Here are my recommendations on the elected officials I vote on above the city level -- Alameda County, Special Districts, and State + Federal elected officials. Plus this is where I link to others who cover wider parts of the East Bay than I do. First the TLDR summary ...
Federal & State Elected Officials:
President/Vice-President: Kamala Harris & Tim WalzUS Senator (both races): Adam SchiffUS Congress, 12th District: Lateefah SimonCA Senate, 7th District: Jesse ArreguinCA Assembly, 14th District: Buffy Wicks
Alameda County Elected Officials:
NO NO NO on the Recall of Pamela Price, Alameda County District AttorneySupervisor, 5th District: John Bauters
Special Districts:
*BART District 3: Barnali Ghosh
BART District 7: Victor Flores
*AC Transit, Ward 1: Christian Peeples
*AC Transit, Ward 2: Jean Walsh
*Note: uncontested races, so they won't show up on your ballot, but you should know who's representing you!
Plus (for all of you who ask me about Oakland and other East Bay races), see below for recommendations from knowledgeable and like-minded friends.
See other posts for Berkeley ballot measures, Berkeley elected officials, and the state propositions (coming soon!).
For details, read on!
Federal & State Offices
If you’re reading my analysis, you’re probably already voting for these folks (even if some weren’t your *first* choice in the primary). If you have any questions, please ask me in comments or by email.
President/Vice-President: Kamala Harris & Tim Walz
Duh. Please donate and volunteer to elect Kamala Harris as the 47th President of the United States. If you’d like ideas, please consider:
- Donate to support volunteer canvassers in swing states through Jeff & Kim's fundraiser for Seed the Vote. To learn more about what we've been doing and why Seed the Vote is so terrific, read about our trips to Reno (I’ve now gone 4 times, but I only wrote posts about our first and second trips). And if you want to canvass too … check them out.
- Volunteer to canvass in CA, phone-bank, or write letters through Swing Left East Bay (or use their site to find similar groups where you live)
US Senator (both races): Adam Schiff
Adam Schiff will win this race in a walk and he’ll be an appropriate successor to Dianne Feinstein. You may know him from his key role in the impeachment trials of Donald Trump.
His opponent is Steve Garvey. As a kid growing up as a sometimes-Dodgers fan in Southern California, I didn’t even like Garvey much as a first baseman. As a politician, he’s hopeless.
US Congress, 12th District: Lateefah Simon
I’m so delighted Lateefah Simon will be going to Congress. I endorsed her in the primary for this race and multiple times previously for the BART Board, and I think she's terrific. She's endorsed by Barbara Lee and every major Democratic Party figure I can think of in California. She’ll win handily.
Her opponent Jennifer Tran appears to be a newcomer who may have great ideas (and has a nice-looking website), but is not running a competitive race: her website lists no endorsements.
[Update 10/23: thanks to the reader who pointed out that I incorrectly identified Simon's opponent in this race]
CA Senate, 7th District: Jesse Arreguin
I’m now a fan of Jesse Arreguin. He has been a strong and consistent voice on housing and homelessness both as Mayor of Berkeley and at the regional stage in his role as President of the Association of Bay Area Governments, where he has effectively brought people of diverse viewpoints together. I’m impressed to see how he has evolved over his time in politics -- an evolution that in my view means that his positions now better reflect his values. He has good politics and he’s effective, the combination I want from my representatives. He’s endorsed by most of the organizations and elected officials I look to for guidance, including by Nancy Skinner, who used to represent this area.*
Several years ago, I was excited about his opponent Jovanka Beckles, but as I learned more about her I became less impressed. I’ve heard she’s done a poor job on the AC Transit Board and has advocated strategies that, if any of her colleagues listened to her, would exacerbate the district’s post-pandemic financial problems. She has support from organized labor and Bernie Sanders, but I can’t recommend her.
*By the way, the CA-Senate redistricting means that Berkeley and most of the urban East Bay is now part of District 7, whereas we used to be in District 9 (and now D-9 is mostly Contra Costa east of the hills, which used to all be in D-7). I don’t know why they swapped the numbers, but we’re now D-7.
CA Assembly, 14th District: Buffy Wicks
She’s good, she’s our representative, and she’ll win handily.
Alameda County
Supervisor, 5th District: John Bauters
The 5-member Board of Supervisors oversees key social safety net programs, the public health system (except in Berkeley, which has its own department), and serves as the local government for unincorporated parts of the county (e.g. Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, and many rural areas). The Board also governs several special districts established by the county and appoints one of its representatives to regional transportation and housing entities.
