San Francisco
- Ed Lee takes large early lead in mayor's race (SF Chronicle)
...With 100 percent of the precincts reporting Tuesday night, (Ed) Lee was the top vote-getter in the first round with more than 31 percent. At an election night party with supporters, Lee stopped just short of declaring victory after he emerged from the first round of voting with an almost 13-point lead over his closest rival, Supervisor John Avalos.
- The Wait Is On for DA and Sheriff (Bay Citizen)
...On Tuesday night, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi was leading a very close race for sheriff. With all precincts reporting, Mirkarimi had 38 percent of first-choice votes, while his rival Chris Cunnie, an advisor to state Attorney General Kamala Harris, had 28 percent, and Paul Miyamoto, a sheriff's captain, had 27 percent. In the district attorney's race, George Gascón had nearly twice the share of first-choice votes as his nearest rival, but on Tuesday night, he acknowledged the election remained too close to call.
- Voters approve Ed Lee's pension reform (SF Chronicle)
San Francisco voters gave Mayor Ed Lee's pension reform plan a resounding victory Tuesday night, while rejecting a competing measure by Public Defender Jeff Adachi. Both measures were designed to trim the amount the city pays for its workers' retirements.
- San Francisco voters reject 0.5% sales tax increase (SF Examiner)
San Francisco voters rejected a half-cent sales tax hike Tuesday. After the state Legislature failed to renew a one-cent sales tax earlier this year, consumers buying groceries or clothes in San Francisco might have noticed bills weren’t as high as they used to be. The sales tax rate dropped from 9.5 percent to 8.5 percent.
- Street repair bond passed by San Francisco voters (SF Examiner)
A $248 million bond measure to repair San Francisco’s streets and sidewalks was approved by voters on Tuesday.
- Greater oversight of campaign consultants in San Francisco rejected (SF Examiner)
Proposition F, a ballot measure to increase The City’s oversight of campaign consultants, failed to pass Tuesday.
Peninsula and South Bay
- South Bay, Peninsula voters have their say (SJ Mercury News)
A hard-fought measure that would allow Sunnyvale residents to directly elect their mayor rather than having City Council members choose one of their own was decisively defeated Tuesday night...Measure B on the Sunnyvale ballot, which would reduce annual cost-of-living raises for the mayor and council members, was approved, as was Cupertino's Measure C to raise the city's hotel room tax. In City Council races, Sunnyvale Councilman David Whittum cruised to re-election unopposed for seat 4. Pat Meyering beat Bo Chang for seat 5. Jim Davis held a narrow lead over Jack Walker for seat 6, while Steve Hoffman trailed. And Tara Martin-Milius edged out Fred Fowler in a tight race for seat 7, with Maria Pan far behind, according to unofficial results.
- Nagy is new Newark mayor (Fremont Argus)
Alan Nagy won the race Tuesday night to become Newark's first new mayor since 1978. With all six precincts and mail-in ballots counted, the longtime councilman captured 46.2 percent of the nearly 5,000 votes cast. Councilwoman Ana Apodaca came in second with 32.5 percent, and school board member Ray Rodriguez finished third with 21.3 percent, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters reported.
- Mixed election results for Peninsula school taxes; Newark passes school bond (SJ Mercury News)
Reversing their record of nearly consistent support for school taxes, Peninsula voters late Tuesday defeated two school bonds, approved one in Millbrae and narrowly passed two parcel taxes. Across the bay in Newark, a bond measure to renovate schools squeaked by. As Election Night wore on, success or failure hinged on a handful of votes for the Burlingame and Pacifica school districts, which were trying to mount a supermajority of 66.7 percent to pass parcel taxes. Unofficial results late Tuesday nudged both districts just over the victory line -- but uncounted ballots could change the tally.
- Palo Alto voters favor Measures D and E (Palo Alto Daily News)
Palo Alto voters on Tuesday passed a measure to repeal the right of police and firefighters to have outside arbitrators settle their pay and benefit disputes with the city...Voters in Palo Alto also passed Measure E by 64.3 percent. The measure will carve out 10 of Byxbee Park's 126 acres for a potential state-of-the-art composting facility.
