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Like many of you, our team anxiously awaits next Tuesday and the primary election in California when more than a dozen issues with direct Tri-Valley implications will be contested.
We have been in the throes of “election mode” for nearly two months – and some of our earlier stories are actually regaining popularity as our readers return to our campaign previews with their ballots now in hand. Alameda County judges and Contra Costa County assessor are among weeks-old articles trending again among our three websites.
We’re aware those less-heralded contests are where voters turn to us most often to help them make decisions during election season. Visit the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon online to review our pre-election coverage, and go back there on Election Night and the ensuing days for results and reactions after the votes are counted.
While it may not generate the grabber headlines regionally, the most significant election in the Tri-Valley may well be the Zone 7 Water Agency Board of Directors.
Four seats are up for grabs on the seven-member board that oversees the agency that serves as the water wholesaler for the southern Tri-Valley and provides flood control in the Livermore and Amador valleys.
With only one eligible incumbent running for reelection, at least three seats are guaranteed to change hands – and it’s possible a whole new majority could flow into office next Tuesday. Water rates, water supply diversification, flood management projects, water treatment and PFAS mitigation are just some of the high-priority efforts the board will lead in the new term.
On the ballot are fifth-term Director Sarah Palmer, nonprofit and community service leader Seema Badar, retired Livermore Lab chemist Alan Burnham, hydrogeologist Jim Lehrman, real estate appraiser Patricia Muga, business owner Rish Rao, computer engineer Sean Roberts and IT security professional Heidi Turner-Zika.
Residents in the Alameda County parts of the Tri-Valley will vote to elect four of those candidates for the at-large seats. Although not on their ballots, the race is also relevant to residents in San Ramon’s Dougherty Valley, which gets its potable water supply via Zone 7.
The election that has been grabbing headlines this spring – mostly because of its former office-holder – is Congressional District 14, which includes Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore.
Nine candidates are on the June 2 ballot: Democrats Aisha Wahab, Melissa Hernandez, Rakhi Israni, Carin Elam, Matt Ortega and Victor Aguilar Jr., Republicans Wendy Huang and Dena Maldonado, and Suzanne Chenault, listed with no party preference.
The top two finishers will advance to a runoff in the November general election to serve District 14 from January 2027 to January 2029. For this regular election cycle, it does not matter if a candidate gets more than 50% of the vote next week; there will be a runoff regardless.
That is not the case for the special primary election for Congressional District 14 that follows two weeks later and features many (but not all) of the same candidates. That is the off-schedule race to complete the unexpired term left vacant when Eric Swalwell resigned amid a sex abuse scandal.
The June 16 special primary ballot has 11 candidates: Wahab, Hernandez, Israni, Huang and Maldonado, plus Dems Alisha Cordes, Sheriene Ridenour and Jot Thiara, GOP members Tom Wong and Jack Wu, and non-party Victor Zevallos.
If someone gets more than 50%, they win the seat outright and will finish the old Swalwell term through into January. If not, there will be a special runoff election Aug. 18.
Oh and remember the special election is based on the current CD14 boundaries, whereas the regular election is within the new CD14 boundaries in the wake of the Proposition 50 redistricting.
Another high-interest contest in Alameda County is district attorney. With three candidates on the ballot, a key question is can any one get more than 50% to win the seat outright or will two advance to a November runoff. The primary sees current appointed DA Ursula Jones Dickson, recalled former DA Pamela Price and private attorney Gopal Krishan.
Two separate Alameda County Superior Court judgeships will be decided by the voters: Patricia Miles against Selia Warren for office No. 19 and Cabral Bonner against Michael Johnson for office No. 13.
Former Pleasanton City Councilmember Cheryl Cook-Kallio is running to retain her Trustee Area 7 seat on the Alameda County Board of Education against Sangeetha “Sandi” Shanbhogue, a challenger from Dublin.
Over in Contra Costa County, the main intrigue lies in three ballot measures.
Measure B proposes a 0.625% sales tax increase for the next five years “to help Contra Costa County address cuts in federal funding; support local services such as health care, supplemental food assistance, and other general county services”.
Measure G is a $920 million facilities bond measure for the Contra Costa Community College District.
And Measure A would change the rules and boundaries for urban growth in the county.
Three people are running for county assessor: entrepreneur Kismat Kathrani, county employee Nick Spinner and assistant county assessor Vince Robb. So will someone win the seat outright next week, or will we head to a runoff in November?
There are two-person races for auditor-controller (Peter Karumbi vs. Deepika Naharas), clerk-recorder (incumbent Kristin Connelly vs. challenger Pratima Sonavne), superintendent of schools (Dana Eaton vs. Jag Lathan) and superior court judge (incumbent Jesse Hsieh v. challenger Valery Polyakov).
Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) faces challengers Chirag Kathrani (NPP-San Ramon) and Joe Rubay (R-Alamo) for District 16, representing most of the Tri-Valley. The top two finishers will advance to a showdown in the general election.
For Assembly District 20, which includes slivers of western Pleasanton and Dublin, incumbent Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro) faces challenger Patricia Muga (R-Dublin). Both will automatically advance to November.
And in Congressional District 10, incumbent U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) is on the ballot against Republicans Jeff Frese, Angela Griffiths and Katherine Piccinini, and fellow Democrats Josh Hamilton, Mitchell Maisler and Bob Rowland. The top two candidates will go on to a runoff in the fall.
It will be a fun night for us covering the outcomes. And if you plan to vote, remember to cast your ballot in-person or submit your vote-by-mail ballot by Tuesday.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the associate publisher and editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What A Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com.
