District race in East Bay down to wire
Two women — Mia Bonta and Janani Ramachandran — appear headed for a runoff in the race to succeed Rob Bonta in East Bay Assembly District 18.
Mia Bonta, president of the Alameda Unified School District board and CEO of the nonprofit Oakland Promise, received 38% of the early vote totals; Ramachandran, a social justice attorney, tallied 22%; and Malia Vella, vice mayor of the Alameda City Council, pulled 17%.
The top two are among eight candidates who were vying to represent the heavily Democratic district that includes San Leandro, Alameda and 80% of Oakland. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff between the top two
finishers will be held Aug. 31. The next release of results from the Alameda County registrar of voters will be at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Turnout was low — only 15% of registered voters in the district cast ballots. That could grow as election officials continue their count. Every voter received a mailin ballot.
“While we did not reach the 50% threshold tonight, momentum is on our side and I know we are ready to continue reaching out to earn every single vote to win in August,” Mia Bonta said Tuesday night in a statement. “The pandemic laid bare the striking inequities in the systems throughout our state. I am ready to take on these inequities in Sacramento.”
Rob Bonta represented the district until Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed him to be state attorney general earlier this year. He replaced Xavier Becerra, whom President Biden tapped to run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The candidates on the ballot — six Democrats, one Republican and one representing the Socialist Workers Party — reflected the tilt of the district where twothirds of registered voters are Democrats and only 6% are Republicans. Nearly 1 in 4 declined to state their party affiliation.
The candidates agreed on many issues, with some — including Ramachandran — taking more progressive positions, such as calling for a $22anhour minimum wage and universal health care.
“This race shows that grassroots, peoplepowered movements work,” Ramachandran, who has never held elective office, said Tuesday. “And it shows that voters have an appetite for progressive ideas.”
As the votes trickled in Tuesday night, Vella said she was feeling “less confident, but stranger things have happened.”
“Having the top three finishers be women of color is a great thing,” said Vella, who would be the first Filipina in the Legislature if elected. “Whatever happens tonight, there will be more women in the Legislature.”
Only 31% of the members of the Legislature are women and just 18% identify as women of color.
One of the most controversial aspects of the race was Mia Bonta’s connection to her husband. On one hand, it provided her a boost in name recognition that the other candidates couldn’t match.
But it also opened her up to criticisms from other candidates — most pointedly from Ramachandran — that she was receiving contributions from people and organizations who wanted to curry favor with her husband, the attorney general. Rob Bonta called the accusations “sexist.”
Mia Bonta has so far raised $460,244, according to official figures from the Secretary of State’s Office. Roughly onefifth of that is from the gaming industry. California voters are likely to consider a statewide ballot measure next year to legalize sports betting at tribal casinos. Rob Bonta, in his role as attorney general, will write the title and summary for the initiative — wording that will be important to how the issue is framed. An independent expenditure committee supporting Mia Bonta has raised another $329,749.
Vella, a labor attorney, has raised the second most in the field, $326,892, including strong support from labor unions. Ramachandran, who is not accepting corporate contributions, has raised $126,517.