Manual tally to begin Monday, Antioch School District’s Measure T still too close to call

By Allen Payton

With the latest, Interim Update 3 from the Contra Costa County Elections Division from the March 3rd Presidential Primary posted Friday, March 13, there are still approximately 30,500 votes remaining to be counted in the county.

Supervisor Federal Glover gained on his two opponents and is now less than 0.12% from winning re-election outright. He now has 49.89% of the vote for a total of 20,330 votes. His next closest opponent, County Assessor Gus Kramer has 25.62% of the vote or 10,440 votes, followed closely by Martinez Planning Commissioner Sean Trambley with 24.49% or 9,981 votes.

If Glover doesn’t end up having 50% plus one vote, he will face the second-place finisher in a November General Election run-off.

Three of Six Tax Measures Passing

Three of the six tax measures on the ballot in Contra Costa are passing, as of the latest update.

The election for the Antioch Unified School District’s Measure T school improvement bond, covering the former Mello-Roos District 89-1, is still too close to call. It needs 55% of the vote to pass and currently has 53.13% with a margin of 1,511 votes.

In the Lafayette Measure L school district parcel tax election, which requires a 2/3’s vote to pass, it’s succeeding with 72.6% of the vote and a lead of 4,589 votes.

In the Moraga School District, the Measure M parcel tax election, which also requires a 2/3’s vote to pass, is succeeding with 70.27% of the vote and a margin of 2,731 votes.

In the West Contra Costa Unified School District Measure R school bond election, which requires a 55% vote to succeed, it is passing with 57.3% of the vote and leading the No votes by 8,009 votes.

The Pleasant Hill Park and Recreation Department’s Measure A bond measure, which requires a 2/3’s vote to pass, is failing with only 59.55% of the vote, but leading by 2,463 votes. It needs an increase of 6.12% from the remaining votes.

The countywide Measure J half-cent sales tax for transportation, which requires a 2/3’s vote to pass, was also failing with just 50.6% of the vote, and barely leading by 3,472 votes out of 288,644 counted so far.

Danville Development Referendum Passing

In the Town of Danville’s Measure Y referendum, which will approve the development of 69 homes on 410 acres and requires a simple majority to pass, is winning with 54.26% of the vote and a margin of 1,477 votes.

Following are the estimated number of ballots that remain to be counted as of Friday, March 13.

500          Other

29,200     Provisional

800          Conditional Voter Registration

30,500     Total Estimate

Manual Tally

Beginning Monday, March 16 the Elections Division will conduct a manual audit of ballots cast in the March 3rd Presidential Primary. The public is invited to observe the count.

Election Results as of Friday, March 6, 2020 at 4:33 p.m. Source: CoCoVote.us.

By Allen Payton

As of the update posted Friday, March 6, 2020 at 4:33 p.m., the results of the election for Contra Costa County Supervisor in the District 5 race between incumbent Federal Glover and two challengers is still too close to call. District 5 includes portions of Antioch north of Hwy 4 and west of Hwy 160.

Glover, seeking his sixth term on the board, is just 0.3% away from winning the race outright. If not, in the November General Election he will face either County Assessor Gus Kramer, who has 25.82% of the vote and leading Martinez Planning Commissioner Sean Trambley with 24.48% of the vote, by just 516 votes.

However, there are approximately 40,000 ballots remaining to be counted in the county. According to the Contra Costa County Elections website:

Below are the estimated number of ballots that remain to be counted as of March 6

7,500  Vote by Mail

29,200  Provisional

800  Conditional Voter Registration

2,500  Other

40,000  Total Estimate

Before the latest update was provided, Trambley commented on Thursday, “We will see what happens. Although this wasn’t the outcome I expected, I’m proud of the campaign I ran.”

“Hard to say how many of those (the remaining ballots) are in District 5,” he added.

Supervisor Federal Glover (in red shirt) checks the election results on his laptop surrounded by family and supporters as they celebrate his first place finish at his home in Pittsburg, Tuesday night. Photo courtesy of the Glover campaign.

“It’s not over.” 50,000 ballots left to be counted in the county. Next results update not until this Friday by 5 p.m.

Supervisor Diane Burgis and supporters look at the results online during her Election Night party in Brentwood, Tuesday night.

By Allen Payton

According to the unofficial election results on the Contra Costa Elections website from Tuesday night at 11:58 pm, Supervisor Diane Burgis is sailing smoothly into a second term, having garnered 66.49% of the vote against her opponent, Sanitary District Board Member Paul Seger who has 33.51% of the vote.

