Early election results Tuesday night offered a first glimpse at the outcome of five Oakland City Council races that could politically reshape one of the country’s most progressive cities on issues like crime, policing and the city’s financial future.
With about 147,000 ballots counted, Rowena Brown, Zac Unger, Carroll Fife, Noel Gallo and Ken Houston respectively claimed very early leads for five of the city’s eight council seats, while Ryan Richardson was leading the race to be the next city attorney.
The first round of results Tuesday included mail-in ballots, while later releases were expected to include votes cast in person. Election officials will continue tallying ballots as they received them, with final results not expected for several days at least.
Oakland’s voters have grown increasingly polarized over the past two years amid disputes over crime statistics, police staffing and the city’s uncertain financial outlook — issues that helped place an expensive recall effort against Mayor Sheng Thao on the election ballot.
Here’s how the council and attorney’s races looked after early results:
State Assembly staffer Rowena Brown had a slight lead in a 10-candidate race that also included former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong; housing planner Shawn Danino; former federal policy official Charlene Wang; store owner Kanitha Matoury; pastor Fabian Robinson; seamstress Selika Thomas; city Library Commissioner Cristina Tostado; Mindy Ruth Pechenuk; and Nancy Sidebotham.
The at-large seat being vacated by Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan is the only council office decided by voters citywide, instead of ones in a specific geographical district.
LeRonne Armstrong’s campaign came on the heels of his firing last year as police chief — a decision by Mayor Sheng Thao that produced widespread backlash and a targeted recall movement centered around a pro-policing, tough-on-crime policy approach. Armstrong was in a close second place in early results.
Oakland Firefighters Union President Zac Unger was in the driver’s seat of a three-candidate race for a District 1 seat versus accountant Len Raphael and local baker Edward Frank. The district spans areas of North Oakland, including the Emeryville border, Rockridge and Temescal.
Unger, a progressive champion of the city’s dominant labor unions, had been seen all election season as the likely successor to left-leaning Councilmember Dan Kalb.
From left, Oakland City Council District 1 candidates Zac Unger, Len Raphael, and Edward Frank. (Courtesy Photos)
Incumbent Councilmember Carroll Fife had a handle on a six-candidate race in District 3 against incumbent policy analyst Warren Logan; garment-business owner Meron Semedar; community housing assistant Michelle Hailey; longtime West Oakland resident Shan Hirsch; and entrepreneur Baba Afolabi.
District 3, which spans West Oakland, uptown and part of downtown, has emerged as a sort of key political battleground for the city’s future.
Fife’s steadfast progressive ideals over issues like housing and crime had made her the target of a growing moderate movement, with Logan the beneficiary of her critics’ fundraising efforts.
Incumbent Councilmember Noel Gallo held an advantage in District 5 over opponents Alameda County staffer Erin Armstrong and taco spot owner Dominic Prado. The district covers parts of East Oakland, including the Fruitvale neighborhood.
Gallo would become Oakland’s longest-serving council member, though his reputation for prioritizing community work over policymaking saw a concerted challenge from Erin Armstrong, who is a staffer for longtime Supervisor Nate Miley.
Ken Houston, a city beautification contractor, had the lead in a four-candidate race for an open District 7 seat that also saw bids from City Council staffer Iris Merrouins, former Peralta college board director Marcie Hodge and pet-sitter Merika Goolsby.
The district, which covers areas of East Oakland near the San Leandro and Alameda borders, was vacated last-minute by Councilmember Treva Reid, leading to an unexpectedly open race.
Merriouns, who is chief of staff to Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, saw financial support from unions while Houston received a boost from the mayoral-recall forces.
Deputy City Attorney Ryan Richardson was leading former judge Brenda Harbin-Forte to be the next city attorney following the retirement of Barbara Parker.
The attorney’s race took on a particularly contentious tone because of Harbin-Forte’s role as the leader of the recall campaign against Thao, which brought added attention to Richardson’s support from labor unions.
The mayoral recall seemed to hang over, and at times overshadow, other Oakland races, as well. It also provided a central theme that weaved between all of them.
The city faces a deep political divide on key policy questions, such as the extent to which the large police budget should be preserved over other city services in upcoming budget talks.
With the town fully in the throes of financial crisis, a remade City Council in January may not have much time to get settled before major decisions are in its hands.
Shomik Mukherjee is a reporter covering Oakland. Call or text him at 510-905-5495 or email him at shomik@bayareanewsgroup.com.