Jack Balch, Karla Brown.
Mayor Karla Brown is one of three incumbent mayors up for re-election, but the only facing a credible challenger. Councilmember Jack Balch is running a textbook anti-incumbent campaign that pokes holes in Brown’s stewardship. Brown is running a textbook incumbent’s campaign to renew the status quo for another four years. Balch has run a tireless campaign. If this race is close, as some believe, the favorite may be the candidate who worked hardest for every single vote.
Union City—Emily Duncan, Gary Singh.
If elected, Singh would become the first Sikh American mayor in the county’s history. He’s a Democrat, but some of his stances, such as opposition to cannabis, has made him unpopular with progressives. Duncan is a former councilmember making a return to the dais. She’s viewed as an extension of current two-term Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernacci.
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BOARD OF SUPERVISORS - DISTRICT 5
—RALLY TIME—Nikki Fortunato Bas’ campaign for the open Board of Supervisors seat in District 5 is making a late run after receiving a $20,000 contribution on Sunday from Oakland developer and philanthropist Wayne Jordan, co-founder of the Akonadi Foundation.
—There has been a sense, including a recent poll, that John Bauters had moved into a favorable position in the runoff campaign to succeed Supervisor Keith Carson.
—SUCKER PUNCH—A longtime critic of supervisorial candidate John Bauters was hit in the face over the weekend as he was questioning Bauters at a street fair in Emeryville.
—In the video, Brian Donahue, the editor of the Emeryville Tattler website, asks Bauters about using an expletive toward Emeryville Councilmember Kalimah Priforce. An unidentified man carrying a child, knocked Donahue to the ground.
FREMONT MAYOR
—COST OF BACON IS HIGH—Vinnie Bacon spent $30,254 in the last 10 days, raising his total spending for the campaign to $174,013. The expenditures were mainly for printing costs. Raj Salwan spent only $13,769 during the same period increasing his total spending to an Alameda County high of $305,349.
—The difference in spending, at least for Salwan, is likely due to the appearance of Preserving Agriculture in Alameda County, the IE that has done most of the legwork during this campaign, spending heavily in support of Salwan and opposing Bacon.
PRESERVING AG IN ALAMEDA COUNTY
FREMONT MAYOR EXPENDITURES
OPPOSE Bacon $68,451
SUPPORT Salwan $55,210
—As of this weekend the IE has reported 14 separate expenditures since the beginning of October, totaling $123,661.
—ALLEGATION—Vinnie Bacon’s campaign for mayor made a serious allegation of “domestic abuse” against opponent Raj Salwan on Friday.
—In an email to Bacon’s followers, he posted a letter sent in protest to Preserving Agriculture in Alameda County, the independent expenditure committee that has ripped Bacon in several mailers over the past month.
—One mailer, sent last week, rehashed an attack line successfully used by David Haubert in the 2020 race for Alameda County supervisor that asserts Bacon voted against a funding two domestic violence non-profits.
—Bacon, indeed, voted against the motion to fund the programs as a Fremont councilmember, but says he voted no because he supported allocating a larger amount.
—The email sent by Bacon’s campaign attempts to call out Salwan’s hypocrisy when it comes to domestic abuse.
—“This most recent attack mailer is attempting to use victims of domestic violence as pawns to try to get Raj Salwan elected, someone who, ironically, has a documented history of domestic abuse within his own family.
—Bacon offered no documentation of domestic abuse on Salwan’s part and it remains unclear if he’s actually referring to someone in Salwan’s family.
ALAMEDA COUNTY DEMOCRATS
—GAME FACE—Alameda County Democratic Party Chair Igor Tregub might be the hardest-working politico in the East Bay. The Berkeley councilmember spent the weekend in Wisconsin campaigning for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
ALAMEDA COUNTY REGISTRAR OF VOTERS
—CAST VOTE RECORDS—Earlier this month, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors directed the registrar of voters, despite his reluctance, to release cast vote records beginning on Election Night, rather than after the vote is officially certified.