In a Facebook post Tuesday night, Burgis wrote, “Looking Good! The numbers will be coming in for the next couple days with all of the mail in ballots. Thank you to all those that helped make this happen. The walking & calling, the letters to the editor, Facebook posts & helping hang up signs. You all kept it positive & professional. I am blessed to have such a terrific support system! It is an incredible privilege to do this work & I look forward to another 4 1/2 years!”

Then on Wednesday afternoon, Burgis said, “I want to thank everyone for voting. It is a privilege to serve you, and I will continue to work hard every day to maintain your trust. I look forward to doing more good work for Contra Costa County.”

Supervisor Candace Andersen faced no opponent in her race for reelection in District 2, representing Lamorinda and most of the San Ramon Valley. In a Facebook post Wednesday morning, Andersen wrote, “I never take any election, even when running unopposed, for granted. Thank you to the 34,750+ (votes are still being counted) people who voted for me! I love my job and look forward to another 4 years. And congratulations to my colleague Diane Burgis who also won her election!”

Supervisor Federal Glover, running for a sixth term on the board to represent, is in a strong first place with 48.96% of the vote, just 1.05% shy of winning the election outright. He’s followed by County Assessor Gus Kramer with 27.24% who is closely trailed by Martinez Planning Commissioner Sean Trambley with 23.8% of the vote.

If Glover isn’t able to obtain 50% plus one vote, he will face one of his opponents in a run-off election in November.

The results only include votes by mail up until Monday and the votes at the polls on Tuesday, according to County Elections staff. They will know after 3:00 p.m. today, Wednesday, how many ballots are left to be counted in the county.

Glover was available for comment, Wednesday morning.

Kramer believes he’ll end up being Glover’s opponent in the General Election.

“It’s quite frankly too close for comfort,” he said. “Most likely, odds are I will be his opponent. I have some people who are telling me they’re surprised I did as well as I did with all the bad press from the Times. I have others who have said they’re not surprised.”

“It’s better to have tried and failed than to have failed to try,” he continued. “That’s my attitude about this race.”

“They have 50,000 ballots left to count, countywide, which means there’s about 10,000 ballots in this race, alone,” Kramer added. “It’s not over.”

Glover’s other challenger, Trambley, who has never held public office before and was running for office for the first time, was not available for comment Wednesday morning.

The next update to the results will not be provided until this Friday, March 6 by 5:00 p.m. The Elections Division has 28 days to certify the election.

Please check back later for updates to this report.

The first report will be released at 8:00 pm on election night, March 3, and posted to the Elections website www.cocovote.us immediately afterward. The initial posted results will be Vote by Mail ballots that are returned through Monday March 2.

The second report, with results from the polls, will be issued at 9:30 pm with subsequent updates approximately every half hour until all precincts have reported. The final election night report is expected to be issued by 1:00 am.

The first interim report will be posted by 5:00 pm on Friday March 6 and will contain results from Vote by Mail ballots received on and after Election Day. Additional results will be posted each Friday afternoon up to certification which is expected to be March 31.

The availability of updated reports will be communicated via Twitter and Facebook, using the hashtag #cocovote. Changes to the reporting schedule, if any, will also be communicated on these social media sites.

The Contra Costa Elections Division social media pages are:

https://www.Twitter.com/CoCoElections

https://www.facebook.com/EngageContraCosta/

https://www.facebook.com/ContraCostaElections/

Local election results will also be available throughout election night on Contra Costa Television (CCTV) beginning at 9:00 pm on Comcast channel 27, Astound channel 32 and AT&T U-Verse channel 99.

Dear Editor:

I writing to express my genuine respect, admiration, and appreciation for Supervisor Diane Burgis and whole-heartedly support her re-election.

We are blessed to have a leader with the level of integrity, brilliance, and imagination that Diane has demonstrated in serving the people of Contra Costa. She is a woman who is relentless in her efforts to bring innovation to our region and has made significant strides towards job and business creation to support our local workforce.

I have witnessed first-hand Diane’s wisdom and her dedication to regional improvement through her work on business-based drone development in far east Contra Costa, the creation of a multimillion-dollar light industrial park at the site of the former DuPont plant in Oakley, and the launch of the Family Justice Center in Antioch that includes job training and support for people who have been victims of human trafficking as well as those who seek skills training in technology employment through the work of the “Love Never Fails” project that has made significant impact throughout the Bay Area.

Diane is accessible and genuinely loves our communities and those of us who live here. Please cast your vote for Supervisor Diane Burgis, so she can continue with the amazing work she is doing for the benefit of our families. My husband Keith is fully in support of this statement.

Iris Archuleta

Antioch

By Scott O. Konopasek, Assistant Registrar, Contra Costa County

The voter registration deadline has passed, but you can still register and vote in one transaction between now and Election Day. Several convenient locations will be available leading up to and during Election Day for you to register to vote and cast your ballot.