For the first time in 30 years, this is an open race with no incumbent. In an 8-way primary, Nikki Fortunato Bas (34%) and John Bauters (21%) got the most votes and will advance to the general election. But more voters (45%) chose one of the other 6 candidates, and the general election will have many voters who didn’t participate in the primary.
In the primary I endorsed Emeryville Councilmember John Bauters based on recommendations from others (two had Bauters in that crowded field; one had Bauters or Bas). For the general election I’m voting for John Bauters. Here’s my comparison of them:
John Bauters’ list of priorities starts with tackling housing and homelessness, and he has won impressive results in Emeryville, including via cooperation with neighboring Oakland. He also lists important accomplishments on transportation and the environmental, public safety, and civil rights. He strikes me as an effective and pragmatic progressive elected official, someone who gets s**t done, and has positions that I generally agree with. Plus my friend Nathan Landau says he’s been an effective advocate for public transit and a champion of affordable housing.
Bauters’ list of endorsements is impressive. He’s endorsed by outgoing Supervisor Keith Carson, who is retiring after representing this seat for 32 years. Bauters is supported by gobs of state and local officials (4 current Berkeley councilmembers, 3 Alameda County Supervisors, plus Wicks, Bates, Hancock, Bonta, and Wiener) and organizations (Sierra Club, several unions, Housing Action Coalition, Planned Parenthood, Equality California, the list goes on and on).
Nikki Fortunato Bas’ list of priorities is thinner: she’s got a quote each for 4 topics: Community Mobile Crisis Response, Housing, Healthcare, and Homelessness. I like some things she does say and appreciate that she’s focusing on the key issues the Board actually controls, but I wish she had more meat on the bones.
Bas calls herself “Labor’s Choice” and her endorsements list indeed boasts an array of labor unions, as well as many state and local officials (3 of Berkeley’s council).
In researching this race, I also heard several earfuls from friends who had very significant concerns about Bas from her time on the Oakland City Council. To me, the one most relevant to a county supervisor’s job has to do with management of the police. A progressive friend and Oakland resident said:
“In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, she and one other City Council took a stance that confused better policing (which is desperately needed, especially in neighborhoods where crime is highest) with less policing, which played out with terrible results for the same neighborhoods. Most important, she led a movement to cut $17M from the police budget, and essentially canceled one or two classes of the police academy. This led to an enormous backlash, and she attempted to walk back and undo these actions, but it was too late. (Bas also claims, nonsensically, that all this had no effect on the size of the force.) I also believe these actions (combined with a bunch of messiness from the pandemic) sent a message to the police to engage less, and while it’s difficult to prove, we certainly saw a bunch of famous incidents of cops not intervening as crimes played out in front of them.”
NO NO NO on the Recall of Pamela Price, Alameda County District Attorney
This is a case of sore losers trying to use an anti-democratic process to remove the first person in nearly 100 years to be elected via a competitive election as Alameda County’s top prosecutor. Vote No on the Recall!
When I supported Pamela Price for District Attorney in 2022, I predicted that she would face a recall campaign. Only 7 months after Price took office, the same people who supported Price’s 2022 opponent started the recall effort. They’re clearly trying to use the recall to re-run the 2022 election they lost. They accuse her of being soft on crime, the same claim her opponent made in the 2022 election. In 2022, 53%+ voters disagreed and supported Price. She’s being a responsible prosecutor: see her fact vs. fiction page to see how misguided her opponents’ claims are.
Price is not just the first black D.A. in Alameda County, she’s the first Alameda County DA in nearly 100 years to have been elected without first having been appointed to the position. So she’s the first person to have won a truly competitive election as Alameda County D.A. -- every other D.A. was appointed first and won every election with the benefits of incumbency.
The recall effort is anti-democratic: recall supporters are allowed to raise unlimited funds -- so they’ve raised millions. If the recall succeeds, it’ll just take a 3-person majority on the county supervisors to appoint a new DA to serve until the 2026 election (and then enter that race as the incumbent). That’s a terrible way to run a democracy.
Instead, we should allow Price to finish her term and face the voters as scheduled in 2026.
If you’re at all in doubt, I encourage you to look at the websites defending Price vs. supporting the recall, and apply a little critical thinking. Note all the people endorsing Price and note that the recall campaign's page doesn't list any endorsers -- they’re just spending millions on TV ads.
