Oakland Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas extended her lead in the crowded race for Alameda County’s fifth supervisorial district as results started trickling this week’s primary election. Emeryville Councilmember John Bauters continued to distance himself from Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett in the race for second place after results were released late Friday.
Alameda County voters went to the polls to pick their top two candidates from a field of eight ambitious politicians from Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville and Piedmont, all seeking to replace Keith Carson on the Board of Supervisors.
Carson, a progressive who represented the district for over 30 years, announced his retirement in December, setting off the packed race.
Bartlett, Fortunato Bas, Bauters, Ken Berrick, Gregory Hodge, Chris Moore, Gerald Pechenuk and Lorrel Plimier were on the ballot. If none wins more than 50% of the vote, the top two will advance to November’s general election.
Nikki Fortunato Bas gained over 5,100 votes to lead the race for a November runoff with 15,405. Bauters and Bartlett followed with 10,219 and 8,410 votes, respectively.
Bartlett, a Berkeley council member, said on Wednesday that he’s hopeful that he’ll advance to the top two spots when all the votes are counted, but it could take many days to determine.
“Throughout this campaign, our message was simple: everyone deserves to feel safe, everyone deserves a home, and everyone deserves to age with dignity,” Bartlett said. “We’ve accomplished so much together on the Berkeley City Council, but so much more can be done at the County level. I hope to get that opportunity.”
The supervisors set Alameda County’s budget — $4 billion for the current cycle — and govern unincorporated parts of the county. They also oversee the sheriff, the Alameda Health System, the Santa Rita jail, many homelessness programs and other critical public services.
Most candidates running for Carson’s seat are progressives whose policies closely follow the outgoing supervisor on issues like housing and homelessness. All the candidates emphasized that public safety is a priority for the county and the district, which includes a portion of Oakland that has seen a significant increase in violence and property crime over the past few years.
The candidates differ in their approaches to a recall campaign facing District Attorney Pamela Price, with Bas, Bartlett, Hodge and Plimier saying they don’t support the recall or that resources for a special election would be better used for other county services, and Bauters and Berrick saying voters will decide the appropriate route. Moore and Pechenuk support the recall.