- Aguirre, Bain, Foust and Pierce retain Redwood City council seats (Palo Alto Daily News)
Facing only one challenger who barely raised any money to wage a campaign, four longtime Redwood City council incumbents easily retained their seats in Tuesday's election.
- Redwood City voters pass business license and hotel taxes (Palo Alto Daily News)
Redwood City voters soundly passed two tax measures Tuesday that will pinch the wallets of businesses and out-of-town visitors, but not most residents.Measure I will increase the city's hotel tax from 10 to 12 percent of a room's rate and Measure M will raise the business license tax from $37 to $58.
- Royce narrowly loses San Carlos council seat to Collins, Olbert (Palo Alto Daily News)
Randy Royce lost his seat on the San Carlos City Council in a tight race Tuesday night that put two new faces on the next council.Seeking a second term, Royce could not overcome first-place finisher Mark Olbert and close runner-up Ron Collins.
- Newark school bond measure narrowly approved (Fremont Argus)
Measure G, a $63 million bond that will upgrade the city's aging schools, was narrowly approved Tuesday night. With all precincts reporting, the measure received 2,698 votes -- barely above the 55 percent needed to pass, according to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.
- In Foster City, Kiesel, Perez and Okamoto hold election lead (SJ Mercury News)
Retired American Cancer Society fundraiser Steve Okamoto, incumbent Art Kiesel and business owner Herb Perez were the winners in a race for three seats on the Foster City council, according to semi-final results late Tuesday night.
- Du Bois, Weiner, Rumley elected to Sequoia high school board (San Mateo County Times)
A couple of newcomers and one of two incumbents were elected to the Sequoia Union High School District board on Tuesday. With all 176 precincts reporting, Carrie Du Bois led the group with 25.2 percent of the vote, followed by Allen Weiner with 22.3 percent. Board President Lorraine Rumley hung on to her seat, collecting 19.3 percent of the vote and barely topping her board colleague Olivia Martinez, who picked up 19.2 percent. Larry James Moody, a former member of the Ravenswood City School District board, came in last with 14.1 percent.
East Bay
- Lafayette voters reject parcel tax for road, storm drain repairs (Contra Costa Times)
Voters on Tuesday rejected a parcel tax measure that would have funded road and storm drain repairs there. With all precincts reporting, 57 percent of the voters supported Measure G, but it needed a 66 percent-plus majority to pass.
- No charter school, Mt. Diablo district tells Clayton Valley organizers (Contra Costa Times)
After hearing from nearly 40 parents, principals, teachers and others speaking for and against converting Clayton Valley High to a charter school, trustees on Tuesday voted 4-1 to deny the petition.
- Clarkson wins mayoral race in San Ramon; Perkins, O'Loane win council seats (Contra Costa Times)
Former San Ramon school board trustee Bill Clarkson won the election to become mayor of San Ramon on Tuesday, defeating a sitting city councilwoman in an election that also saw the mayor booted off the council.Incumbent Scott Perkins and former city planning Commissioner Phil O'Loane won the two seats on the city council, beating termed-out Mayor Abram Wilson, who had been on the council since 1999. Perkins got 38.5 percent of the vote, O'Loane got 33 percent, and Wilson took 28.1 percent.
- Voters approve tax measures on Emeryville ballot (Oakland Tribune)
Voters in Tuesday's election decided to change the way the city levies business license fees in an attempt to increase municipal revenues. That means Pixar Studios will have to start paying the fees, which the company ceased to do after Disney acquired the studio in 2006. Measure C, approved by 81 percent of voters, also increases the tax rate from 0.08 percent of gross receipts to 0.10 percent.
- Asher, Davis, Atkin win Emeryville City Council seats (Oakland Tribune)
First-time candidate Jacqueline Asher won one of three City Council seats in Tuesday's crowded race.But voters denied another term to embattled 24-year council member Ken Bukowski. He sought re-election despite having been fined by the state for misusing campaign funds, among other improprieties. He managed to get 13 percent of votes, putting him at fourth among the five candidates.
