And, wrapping up today's election coverage, I bring you news from across the Bay, where Oakland ousted its incumbent mayor, Richmond elected a progressive candidate despite Chevron's million-dollar campaign against him, and a certain former news anchor failed in her bid to get on the Oakland City Council.
Oakland Mayor - Libby Schaaf Wins In Instant Runoff
Unlike the 2010 election, which saw Jean Quan take a surprise lead due to ranked-choice voting, the frontrunner here, Councilmember Libby Schaaf, prevailed almost immediately and was able to declare victory at 2:15 a.m. today, as the Chron reports. In second place was the more progressive Councilmember at Large, Rebecca Kaplan, who also ran in 2010 (and came in third), but after Quan voters were knocked out, more of her votes went to Schaaf, giving her 63 percent of the vote and beating out all 14 other candidates. Schaaf has been serving on the Council for three years, having been elected in 2010. She was born and raised in Oakland, attended Skyline High School, and previously served as legislative aide to Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente, and then as an aide to then Mayor Jerry Brown. Governor Brown may have helped a bit with her win, having endorsed her last month.
Richmond Mayor and City Council - Tom Butt and Other Chevron Antagonists Sweep
The anger against Chevron apparently runs deep over in Richmond, and/or you can't win an election with $1 million in campaign mailers, ads, and billboards alone. As we told you yesterday, the oil behemoth sank at least $1.3 million supporting the campaign of Nat Bates, who presumably would be more allied with Chevron's wishes going forward. But, in an obvious fuck-you to Chevron, the citizenry elected Councilman Tom Butt, who campaigned with a fraction of that sum (approximately $22,000), as well as the whole slate backed by the Richmond Progressive Alliance for Council, including outgoing mayor Gayle McLaughlin, as the Contra Costa Times reports.
Berkeley Soda Tax Passes
Berkeley elected some new council members too, but the interesting race there was their own version of a tax on sugary beverages, which was being watched nationally along with San Francisco's (which failed). Leave it to good old Berkeley to pass the first such measure in the nation, despite the beverage industry spending $2.1 million to defeat it in this small town. The city will now tax soda one penny per ounce starting January 1.
Oakland City Council District 2 - Dana King Defeated By Union Candidate Abel Guillen
Former KPIX news anchor and noted penis sculptress Dana King will not, after all, be getting to serve on the City Council next year. Despite her notoriety, a candidate backed by a bunch of union dollars, and the overall Democratic machine, managed to defeat her. The race was close, as the Contra Costa Times reports, but Peralta Community College Trustee Guillen took the lead after the ranked-choice instant runoff, likely thanks to huge union support from city workers, the SEIU, and the Oakland Police Officers Association. Look for Ms. King, however, to likely try her hand at politics again. She seems to have the bug now.
