By Allen Payton, Publisher

Ballots are still being counted by Contra Costa County Elections workers, as of Friday, November 30, 2012, putting off the final tally until next Monday.

In an email received by this newspaper, at 3:36 p.m., today, Assistant County Registrar of Voters, Candy Lopez wrote “We will not be able to complete the canvass today but are fairly close. We anticipate being able to Certify the Election in the mid-afternoon on Monday, Dec. 3rd.”

The county has 28 days following the election to certify it, which gives them until next Tuesday, December 4 at 5:00 p.m.

As of the day following the November 6 election, there were approximately 106,000 ballots left to be counted. That number included 82,271 vote by mail ballots and 23,692 provisional ballots.

The final numbers could change the outcome of one race in Antioch, the second City Council seat. Currently Monica Wilson is leading Mayor Jim Davis by 458 votes.

The final vote count for all races in the county may be viewed at www.CoCoVote.us.

 

By Barbara Zivica

After election returns were in, I asked my dog (see his official photo which heads my column) what his take was on the election results. His answer – RUFF! RUFF!

Going in Gary Agopian seemed to be the expected winner of the Mayor’s chair but Wade Harper got the nod instead. (Harper 40.87% of the vote vs. Agopian’s 32.91%) Agopian, however, has a safe council seat and won’t be up for re-election until November 2014. Don Freitas only got 20.38% of the vote and Michael Leon 5.52%.

In the council race, I was surprised that Mary Rocha (24.41% of the vote) who has spent 16 years on the council and four as mayor, and Monica Wilson (23.17% of the vote), who had little name recognition, edged out Jim Davis (22.43% of the vote) who ran for council instead of re-election for Mayor. Walter Ruehlig pulled 17.80% of the vote and Noel Pinto 11.88%. I think what enabled the women to win was strong backing and turnout from the Democratic party and union trade group members.

The numbers I quote don’t include all the vote by mail ballots that were turned in at the polls or the provisional ballots. The Elections Department has 28 days to certify but they might have it done by Thanksgiving. That could change the outcomes of some elections, especially Jim Davis or Monica Wilson since there’s less than 300 votes separating them.

What concerns me now is how the new council will decide to fill the vacant council seat when Harper assumes the position of Mayor.

What council should do, did in the past but didn’t do back in 2008, is appoint the candidate who came in third. That candidate was Arne Simonsen. Council actually sent out a casting call and after many rounds of interviews and pointed questioning, ended up choosing Martha Parsons, a Democratic political consultant, who hadn’t even run for council.

Should it turn out that Monica Wilson’s lead holds and Jim Davis comes in third, let’s hope council does the right thing this time and seats him in the position left open after Wade Harper is sworn in as Mayor.

Last but not least, congrats to Arne Simonson who handily won election to the City Clerk Position.

By Allen Payton, Publisher

According to the Contra Costa County Elections Division, as of today – Thursday afternoon, November 8, 2012 – there were 105,963 ballots left to be counted from Tuesday’s election.

Of that figure, there were 82,271 vote by mail ballots and 23,692 provisional ballots left to be counted. However, the Elections officials did not know how many of the provisional ballots would be disqualified.

A total of 337,124 ballots cast had been counted as of Wednesday morning, November 7. So the remaining ballots total 23.85% of those cast in the election.

In Antioch, the remaining ballots could affect the outcome of the Antioch School Board race as well as the Mayor’s and City Council races.

Jack Yeager is currently trailing Claire Smith by 1,115 votes for the third seat in the school board race. Councilman Gary Agopian is trailing Mayor Pro Tem Wade Harper by 1,946 votes in the race for Mayor of Antioch. Mayor Jim Davis is trailing Monica Wilson by just 284 votes in the Council race for the two seats, which has  has the greatest chance of changing.

The Elections Division of the County Clerk’s Office has 28 days to certify the election, but word on the street is they want it all done before the Thanksgiving break. One official said there will be an update on Friday afternoon, November 9, but it will only be a partial.

