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Initial results from the Contra Costa County Elections Department by the end of Election Night appeared to show clear winners in some San Ramon Valley races, including the San Ramon mayor and City Council seats, while the outcome of the only competitive school board race remained unclear following a flip and continued tight margins.
All 1,265 precincts were reporting as of the final Election Night update, with a reported turnout of 32.96%. The preliminary results were based on vote-by-mail ballots received before Election Day as well as regional early voting sites and all polling places, according to the county elections department. It remains unclear how many eligible vote-by-mail ballots received after Nov. 8, as well as how many conditional and provisional ballots remain to be counted in the days to come.
Incumbent San Ramon Mayor Dave Hudson appeared to have safely won another term in the seat as of Election Night, with 52.90% of the vote as of the final count on Election Night. Outgoing Councilmember Sabina Zafar was in second place with 25.97%, and Dinesh Govindarao was poised to come in third at 21.13% of the vote.
The upcoming term is set to be Hudson’s second as mayor of San Ramon, having been elected to the position in 2020 for a two-year term. He’s now set to remain in office through at least the end of 2024.
Prior to being elected as mayor for his current term, Hudson was in the midst of his sixth term on the City Council, having been elected to the District 2 seat in 2018 for a four-year term which he had to leave halfway through upon his successful bid for the mayor’s seat.
The order of the 2022 election appears to mirror that of the 2020 San Ramon mayor’s election, in which Hudson beat out the same two opponents (plus others) for the seat, with Zafar and Govindarao respectively coming in second and third that year as well.
The projected outcome means that Zafar – whose first four-year term on the City Council is up at the end of the year – will likely no longer hold a position as an elected official as of January, having left her District 4 seat up for grabs in her bid for mayor.
Dublin San Ramon Services District Director Marisol Rubio is now poised to replace Zafar in the District 4 seat, coming in with 62.00% of the vote in final Election Night results. Her opponent, Parks Commissioner Heidi Kenniston-Lee, was behind at 38.00%.
Rubio’s last-minute candidacy for the seat turned the District 4 seat into a competitive race when Kenniston-Lee had appeared to be the only candidate in the running. Rubio is set to give up her DSRSD seat following election to the council, with the overlap between the two jurisdictions likely requiring her to serve on only one body.
Incumbent Mark Armstrong appeared to be safe for his first full term in his District 2 seat on the San Ramon City Council, with 62.22% of ballots counted by the end of election night compared with challenger Sara Lashanlo’s 37.78%.
Armstrong was appointed to the seat following Hudson’s departure upon being elected mayor in 2020. While he and Lashanlo both launched their first-ever campaigns for election to the seat in this year’s race, both were candidates to fill the seat vacated by Hudson, with Armstrong ultimately being chosen.
In the only competitive race for the San Ramon Valley Unified District board – Area 1 – Michelle Petersen was ahead as of initial counts on Election Night, but had lost ground to Jesse vanZee as more votes were tabulated throughout the night.
As of the final report of the night, vanZee had gained a narrow lead, with 41.21% of the vote compared with Petersen’s 40.95%. The third candidate, Jerome Pandell, was behind at 17.84% of the final uncertified vote.
Kristin Connelly was in the lead for the Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder’s race, despite opponent Vicki Gordon gaining some ground as more ballots were counted. Connelly had garnered 53.55% of votes as of late Election Night, with Gordon at 46.45%.
Mike Maxwell was another incumbent who appeared set to serve another term in his Area 4 seat on the Contra Costa County Board of Education, leading with 43.44% of the unofficial results. Challenger Cheri Calcagno was behind him at 31.05%, followed by Anaité Letona at 25.50%.
The winner of a seat on the Diablo Community Services District Board of Directors was unclear as of Election NIght, with Jerry Slavonia and Gregory Lorenz tied at 24.22% of the final count for the night. Christine Chartier was in second at 22.84% followed by Jeffrey Eorio at 15.92% and Garth Hobden at 12.80%.
Dublin
This election season, the city of Dublin had major governing positions up for grabs including one unchallenged mayoral seat for a two-year term and two council seats for four-year terms.
The two at-large City Council seats were sought after by three candidates, current Vice Mayor Jean Josey, former planning commissioner Lynna Lan Tien Nguyen and Planning Commission alternate Kashef Qaadri.
Candidates Josey and Qaadri finished Election Night in first and second place, respectively. The vice mayor is currently tracking with 46.04% of the vote. Meanwhile, Qaadri has received 32.47% and Do 21.49%.
For the mayoral race, current incumbent Melissa Hernandez ran for reelection unopposed. In 2020 Hernandez made history by becoming the first Latina mayor in the Tri-Valley. She will serve an additional term as the mayor of Dublin through 2024.
Dublin Unified School District sought to fill three positions on its Board of Trustees this election, in Areas 2, 3 (shortened) and 5.
Incumbent Board President Dan Cherrier was opposed by former trustee Sameer Hakim for Area 5. Hakim is currently the vice chair of Dublin Parks and Community Services Commission. As of the latest results, Cherrier leads the race with 63.93% to Hakim’s 36.07%.
Area 3, a shortened two-year term, is between appointed incumbent William Kuo and school volunteer John Wu. According to updated ballot numbers, Kuo stands with 62.27% of votes while Wu received 37.73%.
Kristin Speck, a longtime Dublin resident and school volunteer, ran unopposed for the Area 2 seat and did not appear on the ballot.
For Dublin San Ramon Services District Division 5, a shortened term, incumbent Arun Goel (65.86%) leads challenger Seema Badar (34.14%).
In DSRSD Division 2, incumbent Ann Marie Johnson holds a less-comfortable advantage over challenger Jim Brady, 55.75% to 44.25%.
State and federal representatives
The three incumbents for state and federal offices representing the Tri-Valley held strong leads on Election Night, while the Dublin councilmember hoping to join them sits well behind in his race.
For State Assembly District 16, which covers most of the Tri-Valley, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) received 64.3% of the vote, with her opponent Joe Rubay (R-Alamo) at 35.7%.
For the newly redrawn Assembly District 20, which includes parts of western Pleasanton and Dublin, union leader Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro) posted 58.6% of the vote against Dublin Councilmember Shawn Kumagai, also a Democrat, at 41.4%.
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Livermore) controlled Election Night with 65.7% over opponent Alison Hayden (R-Hayward) at 34.3% for the new Congressional District 14, which includes the southern Tri-Valley.
U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) dominated Green Party challenger Michael Ernest Kerr 79.5% to 20.5% for Congressional District 10, which includes the northern Tri-Valley.