—But the California Secretary of State recently muddled the issue after releasing a memo that states that cast vote records, the anonymous digital representations of the ballots, should be released in a .pdf file format.
—Advocates for cast vote records say posting the large data files in the .pdf format is unwieldy and will not foster transparency.
—“Releasing CVRs solely as PDFs would effectively counter the Board’s intended goal of facilitating accurate election oversight,” Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson wrote in a memo last week to Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis.
—Carson urged the registrar to post the cast vote records as encrypted JSON files. Advocates say Dominion Voting Systems, the county’s election software vendor, already creates cast vote records in the JSON format.
—Over the past few months, the push to release cast vote records after each new release of the vote tally has intensified.
—Advocates contend errors that occurred with the county’s ranked choice voting algorithm two years ago would have been discovered early if cast vote records were made public before the certification of the vote nearly a month later.
—Because of the mistake, the wrong candidate was certified as the winner in an Oakland school board race in 2022.
—PRICE’S PURITY—Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s attempt last May to formally announce her self-proclaimed Cantonese-language name was mocked on social media as pandering to Asian Americans, a demographic that has viewed her with suspicion.
—Price’s name, 官善貞, loosely conveys that she is a government official, kind, and pure. Price has used the name since last year, but despite the ridicule she received, there is some familiarity with the name in the Asian American community.
—Price’s moniker, however, does not appear on the ballot that includes the question to recall her from office.
—Instead, a phonetic version of Price’s full name is printed on the ballot. Some members of the Asian American community in Oakland fear voters will be confused by the change.
—During San Francisco’s primary last March, there were concerns over the use of grandiose-sounding Asian language versions of candidate’s names on the ballot. It prompted the registrar of voters across the bay to crack down on its use, unless it could be proven the name had been used for at least two years.
—PROJECTED VOTER TURNOUT—Nearly a quarter of registered voters in Alameda County have returned their ballot, as of Friday, according to Political Data, Inc.
—Overall 24 percent, or, 232,748 of the county’s 962,321 registered voters have done their civic duty. At the city level, 28 percent of Alamedans, and 21 percent of Oaklanders have returned ballots, as of Friday.
12TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
—LEE SPEAKS FOR LEE—Rep. Barbara Lee’s service to the East Bay is nearing its end. It appears Lee isn’t done with public service and looking for a landing spot.
—Politico reports that Lee is actively seeking the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development cabinet-level position, if Kamala Harris wins the presidency.
—Lee has joined Harris on the campaign trail and offered idea on housing policy. Lee indicated to Politico that she is interested in playing a part in shaping Harris’s housing policy.
—“Let’s get past Nov. 5 first,” Lee said. “I’m excited about what she’s doing, I think that I know these issues — and naturally, I would be interested in working with her administration on these issues.”
—In April, following Lee’s unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass floated Lee’s name as a possible HUD secretary in the Biden Administration after the resignation of Marcia Fudge earlier this year.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
—💰MONEYBALL—Form 497 large campaign contributions filed on Nov. 1-3:
ALAMEDA COUNTY
RECALLS
—Supporters of Recall Pamela Price (Supporting recall), Union City Police Officers Association PAC, $5,000; California Teamsters Joint Public Affairs Council No. 7, $5,000. TOTAL: $10,000.
—Protect the Win for Public Safety, Oppose the Recall of DA Price (Opposing Price recall), Re-Invest in Fair Elections, Oppose the Recall of DA Price, $10,000. TOTAL: $10,000.
—Oaklanders Defending Democracy, Oppose the Recall of Mayor Thao (Oppose Thao recall), A Pipeline Project, $10,000. TOTAL: $10,000.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
—John Bauters (District 5), Andre M. Tolme of Portland, Ore., $11,000. TOTAL: $11,000.
—Nikki Fortunato Bas (District 5), Wayne Jordan of Oakland, $20,000; AFSCME Council 57 PAC, $2,500; Carlos Uribe of Oakland, $1,500; Union of American Physicians and Dentists, $1,000. TOTAL: $25,000.
EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT
—Luana España (Ward 4), Luana España of San Leandro, $10,000; Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County PAC, $1,000. TOTAL: $11,000.