STOCKTON, CA, November 7, 2012 – Congressional candidate Ricky Gill made the following statement tonight after conceding to his opponent, Congressman Jerry McNerney:

“Tonight, I called Congressman McNerney to congratulate him on his victory. I extended my best wishes to the Congressman and his family, and I expressed my willingness to act as a resource and to help him serve this community in any manner possible.

I am enormously proud of the campaign we ran, and I am humbled by the tireless efforts of the many volunteers, neighbors, and supporters who threw their efforts behind it. Although we did not emerge victorious in this campaign, I believe we accomplished something extraordinary. We put this community and its people first, and we took our story to the national stage. We fought for jobs, education, and common-sense government. We made clear that the American Dream will rise once again in this community we love so dearly. 

As this campaign closes, I encourage all residents of the 9th District to come together and work towards the bipartisan, lasting reforms this country so badly needs. I wish Congressman McNerney the best, and I congratulate him on a hard-fought victory.”

Following are the responses to the questions posed to the candidates for Congress in California’s new 7^th District, which includes approximately 30% of Antioch, in the northwest part of the city. There are two candidates running, incumbent George Miller and challenger Virginia Fuller. The following information is posted here, as there was unfortunately not enough room in our November print edition.

1. Full name: George R. Miller, III

2. Background:

I’m 67 years old, have a BA from SF State University and a law degree from U.C. Davis. I was born and raised in Richmond and reside in Martinez. I’ve been a Member of Congress since 1975. I’m married to Cynthia Caccavo, have two children and six grandchildren.

3. Contact information:

David Johnson, Campaign Coordinator, 925-948-5165, dave@georgemillerforcongress.com,

www.georgemillerforcongress.com

www.facebook.com/georgemillerforcongress

4. What motivated you to run?

I first ran for Congress to end the Vietnam War, guarantee affordable health care for all Americans, and improve the education and well-being of our children. I’m running today to strengthen the middle class and rebuild the American Dream. And we’ve got work to do.

5. Top three priorities if elected – what do you plan to accomplish?

Create more jobs by strengthening the economy, improve public education, and reduce global warming by increasing energy efficiency and green energy.

6. Do you support Prop 30 and Prop 38?

I support Prop 30 to help avoid devastating cuts to education and other essential services.

7. What has been your greatest accomplishment? Why should people vote for you?

My greatest achievement as a lawmaker has been passage of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s health care law. I have a record of integrity and have had bills signed into law by presidents of both parties. I wake up every day ready to make a difference for people here and across our country.

 

 

Virginia O.  Fuller

As a legal immigrant, born in Suriname, I came to the United States in 1976 and gained my citizenship in 2000. I have lived in California for over 33 years. I was trained as a registered nurse in The Netherlands. My two children are both college graduates and model citizens.

I became a child advocate after I observed,, first-hand the shortage for quality long-term nursing care for children in my community, while working as a rehab nurse at Children’s Hospital, Oakland. In 1989 I established and operated two pediatric care facilities. One was a 24-hour Emergency Shelter Home for abused and neglected children located in Oakland. The other was a Nursing Care Facility in Richmond, licensed by the State Health Department.

Because that was happening in this predominately liberal and Democratic region, I became a political activist, as a result.

I am running for Congress because the incumbent, George Miller has demonstrated for 38 long years he is out of touch with his constituency. His partisan and neglectful policies have proven to be disastrous to traditional families and our communities. Many neighborhoods have deteriorated because of high crime rates and population exodus due to decades of neglect by George Miller.

As your Congresswoman, I will:

•Work to rebuild our inner cities by:

•Reducing the cost of doing business in America and keeping jobs in California.

•Giving parents school choice and greater access to better performing schools.

•Vote to repeal Obamacare and replace it with common sense healthcare reform.

•Balance the Budget by eliminating duplicate government services and departments.

•Return control of Education to the States.

•Enforce immigration laws.