Contra Costa Elections Division offers Conditional Voter Registration as a safety net for those who were unable to complete or update their voter registration before the deadline. Those who are already registered may also update their address or political party preference.

“We want make sure that everybody who is eligible to register to vote has ample opportunity to cast their ballot,” said Deborah Cooper, Contra Costa Registrar of Voters.

The Conditional Registration steps include going to an eligible county location, filling out a form that includes your name, address, date of birth and either the last four digits of your Social Security Number or your driver’s license number, and casting your ballot. Conditionally voted ballots are processed once our office completes the verification of the voter registration and confirms no ballot has already been voted. This service is available at the Elections Office, 555 Escobar in Martinez, during normal business hours and on Election Day from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Conditional Voter Registration will also be available at Regional Early Voting locations on Thursday, February 27th through Monday, March 2nd (excluding Sunday). Regional Early Voting is 11:00 am to 7:00 pm on the weekdays and 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturday, February 29th. These locations are available to all Contra Costa voters looking to cast their ballot ahead of time and avoid the Election Day rush. Any Contra Costa voter can vote at any one of the Regional Early Voting locations.

• Antioch Water Park, 4701 Lone Tree Way, Antioch

• Richmond Memorial Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond

• Hyatt House, 2611 Contra Costa Blvd, Pleasant Hill

Conditional Voter Registration is also available on Election Day at any of the county’s 166 polling places. For more information, call 925-335-7800.

Dear Editor:

Our Antioch Police Officer’s Association is proud to recommend Supervisor Federal Glover on Election Day, March 3rd.

Please join us.

Under Supervisor Federal Glover’s leadership, Contra Costa County has opened a new Family Justice Center in Antioch to help victims of domestic violence, elder abuse and human trafficking. Supervisor Glover also fought for cameras to deter freeway shooters on Hwy 4. The Antioch Police Officer’s Association joins Antioch Firefighters and 911 personnel in supporting Supervisor Glover’s re-election.

Steve Aiello

President, Antioch Police Officers’ Association

William Martinek

There are two candidates challenging six-term incumbent Congressman Jerry McNerney, retired U.S. Marshal and L.A. police officer Antonio “Tony” Amador who is running for his third time and newcomer, financial advisor and decorated combat Army veteran William Martinek. I’ve compared the two to decide who to support and vote for. Both are good men and have already served our nation. Both want to serve our country, again as a member of Congress. Both offer a serious contrast to McNerney.

Martinek is from Brentwood and jumped into the race early, showing a sincere interest in serving the people of our district. Amador, from Lodi in the San Joaquin County part of the district, only entered the race after he met Martinek and thinks he would be the better Republican candidate. They have similar views on the issues: national security and defense, transportation, jobs and economic development, and working to solve the problems of illegal immigration and homelessness. So, the main differences are age and life experience, but also commitment to run a serious campaign.

Amador is in his 70’s, married, a father, grandfather and great grandfather, and has a long history of public service, which is great, and I applaud him for that. Martinek is a much younger, married father who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan defending our national interests, which I also applaud. He wants to take his energy to Washington, D.C. to work for us.

They both believe they can do better for our district than McNerney who is now in his 12th year in the House of Representatives.

But, the final, major difference I had to look at is which of the two Republicans will run a more serious campaign to replace the incumbent. In his first run for Congress, in 2014, Amador only raised and spent about $60,000, yet came within 5 percent of McNerney. Had he run a more aggressive campaign and raised more money to get his message out to the voters, Amador might have won. But, then in 2016, again waiting until the last minute, while the San Joaquin County Republican Party Chairman, he jumped in the race against Kathryn Nance, who had been campaigning for several months. Amador came in second in the primary, beating Nance by 2.6% of the vote, and making it into the general election. But, this time – during the presidential election year – he lost to McNerney by almost 15%.

If the Republicans hope to take the most winnable Congressional district in the entire nine-county Bay Area, plus San Joaquin County, it’s going to take a candidate who will be aggressive and raise the necessary funds, like Ricky Gill did in 2012, who raised and spent almost $3 million. But the candidate needs more life experience than Gill had, having just graduated from law school.

Martinek is that candidate. He’s serious about serving our nation and has already done so in the Army, and he wants to make things better for his family and ours, in both Contra Costa and San Joaquin Counties. And he’s willing to do put in the hard work to campaign aggressively, and raise the needed funds to get his message to the voters so they can become familiar with him by the November election.

Please join me in voting for Republican William Martinek for Congress in the 9th Congressional District. To learn more about him read the Herald article, here and visit his website at www.williammartinekforcongress.com.

Allen Payton, Publisher & Editor