- Marchand, Turner, Gary win Livermore mayoral, city council races (Contra Costa Times)
Voters elected Councilman John Marchand their next mayor on Tuesday, but rejected termed-out Mayor Marshall Kamena for a spot on the city council.Livermore parks district board member Laureen Turner and former fire Chief Stu Gary won the two open city council seats. Kamena placed last in the city council race, finishing just behind losing candidate Bobby Burger.
North Bay
- Phillips wins San Rafael mayoral race; Connolly, McCullough win council seats (Marin Independent Journal)
Gary Phillips will be San Rafael's next mayor and Damon Connolly and Andrew McCullough will fill two open City Council seats.
- Lucan, MacLeamy, Kellner win close Novato race (Marin Independent Journal)
Newcomer Eric Lucan and veteran Councilwoman Jeanne Mac Leamy sailed to easy victories in Novato's City Council election Tuesday, while Mayor Madeline Kellner barely edged former school trustee Leslie Peterson Schwarze for the third open seat.
- Fairfax voters approve half-cent sales tax (Marin Independent Journal)
A ballot measure that would levy a new half-cent sales tax in Fairfax won far more than the majority voter support it needed for passage Tuesday night.
- Voters approve tax measures in Larkspur-Corte Madera, Tam Union school districts (Marin Independent Journal)
Voters approved tax measures Tuesday in both the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District and Tamalpais Union High School District.Measure A, in the Larkspur-Corte Madera district, passed with a 70 percent majority, needing only a 55 percent majority for approval.
- Lopin, Greene win seats on San Anselmo Town Council (Marin Independent Journal)
Incumbent Councilman Ford Greene and political newcomer Lori Lopin were the winners in a three-person race for two seats on the San Anselmo Town Council.
- O'Brien joins incumbents in College of Marin election triumph (Marin Independent Journal)
A veteran Lagunitas school trustee will join incumbents on the College of Marin Board. Schools trustee Stephanie O'Brien was elected to the college board Tuesday, along with incumbents Eva Long, Phil Kranenburg and James Namnath.
- All four incumbents win Novato schools race (Marin Independent Journal)
All four incumbents in the Novato Unified School District race claimed an easy victory Tuesday.
- Fire board directors retain seats in Novato, Southern Marin (Marin Independent Journal)
Incumbents retained their seats on the fire district boards in Novato and Southern Marin, and a newcomer joined the board in Novato. Jim Galli, a fire battalion chief in Kentfield, won his second term on the Novato board with a 26 percent vote. L.J. Silverman, a retired firefighter, won his third term with 24 percent.
- Measure H allows Inverness spending (Marin Independent Journal)
Inverness voters overwhelmingly approved a routine appropriation limit measure Tuesday. In accord with state law, Measure H adjusts the limit to enable the Inverness Public Utility District to spend money on local projects.
- Measure G in Marinwood winning -- but just barely (Marin Independent Journal)
Marinwood voters apparently approved the Measure G fire tax on Tuesday by the barest of margins, warding off a $300,000 budget shortfall that could have forced deep cuts throughout the community services district.
- Mariani and Peters win Novato Sanitary District board race (Marin Independent Journal)
After 36 years on the Novato Sanitary District board — possibly the longest tenure of any elected official in Marin County — George Quesada lost his bid for re-election Tuesday, as incumbent Jean Mariani and challenger Jerry Peters rode to victory.
- Three with kids in schools win Ross Valley school board race (Marin Independent Journal)
Candidates with children in the Ross Valley School District schools won out over a retired physician in the race for the school board. Anne Capron received 29 percent, or 2,912 votes. Annelise Bauer received 27 percent or 2,759 votes and Hadley Dettmer had 23 percent or 2,305 votes. Trevor Hughes received 17 percent or 1,742 votes.
- Measure H allows Inverness spending (Marin Independent Journal)