•Support aid and asylum for persecuted Christians in the Middle East and Africa.

•Implement a Flat Income Tax.

•Support LIMITED government

I have integrity, decency and will maintain loyalty to the people. I am a proud Constitutionalist and a patriotic citizen with common sense and real life experiences. We need to elect a citizen politician, not career politician and lawyer!

Fuller for Congress

12 Ambrose Avenue, Bay Point, CA 94565 510-758-5854 or 925-565-4295

www.fullerforcongress.org

https://twitter.com/#!/FullerCD7ca

www.youtube.com/user/FullerForCongress

 

Democracy is Not a Spectator Sport

By Supervisor Federal Glover, Contra Costa County, District V

It is your vote,
your voice,
your future,
your chance,
your obligation
to take part
in the
democratic process.
_______
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To find your polling place, go to:
http://www.cocovote.us/

By Allen Payton, Publisher

I spoke with candidate for the Antioch School Board, Barbara Cowan, today about her experience with the endorsement process of the Contra Costa County Democratic Party Central Committee. Three of the five Democratic candidates running for the board had sought the endorsement, but they only endorsed two candidates for the three seats, and both are African American.

Following are Cowan’s comments about it:

“It was the first interview I’d done. I was extremely nervous going in,” she said. “But, it was a very, very unpleasant experience.”

When asked who was involved in the interview, she responded, “I believe there were at least six people involved in the interview with one Hispanic and one African American on the panel.”

So what did she think was the reason she wasn’t endorsed for the third seat?

“There was a gentlemen there who took an issue with a remark I made and interrupted all the other questions, so he could argue with me,” said Cowan. “I told him I was talking about the API scores in Antioch. I indicated that on the history scores, that the teachers needed a little training. He came across angry and said, basically, not yelling, but very firmly, that it wasn’t the Antioch teachers but that is was a lack of support for the discipline. He’s a substitute teacher in Antioch and seemed very bitter and angry.”

“Maybe they looked at me as an ingenue or that I wasn’t qualified. After I was reamed by this guy a couple times, I stumbled over my words,” Cowan added. “I can tell you my interview didn’t go well. I answered the questions that I could, but maybe they may have chosen not to endorse me because of that.”

She doesn’t believe race was a factor in the endorsement decision.

“I’m not going to pull the race card. But I don’t feel it was fair because of the way I was treated,” she said.

Cowan was never informed that she hadn’t been endorsed.

“There was no feedback, not even a notification that I had not been endorsed,” she added.

So as far as the Antioch School Board election is concerned, I believe we can put to rest the concerns that race was a factor in how the Democrats chose their candidates. What we don’t know is the criteria that was used to decline the endorsement of Cowan, the only former teacher and principal running in Antioch, this year.

However, they only endorsed two of the three candidates who requested it for the three seats on the Antioch School Board

By Allen Payton, Publisher

This is to follow up on my recent commentary about the elections in Antioch and reporting on the concerns shared by some white Democratic candidates that the Contra Costa Democratic Central Committee only endorsed minority candidates for office.

I emailed the Democrats’ Endorsement Chair, Jeff Koertzen with the following questions:

“Mr. Koertzen,

I have been informed that you are the Endorsement Chair for the Contra Costa Democratic Central Committee.

In following up on my recent commentary on the Herald website regarding the elections in Antioch, I’d like to know did any of the following candidates seek the endorsement of the Contra Costa Democratic Central Committee?

Randy Benevides, Barbara Cowan, Diane Gibson Gray

The reason I ask is that the CCDCC only endorsed two Democratic candidates for the three seats, both African Americans, even though there are three other Democrats in the race.

Also, was race used as a criteria for the endorsements for the elections in Antioch? Knowing the history of support for Affirmative Action by the Democratic Party, is there a desire to promote minority candidates over white candidates, at the local level?

Finally, why is the Democratic Central Committee endorsing in what are supposed to be non-partisan races?

I look forward to your responses.

Thank you.

