Bonta takes early election lead over Ramachandran
With at least 19,000 ballots still to be counted, Alameda Unified school board member Mia Bonta has taken an early lead in Tuesday’s special runoff election for the state Assembly District 18 seat.
Bonta picked up 55% of the mostly mail-in ballots counted Tuesday night against 45% for attorney and political newcomer Janani Ramachandran
The more than 47,000 ballots cast by mail represent just more than 16% of the total registered voters in the district, according to the results posted by Alameda County. All registered voters in the district were sent a mail ballot.
Tim Dupuis, the county’s registrar of voters, said Wednesday there were at least 19,000 ballots to count.
“If a ballot is dated election day or early, it will be added to the count,” he said, noting the next batch of results would be released this afternoon.
Bonta declined to comment about the election results, saying it’s too early to declare a winner. Ramachandran has not replied to a request for comment.
Bonta and Ramachandran defeated six other candidates in the June election to succeed Rob Bonta, who was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom as state attorney general. Rob Bonta is Mia Bonta’s husband.
Mia Bonta was the top vote-getter in June, but because she didn’t get more than 50% of the vote to win outright, she had to face off against Ramachandran, who came in second place.
The 18th District represents a little more than 500,000 people across
much of Oakland and all of San Leandro and Alameda.
Mia Bonta is president of the Alameda Unified School District board and CEO of Oakland Promise, a multifaceted organization that works to increase the number of college graduates from Oakland.
She has received endorsements from U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif. Several labor unions, including the California Teachers Association, United Farm Workers and the Alameda Labor Council, also have thrown their support behind Mia Bonta.
Ramachandran is an attorney who has represented tenants facing eviction and served on the Oakland Public Ethics Commission. She has received endorsements from U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Fremont; state Assembly member Alex Lee, DSan Jose; and the Oakland Tenants Union, among others.
In their bid to represent one of the most progressive districts in the state, the two Democrats have fought hard to distinguish themselves.
Ramachandran has criticized Mia Bonta for accepting donations from real estate developers and the medical industry, arguing she’s thus beholden to corporate interests. Ramachandran had promised she would not take any corporate money for her campaign.
In turn, Mia Bonta has questioned Ramachandran’s ability to work with legislators to achieve her ambitious policy goals.
Ramachandran has backed calls for a $22-perhour minimum wage, single payer health care and the expansion and extension of a rental eviction moratorium that’s set to expire in September.
Mia Bonta wants to explore streamlining the process of building affordable homes and supports the idea of creating a statewide rental housing
registry to promote transparency across the state.
She also has stressed the importance of keeping schools open and directly assisting those struggling with unemployment or underemployment during the pandemic.
The candidate who wins the election will serve the rest of Rob Bonta’s term and be up for reelection next year.