Tuesday night’s early election results offered a first look at the outcome of five Oakland City Council races that could politically reshape one of the country’s most progressive cities on issues such as crime, policing and the financial future of the city.

With about 147,000 votes counted, Rowena Brown, Zac Unger, Carroll Fife, Noel Gallo and Ken Houston, respectively, gained very early leads for five of the eight city council seats, while Ryan Richardson led the race to be the next city attorney.

Tuesday’s first round of results included mail-in votes, while later releases were expected to include votes cast in person. Election officials will continue counting ballots as they received them, and final results are not expected for several days.

Oakland voters have become increasingly polarized over the past two years amid disputes over crime statistics, police staffing and the city’s uncertain financial prospects, issues that helped put a costly effort on the ballot. impeachment against Mayor Sheng Thao.

This is how the elections for the council and lawyers turned out after the first results:

Rowena Brown, State Assembly staff member 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 Fabián Robinson; seamstress Selika Thomas; the city’s Library Commissioner, Cristina Tostado; Mindy Ruth Pechenuk; and Nancy Sidebotham.

The at-large seat vacated by Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan is the only council position decided by voters citywide, rather than those in a specific geographic 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 recall movement centered on a pro-police, tough-on-crime political approach. Armstrong came in a close second in the early results.

Zac Unger, president of the Oakland Firefighters Union I was in the driver’s seat a three-candidate race for a District 1 seat versus accountant Len Raphael and local baker Edward Frank. The district covers areas of northern Oakland, including bordering Emeryville, Rockridge and Temescal.

Unger, a progressive supporter of the city’s dominant unions, had been seen throughout the election season as the likely successor to left-wing Councilman Dan Kalb.

Carroll Fife, current councilor had a handle on a six-candidate race in District 3 against current policy analyst Warren Logan; the owner of a textile company, Meron Semedar; Community Housing Assistant Michelle Hailey; Shan Hirsch, long-time West Oakland resident; and businessman Baba Afolabi.

District 3, which encompasses West Oakland, uptown and part of downtown, has become something of a key political battleground for the city’s future.

Fife’s strong progressive ideals on issues such as housing and crime had made her the target of a growing moderate movement, with Logan the beneficiary of her critics’ fundraising efforts.

Current Councilor Noel Gallo had an advantage in District 5 about his opponents, Alameda County employee Erin Armstrong and taco shop owner Dominic Prado. The district covers parts of East Oakland, including the Fruitvale neighborhood.

Gallo would become Oakland’s longest-serving council member, although his reputation for prioritizing community work over policymaking saw a concerted challenge from Erin Armstrong, a longtime member of Supervisor Nate Miley’s staff. a long time.

Ken Houston, a city beautification contractor, had the lead in a four-candidate race for an open District 7 seat that also received bids from City Council employee Iris Merrouins, former Peralta college board chair Marcie Hodge and pet sitter Merika Goolsby.

The district, which covers areas of East Oakland near the borders of San Leandro and Alameda, was vacated at the last minute by Councilwoman Treva Reid, leading to an unexpectedly wide open race.

Merriouns, chief of staff to Councilwoman Janani Ramachandran, received financial support from unions, while Houston received a boost from mayoral recall forces.

Deputy City Attorney Ryan Richardson was former chief judge Brenda Harbin-Forte be the next city attorney following the retirement of Barbara Parker.

The bar race took on a particularly contentious tone due to Harbin-Forte’s role as leader of the recall campaign against Thao, which brought greater attention to Richardson’s support from unions.

The mayoral recall seemed to overtake, and at times overshadow, other races in Oakland as well. It also provided a central theme that wove through all of them.

The city faces a deep political divide on key policy issues, such as the extent to which the large police budget should be preserved over other city services in upcoming budget talks.

With the city in the throes of a financial crisis, a City Council restructured in January may not have much time to establish itself 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 [email protected].

Originally Posted: November 5, 2024 at 8:51 pm PST