CITIES
ALAMEDA
—Michele Pryor (Alameda City Council), International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers Local 549 PAC, $2,500. TOTAL: $2,500.
DUBLIN
—Save Dublin Open Space, No on Measure II (Opposing land donation), Save Mount Diablo, $1,297. TOTAL: $1,297.
FREMONT
—Rinu Nair (Fremont USD-Area 4), Mihir Meghani of Fremont, $4,499. TOTAL: $4,499.
—Support Fremont Schools (Supporting Measure M bond measure), TBP Architecture of Walnut Creek, $5,000. TOTAL: $5,000.
HAYWARD
—Daniel Goldstein (Hayward USD), California Real Estate PAC, $1,743; Northern California Carpenters PAC, $1,100; DRIVE Committee, $1,000; . TOTAL: $3,843.
NEWARK
—Yes on NUSD Measure O (Newark USD school bond measure), Keenan & Associates, $1,000. TOTAL: $1,000.
OAKLAND
—Zac Unger (Oakland City Council-District 1), National Union of Healthcare Workers Candidate Committee for Quality Patient Care and Union Democracy, $1,000. TOTAL: $1,000.
—Carroll Fife (Oakland City Council-District 3), AFSCME Local 3299, $1,200; IBEW Local 595 PAC, $1,200. TOTAL: $2,400.
—VanCedric Williams (Oakland USD-District 5), Fremont Unified District Teachers Association PAC, $1,000. TOTAL: $1,000.
—Oaklanders Together - For A Safer Oakland, Yes on NN (Supporting parcel/parking tax), Comcast Financial Agency Corporation, $10,000; East Bay Community Foundation, $5,000. TOTAL: $15,000.
UNION CITY
—Gary Singh (Union City Mayor), Gary Singh of Union City, $10,000; $5,000. TOTAL: $15,000.
STATE LEGISLATURE
STATE SENATE
—Jesse Arreguin (7th Senate District), Elizabeth Simons of Atherton, $5,500; United Nurses Association of California/Union Health Care Professionals PAC, $5,500; Patty Quillin of Santa Cruz, $5,500; Young's Market Company,LLC dba Republic National Distributing Company of California, $3,000; TOTAL: $19,500.
—Jovanka Beckles (7th Senate District), Oakland Rising Committee sponsored by Center for Empowered Politics, $2,500; Black Women For Wellness Action Project, $2,000; Eduardo Martinez of Richmond, $1,000. TOTAL: $5,500.
—Tim Grayson (9th Senate District), California State Association of Electrical Workers Small Contributor Committee, $7,500; California State Pipe Trades Council Political Action Fund Small Contributor Committee, $7,500; California Land Title Association PAC, $3,000; TOTAL: $18,000.
—Marisol Rubio (9th Senate District), AFSCME Council 57 PAC, $3,000. TOTAL: $3,000.
—Jerry McNerney (5th Senate District), AFSCME Council 57 PAC, $3,000; California Environmental Voters Small Contributor Committee, $1,500. TOTAL: $4,500.
—James Shoemaker (5th Senate District), Tiger Lines, LLC, $1,000. TOTAL: $1,000.
STATE ASSEMBLY
—Buffy Wicks (14th Assembly District), The Boeing Company PAC, $5,500; Building Owners & Managers Association of California PAC, $5,000; The California Society of Certified Public Accountant PAC, $3,000; California Pawnbrokers Association PAC, $2,500; Amazon.com, $2,500; Marc Silverberg of Lafayette, $2,000. TOTAL: $20,500.
—Mia Bonta (18th Assembly District), United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health Care Professionals PAC, $7,000; California State Council of UNITE HERE, $2,500. TOTAL: $9,500.
—Liz Ortega (20th Assembly District), California State Council of UNITE HERE, $2,500. TOTAL: $2,500.
—Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (16th Assembly District), Building Owners & Managers Association of California PAC, $1,000. TOTAL: $1,000.
—Alex Lee (24th Assembly District), United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health Care Professionals PAC, $4,000. TOTAL: $4,000.
