Politics
Despite a hotly contested gubernatorial race and a controversial ballot initiative that would have decriminalized marijuana throughout California, voter turnout in Alameda County for Tuesday’s election dropped to its lowest level in at least a decade.
A familiar herbal scent filled the air in the Oaksterdam University parking lot Tuesday night as dozens of Proposition 19 supporters heard word that the bill had been defeated.
Democratic candidate Jerry Brown has taken the lead in California’s gubernatorial race, and has claimed victory as the state’s new governor. According to the California Secretary of State’s website, as of 11:26 pm, with 39 percent of precincts counted, Brown led opponent Meg Whitman by 8.7 points.
Despite a clear leader, Oakland’s mayoral race is not over. Don Perata holds a 13 percent lead over his nearest competitor, but he is about 14 percentage points short of a “50 percent plus one” majority, meaning the race will be determined Friday by a ranked choice voting run-off. The run-off scenario leaves hope for three candidates—Jean Quan, Rebecca Kaplan and Joe Tuman—who trail Perata but garnered significantly more votes than the race’s other six candidates. “I think if it’s…
The Green Party’s Laura Wells was one of four other candidates who took a stab at the governor’s seat. Wells is a longtime Oakland resident, with a background in both citizen-activism and business. On election night, she gathered with other local Greens to close out the election season at La Estrellita Café and Bar in East Oakland.
Early returns tonight showed that Jerry Brown was winning his campaign for governor of California—36 years after he won the office the first time—by defeating businesswoman Meg Whitman, who spent at least five times more money, but could not win the hearts of voters.
California voters came out for and against some of the most controversial propositions and measures in recent memory. Proposition 19, which would have legalized recreational use of marijuana, was rejected by a slim margin statewide despite support in Alameda County. Prop 19 proponent Richard Lee has publicly vowed to bring another initiative before voters in 2012. Proposition 23, which would have suspended air pollution regulation until unemployment figures improved, was rejected by a large margin, locally and statewide. Voters’ rejection of…
The polls have closed after Oakland’s first Election Day under ranked-choice voting, and it may be a few more days before residents will know who their next mayor will be. But former California State Senate President Don Perata has taken the lead in the first ballot count.
Kate Hoffman spent the day as a poll worker at the Grand Lake Gardens polling station in Oakland’s Grand Lake neighborhood. As the final voters filed in Tuesday evening, Hoffman spoke about how the day went.