Districts: AC Transit, BART, East Bay Regional Parks
BART District 3: Barnali Ghosh
I supported Barnali Ghosh because she’s been a staunch advocate for public transit for years. I first met her when she served on the Board of Directors for TransForm, the transportation advocacy group where I worked for 18 years. I’d be delighted to vote for her for BART Board, but since no one else ran for this seat, she automatically won and her race isn’t on the ballot. So take a moment to check out her profile in Berkeleyside and celebrate Barnali’s win!
BART District 7: Victor Flores
I don’t get to vote in this race (I’m in District 3), but if I did, I’d choose Victor Flores. He’s got great policy ideas -- he understands BART’s financial problems and proposes sensible solutions. He understands the importance of good transit oriented development and has a good vision for making BART stations into community hubs (and he’s got a model from elsewhere to inform it) -- he works for Greenbelt Alliance and previously worked for legislators Abel Guillen and Loren Taylor. He’s endorsed by 5 (of the 9) BART Board members, including the outgoing D7 rep Lateefah Simon, plus a bevy of East Bay electeds. And he has an interesting personal story -- rather than nutshell it in a sentence, I encourage you to read his writeup.
His opponent Dana Lang also knows transit. She has worked in several transportation agencies and has gained significant expertise in securing funding. I’m less compelled by her priorities (yes, we need to keep bathrooms clean, but should that really be a top priority?). She’s endorsed by 3 (of the 9) BART Board members, as well as many others. And she’s also got an interesting personal story. She’d be a good representative too, but I’d prefer Flores based on what I see.
AC Transit, Ward 1: Christian Peeples
Chris Peeples has been an AC Transit Director since before I started writing election recommendations (in 2000!). Previously he represented an at-large seats and now he's running to represent Ward 1 in AC Transit's new district scheme. I've endorsed him every time (most recently in 2020). This time he's running unopposed, so you won't see him on your ballot.
AC Transit, Ward 2: Jean Walsh
When Jean Walsh first ran for this seat in 2020, I endorsed her. Now she's also running unopposed, so you won't see your name on your ballot.
Oakland and other East Bay Candidates + Measures
I have friends who write up endorsements for Oakland and other parts of the East Bay. I don’t always agree (this year I'm No on state Prop 35 but they're both Yes). But I always respect their thinking and I’m impressed that they write more concise writeups about many more races than I do :-)
- Edie Irons & Janet Cox (Edie's mom) write up endorsements for Oakland and other areas. Here’s the link to November 2024 guide. I’ve known Edie since we both served on the East Bay League of Conservation Voters together over 10 years ago; we’ve since worked together in two different non-profits (that cannot endorse individual candidates, and therefore remain nameless in this writeup). Suffice it to say that she knows the transportation and housing spaces very well. If you’d like to get on their list, you can find Edie’s email address on their guide’s webpage.
- Nathan Landau, longtime AC Transit staffer and government-watcher, covers much of the East Bay and is also a fellow traveler on transportation and housing. He sends out his recommendations only by email, so I’ve often taken the liberty of posting a copy of his PDF. If you’d like to get on Nathan’s list, LMK and I’ll connect you.
Posts
6 comments:
This is the first time I've seen your voter guide. I myself have been writing one for years but I mostly write about Oakland.
However I need to add to your D5 Alameda County endorsements.
You say you wish there was more "meat" on Nikki's which kinda made me laugh. Nikki is and has been the Council president for the last few years because the other CMs know that she can handle very complex tasks while keeping differences and desires on an even keel, hearing from crowds of the public and still getting things done. Very little has been written nor understood about this almost impossible task.
She has gotten successful measures on the ballot to raise millions for laffordable housing, to increase business taxes on corporations while lowering them on small businesses and to increase the minimum wage ( Bauters attempted to lower it in E'ville)
She organized the toughest eviction moratorium in Oakland, working side by side with Arreguin who endorsed her.
The stuff about the police budget is wrong, blatantly untrue but was promoted by TV news. Libby Schaaf (who blew thru our reserves & federal rescue funds) had asked for a $17 million dollar increase in the police budget which the council rejected in favor of alternative public safety programs which freedup officers to handle violent crime. The budget for police was never reduced. Each academy runs close to $4 million and has graduated fewer officer the more often they are held.