STATEWIDE
—Rob Bonta for CA Attorney General 2026, Rock Holding, LLC, $3,000. TOTAL: $3,000.
—🧾EXPENDITURES—Form 496 Independent Expenditure Reports filed on Nov. 1-3.
CITIES
ALAMEDA
—Trish Herrera Spencer (Alameda City Council), Coalition for Patient Access and Innovation, sponsored by California Life Sciences. OPPOSE (Mailer—$16,829). TOTAL: $16,829. ELEX TOTAL: $34,003.
DUBLIN
—Measure II (Supporting land donation), Preserving Agriculture in Alameda County. SUPPORT (Text messages—$975). TOTAL: $975. ELEX TOTAL: $975.
HAYWARD
—Measure K1 (Supporting sales tax renewal), Protect Hayward's Future Supporting Measure K1 2024. SUPPORT (Text messages—$1,473). TOTAL: $1,473. ELEX TOTAL: $1,473.
LIVERMORE
—Jeff Kaskey (Livermore City Council-District 3), Candidates That Listen. SUPPORT (Mailer—$3,134; Print ads—$853). TOTAL: $3,987. ELEX TOTAL: $22,949.
—Steven Dunbar (Livermore City Council-District 3), Candidates That Listen. OPPOSE (Mailer—$3,134; Print ads—$853). TOTAL: $3,987. ELEX TOTAL: $3,987.
—Tom Soules (Livermore City Council-District 4), Candidates That Listen. SUPPORT (Mailer—$6,393; Print ads—$1,706). TOTAL: $8,099. ELEX TOTAL: $27,596.
OAKLAND
—Len Raphael (Oakland City Council-District 1), Committee to Elect Ken Houston & Len Raphael and oppose Zac Unger for City Council 2024. SUPPORT (Mailer—$11,237). TOTAL: $11,237. ELEX TOTAL: $63,497.
—Warren Logan (Oakland City Council-District 3), Champions for Quality Education PAC. SUPPORT (Live calls—$5,400; Walk piece—$159). TOTAL: $5,549. ELEX TOTAL: $7097.
—Rachel Latta (Oakland USD-District 1), Oakland Education Association PAC. SUPPORT (Consulting—$2,500; Text messages—$1,976; Phone calls—$260). TOTAL: $4,736. ELEX TOTAL: $52,068.
—VanCedric Williams (Oakland USD-District 5), Oakland Education Association PAC. SUPPORT (Consulting—$2,500; Text messages—$1,708; Phone calls—$198). TOTAL: $4,406. ELEX TOTAL: $70,613.
—Dwayne Aikens, Jr. (Oakland USD-District 3), Champions for Quality Education PAC. SUPPORT (Walk piece—$159). TOTAL: $159. ELEX TOTAL: $1,697.
—Sasha Ritzie Hernandez (Oakland USD-District 5), Oakland Education Association PAC. SUPPORT (Consulting—$2,500; Text messages—$913; Phone calls—$136). TOTAL: $3,549. ELEX TOTAL: $30,904.
—Patrice Berry (Oakland USD-District 5), Champions for Quality Education PAC. SUPPORT (Text blasts—$943). TOTAL: $943. ELEX TOTAL: $943.
—Ryan Richardson (Oakland City Attorney), Fix Our City Oakland, Supporting Fife for City Council and Richardson for City Attorney 2024. SUPPORT (Online ads—$5,000). TOTAL: $5,000. ELEX TOTAL: $28,750.
—Brenda Harbin-Forte (Oakland City Attorney), Fix Our City Oakland, Supporting Fife for City Council and Richardson for City Attorney 2024. OPPOSE (Online ads—$10,000). TOTAL: $10,000. ELEX TOTAL: $33,150.
—Brenda Harbin-Forte (Oakland City Attorney), Fix Our City Oakland, Supporting Fife for City Council and Richardson for City Attorney 2024. OPPOSE (Text messages—$5,275). TOTAL: $5,275. ELEX TOTAL: $38,425.