Allen Payton

Publisher”

Koertzen responded:

“Mr. Payton,

Regarding the three candidates you reference.

Randy Benevides did not respond to our correspondence (email and postal mail, no answer by phone).

Barbara Cowan was interviewed but was not endorsed.

Diane Gibson-Gray told me by phone that she was not interested in seeking our endorsement. (Phone calls were made to Democratic registered candidates who had not responded by email.)

Per our bylaws and the bylaws of the California Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County may endorse any candidate in non-partisan races who is registered as a Democrat as long as that candidate specifically indicates he or she is interested in our endorsement. (A non-response must be interpreted as the individual is not interested in our endorsement. Our Bylaws require that we send a letter to the campaign mailing address on file with the registrar’s office. In addition, emails were sent to the email address on file with the registrar’s office and phone calls were made to the campaign phone number on file with the registrar’s office. Messages were left when answering machines were reached, but because we had attempted to reach candidates in multiple ways, it was not required that we actually reach any person to receive a yes or no response if they were interested in endorsement. Due to the multiple methods to attempt to reach candidates, it was up to the candidate to reply to us.) In addition, we may only endorse a maximum of the number of seats available in a particular race. Only one of the three you mention indicated she was interested and sought our endorsement.

As for the city council race which you mention in your blog post but not in your email, Walter Ruehlig did not respond to our correspondence and Noel Pinto was interviewed but was not endorsed.

Race is absolutely not considered as a factor. It was actually a surprise to me when I read your blog post because when we interviewed the candidates, we interviewed them as people not as representatives of a particular race. The endorsement committee made our recommendations based on the individuals we felt best met the requirements for office, would best represent their constituents, and who represented Democratic ideals.”

I then responded with the following:

Mr. Koertzen,

Thank you for your quick and complete response.

However, regarding the Antioch School Board race, since one more Democratic candidate sought the endorsement, who appears to be very qualified from her experience as both a teacher and principal, why wasn’t Barbara Cowan endorsed, instead of leaving the one position without an endorsed candidate?

Allen Payton

Publisher”

Koertzen responded:

“Mr. Payton,

The endorsement committee did indeed find her to be qualified as a teacher and administrator, and, as I recall, she is a warm and engaging person, but some committee members had some reservations and concerns based on responses to questions posed during the interview. As a result, she did not meet the threshold required for the committee to recommend endorsement. Although we may endorse up to the number of available seats, we are not required to endorse that number of candidates.

To be fair to Ms. Cowan, I would need to discuss that information with her. It would not be appropriate for me to discuss the details of our endorsement deliberations with the press, especially if I have not yet had that conversation with Ms. Cowan.

Thank you,

Jeff Koertzen”

So there you have it. The Democrats claim race wasn’t used in their endorsements, but when they had the opportunity to endorse a very qualified, white Democratic candidate for the third seat on the Antioch School Board, they chose not to. So it’s up to you to decide what to believe and determine what impact, if any, it will have in the election results.

I emailed each of the three candidates mentioned to ask if they had requested the endorsement of the CCDCC, but none of them responded before publishing this commentary. If and when they do, I will provide an update.

Now, let’s get something, straight. I’m being accused of injecting race into the elections in Antioch. Let’s be clear. I was not the one who put out the emails about the issue. I received them and spoke with a few of the white Democratic candidates for office in Antioch about the issue and shared that information in my commentary. They chose to share it with me on condition of anonymity. If people are upset, so be it. No issue is too sensitive to discuss it if it’s of concern to candidates running for office or the voters. But don’t shoot the messenger or even try to read into anything I wrote. You need to take it on its face value. Debate and discuss the issue don’t attack the one who brought it out of the shadows. If those candidates who have the concern wish to remain anonymous, that’s their choice. But it would be good if they would step forward and share their concerns, publicly and challenge their own party.

This is America where we have freedom of speech. Don’t be afraid to speak up and speak out when you feel an injustice has occurred – no matter who it might be against.