Bauters deals with a tiny little budget and no bonds. His candidacy is supported by an impressive array of wealthy corporations-landords, developers, law enforcement unions and cryptocurrency bros. Her support comes from working folks, tenants and advocates for the homeless. She will take up where Wilma Chan left off. Bauters will be another Miley so that nothing gets done for tenants or sheriff oversight and cities like Oakland and Berkeley might still be begging for their share of housing and mental health funds. Pameladrake.substack.com
Hi Jeff. Thanks, as always, for your fine work in doing all this research. I look forward to your recommendations every election season and find your reasoning sensible and your knowledge invaluable. I am really struggling with one vote, and it's the District 7 State Senate race. I see your argument in favor of Arreguin and am leery of the description of Beckles offered up regarding her role on the AC Transit board. That said, I'm also really concerned about female candidates, especially vocal progressive ones, being slammed for style or approach. I do realize you have to work with others and build coalitions to get this kind of work done, even more so in Sac, but....I imagine you get my drift. Female leaders are easily labeled "too noisy, loud, and hard to work with," etc. Part of the difficulty is that there is only so much daylight between these candidates when it comes to policy, and even less when one considers what they will actually be able to accomplish in their desired role. But in those situations, I look to the money and Jesse sure has a lot of it and a lot that isn't from independent voters supporting his run. Here's the detail giving me pause that I was hoping to get your response to -- in reading the Berkeleyside Oct. 16 story about the candidates, Jesse refuses to take a real stand on the Pamela Price recall. What the heck? If he isn't even able to call that what is -- I just can't help but wonder if he doesn't just pander, and is that how his coffers got so big, and his support by the Dems in general so solid. I also wish that while he defended building market rate housing as a strategy, he would have added that affordable housing is still essential to addressing homelessness. Maybe he did and it wasn't here - but I do fear politicians in bed with developers who tout what can be a trickle-down economics argument that does little for those really in need. Curious about your thoughts, genuinely! I am struggling with this one! https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/10/16/state-senate-district-7-2024-jesse-arreguin-jovanka-beckles
Thanks for your comment and for the link to the Berkeleyside article. I agree that Arreguin's non-response on the Price recall is disturbing. I'm disappointed to see that.
I also recognize and agree with your concern about women of color getting slammed for "style" or "approach." I try not to do that; I presume you're responding to the "if any of her colleagues listened to her" crack. Hmm -- I'll have to think on whether that's relevant or gratuitous.
In this race, I'm mostly voting FOR Arreguin, mostly because of housing, as I described in the post. He *has* effectively supported affordable housing, both within Berkeley and at the regional level. One of the reasons I'm now a fan is that Arreguin did lots of work to rally support across the region for what was going to be a $10-20 billion bond for affordable housing. The fact that it didn't make this ballot isn't his fault, and he did a lot to move it forward and win support from colleagues around the region.
I'm not aware of Beckles making similar progress or contributions, and I'm concerned that a stance of supporting *only* affordable housing is unrealistic.
Oh, and BTW -- who are you? If you're not signed into Google when you comment, I don't get to see who you are. I'll reply to your comment regardless, but I kinda like knowing who I'm reaching :-)
Pamela, thank you for your comment and for your work. I just skimmed through your substack a bit, and it leads me to think you and I have similar values and beliefs on some issues, different on others.
On the Bauters-Bas race, I know well and respect folks strongly supporting each of them. I am very strongly motivated by the need to make sure we have enough homes for all of our neighbors to live, and I have the impression that Bauters has a stronger focus and track record on that (despite Emeryville's small size). We'll see how the election goes.
Hi Jeff - I left the previous comment regarding Arreguin/Beckles race and now I'm signed in. Thanks for your thoughtful response. Affordable housing is a top priority of mine, so you've convinced me! (I do a lot of work related to addressing unsheltered homelessness.) I appreciate your distinction that in this case is a vote *for* Arreguin as opposed to an "anti vote" and have also seen a lot of growth in Arreguin over the years.
By the way, I am also very much in favor of Adena Ishi and wanted to share a reason that I just have never been able to back Hahn. She had her kids (or at least one of them) in private school and then moved the student(s) when she ran for school board. I just can't get behind that. In fact, I've long thought at all political representatives should have their kids in public schools -- if they did, I suspect there would be less neglect and more interest in making them work, funding them, etc. But to run for school board while sending a kid to Prospect Sierra? And to switch and then actually mention your participation in public schools later in your election materials? That just doesn't sit right with me. As far as I'm concerned, she just saw the school board as an onramp to the political career she wanted to launch. No thanks.
Thanks for the good words, Monica. Glad to hear the info was useful. And I'm sorry, but not terribly surprised, to hear that story about Sophie. It feels of a piece with the person who's reported to have driven several good staff away.
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