The Alameda County Registrar of Voters (AC ROV) has released two updates to the results of the 2024 California primary election since our last report of March 13. Although the numbers are still not quite final (the Secretary of State web page still shows 100 more ballots to be counted), the count as of 4 p.m. March 20–Unofficial Post-Election Update #6— is complete enough to show which candidates have been elected or will advance to compete in the November election, and which measures passed.
Current tallies from the county include 329,807 ballots, or a 35% turnout countywide. And City of Alameda voters outpaced County voters, with 44% casting ballots in the contest according to AC ROV figures. We expect the County to release final tallies next Friday, March 29. Final official results are due to the Secretary of State by April 5, and will be certified by April 12.
City of Alameda contest
Alameda Unified School District’s Measure E was approved by more than two-thirds of Alamedans who cast their ballot in the March 5 election. In fact, over three-quarters approved, well over the amount needed for passage. Of 22,648 ballots cast, 76.15% voted yes. The measure will combine and extend current local school taxes.
State and County contests
Democrats in District 18 chose 10 new members of the County Central Committee, who will serve in the role for the next four years. Listed in order of total votes received, they are Loren Taylor, Pamela Price, Austin Tam, Mayra Alvarado, Warren Logan, Rowena Brown, Andrea Luna Bocanegra, Laura Leigh Geist, Hanna Groce, and Pamela Ferran. Price, Tam, and Bocanegra are previous committee members. Two other incumbents were not reelected. The ten new committee members are divided evenly among the slates of candidates: People Powered Progressives and United Voices for Democracy each took three seats, while Empower Oakland took two, and two candidates did not run on a slate.
The race for State Assembly District 18 was another decisive victory for incumbent Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D), who took 85% of the vote. Andre Sandford (I/NPP) looks to be her November challenger; the two Republican candidates, Mindy Pechenuk and Cheyenne Kenney trail Sandford by about 200 and 500 votes respectively.
After a heated campaign for State Senate District 7 filled with broadcast ads mostly focused on promoting and opposing Kathryn Lybarger (D), she only received enough votes to take fourth place. Current Berkeley mayor Jesse ArreguÃn (D) received nearly twice the votes of the runner-up, AC Transit director Jovanka Beckles (D), and both will advance to the General Election, ensuring that Nancy Skinner’s seat will continue to be occupied by a progressive politician.
Alameda’s Vice-Mayor Tony Daysog (D) came up short in his bid to replace Barbara Lee in the House of Representatives. Instead, the seat will continue to be held by a BIPOC woman—BART director Lateefah Simon (D) captured more than half the vote for the March 5 election, and will be joined on November’s ballot by Dr. Jennifer Tran (D), a professor and president of the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce.
The two Alameda County measures passed easily. 59.47% of votes cast supported Measure A, which decreases the notification period for civil service exams, and 76.15% supported Measure B, which will amend the County Charter to update recall language.
Terry Wiley ran unopposed for Superior Court Judge, Office #5, while Mark Fickes defeated Michael P. Johnson for Office #12. And Angela Normand handily defeated John Lewis by a 4:1 ratio for the County Board of Education, Second Trustee Area.
Finally, enough ballots have been counted throughout the state to verify that Proposition 1, authorizing bonds to build mental health treatment and housing facilities, was approved by a narrow margin of 0.4%, with 3,603,999 yes votes and 3,575,162 no votes.
Federal Contests
There have been no changes to the results of federal contests. For U.S. Senate, Democrat Adam Schiff’s controversial strategy of promoting Republican Steve Garvey as his primary opponent paid off, and he will face the neophyte politician in both contests to finish Dianne Feinstein’s term and to succeed her.
California’s Presidential Primaries offered no surprises, with Democrats backing President Joe Biden, and the GOP supporting Donald Trump.
The November general election will be held November 5, 2024. Stay with the Alameda Post for all your local election news from now until election results are certified.
Adam Gillitt is the Publisher of the Alameda Post. Reach him at [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Adam-Gillitt.
