Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas took an early lead in the crowded race for Alameda County’s fifth supervisorial district as results started trickling in for Tuesday’s primary election.
Alameda County voters on Tuesday 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.
Ben Bartlett, Fortunato Bas, John 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.
With partial votes totals at 11 p.m., Nikki Fortunato Bas was leading the race with 4,417 votes. John Bauters and Ben Bartlett followed with 3,194 and 3,008 votes, respectively.
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.
