Marin election roundup
Congress
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman is leading with 81% of the vote in the primary for California's 2nd Congressional District seat, according to the first round of results released Tuesday night.
Trailing him are Chris Coulombe with 12% of the vote, Tief Gibbs with 4%, Jason Kangas with 0.7% and Jason Brisendine with 0.5%.
Under California's election system, the primary's top two candidates will compete in the November general election.
Huffman, D-San Rafael, is running for a seventh term in the district that stretches along the coast from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon state line. Coulombe and Gibbs are Republicans, and Kangas and Brisendine are independents.
Coulombe is a retired Army captain who finished third in the 2nd Congressional District's 2022 primary. Gibbs is a former 2022 Novato Unified school board candidate. Kangas and Brisendine are small-business owners in Humboldt County.
State Assembly
Assemblymember Damon Connolly was leading the race for the state Assembly's District 12 seat in first round of election results announced Tuesday night by the California Secretary of State's Office.
Connolly has 80% of the vote, while Republican Andy Podshandley has 11% and Republican Eryn Cervantes has 7%.
Connolly, D-San Rafael, is running for a second term. He previously served as Marin County supervisor and San Rafael City Council member.
Podshandley, a winery owner and a former 2022 Novato City Council candidate, gained the California Republican Party's endorsement for the Assembly race. Cervantes is a
San Quentin State Prison counselor.
The primary's top two candidates will advance to the November election.
The district includes all of Marin County and Sonoma County's communities south of Santa Rosa.
Larkspur City Council
Stephanie Andre has taken the early lead in the Larkspur City Council race.
Three first-time candidates are vying for a shortterm seat on the council: Andre, Claire Paquette
and Lana Scott. They are running to fill the former seat of Kevin Haroff, who resigned to move to Novato.
Andre has 801 votes, or 57.26%, Paquette has 350 votes, or 25.02%, and Scott had 248 votes, or 17.73%, according to early returns.
“They were all qualified candidates and we look forward to working with whoever wins,” said Mayor Scot Candell.
Paquette said Tuesday that she was excited to learn the results.
“I hope to get the opportunity to put action behind my learnings from this process,” she said.
Andre said Tuesday afternoon that she was still working to get out the vote. “Every vote matters, and I look forward to what the voters of Larkspur have to say,” she said.
Ross Town Council
Ross Town Council incumbent William Kircher Jr. was leading by 30.88% in preliminary results Tuesday night.
Mathew Salter, a local business owner, was in second with 30.48% of the votes. Teri Dowling, a town disaster preparedness coordinator, was last with 28.88%.
A fourth candidate, Shadi Aboukhater, withdrew from the March 5 election but remained on the ballot because the period had already closed. He received 9.76% of the votes in preliminary results.
Kircher was elected in 2020 and is seeking a second term. He said his experience on the council makes him stand out as a candidate.
Salter owns a tutoring business called Ross Bridges. He said the council
has not represented families enough.
Dowling has many years of experience working in government and with community organizations. She has also represented Ross on the Marin County Commission on Aging.
Measure E
Measure E, a renewal of the Ross public safety parcel tax, was leading by 72% in preliminary results Tuesday night.
The measure, previously known as Measure K, was approved for an eight-year period by voters in November 2016. Measure K passed with a 79% majority vote and expires June 30, 2025. Measure E would extend the tax for 10 years.
The tax approved in 2016 was $970 per parcel; with inflation it has been increased to $1,201.50. Measure E states the tax would be $1,201.50 per single-family residence and $1,201.50 per parcel for all other uses. Adjustments based on cost of living and population would be made.
The tax raises about $1 million a year. The town has its own police department and shares the Ross Valley Fire Department with Fairfax, San Anselmo and Sleepy Hollow.
The measure requires a two-thirds approval vote to pass.
Measure G
Measure G, a proposed parcel tax that's designed to enhance Bel Marin Keys' aging infrastructure, has 79% of voter approval in the county's earliest election results.
The measure needs a two-thirds majority vote in order to pass.
The Bel Marin Keys
Community Services District estimates it needs $31.5 million in infrastructure improvements over the next 20 years.
If Measure G passes, property owners will pay a special tax that's set at an annual rate of $1,800, or $150 a month. Proponents estimate that the tax could generate $1.2 million in its first year. Afterward, the tax will have a maximum increase of 2.5% per year for its 21-year span.
The district maintains parks and a community center as well as the local waterway system that includes 4 miles of levees and two lagoons..
Measures C, H, I
Measure C, renewal of a Belvedere parcel tax to allow the city to spend tax money collected on emergency medical and fire services, was leading by 76% in preliminary results Tuesday night.
Measure C requires majority approval from voters.
In Marinwood, Measure H would adjust the appropriations limit for fire protection and emergency medical response. The measure was leading by 77% in preliminary results Tuesday night. It requires a simple majority to pass.
Measure I would adjust the appropriations limit for parks, open space and street landscape maintenance in Marinwood. The measure was leading by 75% in preliminary results Tuesday night. A simple majority is required for passage.
Under state law, the Marinwood Community Services District needs voter approval every four years in order to adjust the appropriations limits for parks and fire services.