Berkeley Mayor
As of Nov. 15, Adena Ishii is leading in the race for Berkeley mayor. Ishii is in the lead with 51.21% of ranked choice votes. None of the mayoral candidates received a majority for first choice votes, so a run-off began through the ranked-choice voting system to elect a candidate. Adena Ishii, Kate Harrison, Logan Bowie, Sophie Hahn, and Naomi D. Pete are the candidates for mayor.
Berkeley City Council
The Berkeley City Council holds eight representatives. District 2 representing West Berkeley, District 3 representing South Berkeley, District 5 representing North Berkeley, and District 6 representing the Berkeley Hills were all on the ballot this year. City Council Districts 5 and 6 have an empty seat after Sophie Hahn's run for mayor, and Susan Wengraf stepping down after four terms in her position.
District 2 re-elected incumbent Terry Taplin with 71 percent of the votes over Jenny Guarino with 29 percent.
District 3 re-elected Incumbent Ben Bartlett at 52.9 percent over Deborah Matthews at 26.5 percent and John "Chip" Moore at 20.7 percent.
District 5 elected Shoshana O'Keefe at 67.7 percent, a current math and computer science teacher at Berkeley High School, over Todd Andrew at 20.1 percent and Nilang Gor at 12.3 percent.
District 6 elected Brent Blackaby at 62.5 percent over Andy Katz at 37.6 percent.
School Board
Jen Corn is leading for Berkeley School Board at 36.6 percent over incumbents Ana Vasudeo, at 30.3 percent and Laura Babitt, at 26.0 percent. The candidates are Abdur Sikder, Ana Vasudeo, Jen Corn, Laura Babitt, and Norma J.F. Harrison.
Rent Board
The top four candidates recieve at-large seats on the Rent Board. The candidates are incumbent Xavier Johnson at 19.5 percent, incumbent Dominique Walker at 18.5 percent, incumbent Andy Kelley at 17.0 percent, Alfred Twu at 16.6 percent, Carole Marasovic at 14.2 percent, and Avery Arbaugh at 14.3 percent.
State Senate, District 7
Nancy Skinner held the position of State Senate, District 7 for eight years, and has termed out. Jesse Arreguín won with 57.3% of the vote.
Measures
Measure W, currently at 60.8 percent in favor of passing, is a proposed restructuring of Measure P, a tax on real estate transactions to fund homeless services adopted in 2018. The new measure increases the tax from 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent.
The Board of Library Trustees has proposed a parcel tax of 6 cents per square foot for residential properties and 9 cents per square foot for other properties, aiming to generate an estimated $5.6 million annually, until repealed. Measure X required a two-thirds majority to pass, and is currently leading in favor with 78.4 percent.
According to the City Attorney's impartial analysis of Measure Y, "This measure would increase the rate of the City’s special parcel tax for parks, trees, and landscaping maintenance. Currently, the tax is imposed at a rate of $0.2210 per square foot of taxable improvements. The measure would increase the rate to $0.2652 per square foot of taxable improvements. The measure includes an exemption for property owned by individuals with “very low income” as defined by the City Council." The vote is currently in favor, with 75.1 percent of votes.
Measure Z was passed, with 79.8 percent in favor of extending the”'soda tax.” This is a first-in-the-nation tax enacted in 2014, set to expire at the end of 2026. One cent per fluid ounce of sweetened beverages is taxed, and paid by the beverage distributors. It has already brought $1.15 million annually, and is expected to continue.
Measure AA was passed, and is simply a permission by voters to let the city continue to spend money raised on general and special taxes it has passed. 88.7 percent of votes are in favor.
Measure BB, or the “Berkeley Tenant Protection and Right to Organize Act,” passed with 55.7 percent in favor, and changes the maximum annual rent increase from 7 percent to 5 percent, with many exemptions. This measure is dependent on Measure CC passing. The measure with the higher vote count prevails.
Measure CC was not passed, with 65.2 percent voting “No.” This measure would have increased the maximum annual rent increase from 7 percent to 7.1 percent, as well as removing the rent board’s authority to intervene in litigation, stripping rent commissioners of their stipends, and more.
Measure DD is a ban on commercial livestock farms, backed by the activist group Direct Action Everywhere, which would prohibit concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO). This measure was passed with 61.8 percent in favor. While the only operating CAFO that the measure would have affected, Golden Gate Fields, closed on June 9, 2024, this measure prevents any other CAFO from operating out of Berkeley.
According to Berkeleyside, Measure EE, "includes $109 million for street and sidewalk repair, $32 million for bike and pedestrian safety projects and $11 million for green infrastructure," and Measure FF "includes $160 million for street and sidewalk repair, $80 million for bike and pedestrian safety projects and $27 million for green infrastructure and other uses." Only one measure will be passed, with the highest vote count of the two winning. Measure EE was not passed, with 54.8 percent voting “No,” while Measure FF, known as the “Sustainable and Accountable Funding for Equitable Street Transformation, Revitalization, Enhancements and Essential Traffic Study" or SAFE STREETS, was passed, with 60.7 percent in favor.
Measure GG would tax buildings that use natural gas. This measure would help Berkeley achieve its climate goal, but would hurt restaurant owners and renters who can't easily transition away from natural gas, according to Berkeleyside. The measure was not passed, with 69.6 percent voting against it.
Measure HH would impose new air filtering requirements in city buildings. This was not passed, with 57.0 percent against. Arguments in favor of this measure were a decrease in disease transmission, and safety from poor air quality, while arguments against said it was unclear how much the installations would cost. “This is signing up for something that we don’t even know how much it’s going to cost or what it’s going to involve to implement when there may be less expensive, less onerous ways to try to solve the problem,” Mayor Jesse Arreguín said.
California Propositions
Prop 2 was passed, with 58.5 percent of voters in favor. This prop provides $10 billion to K-12 schools and community colleges to fix and renovate facilities.
Prop 3 is a reaffirmation of how California defines marriage. It repealed Proposition 8, a prop passed in 2008 that defines marriage as being between a man and woman in the California constitution. It was passed with 62.6 percent voting in favor. It will not change who can get married in California.
Prop 4 authorizes $10 billion to be borrowed for environmental and climate responses, including allocating $1.9 billion for drinking water improvements. It was passed with 59.6 percent in favor.
Prop 5 was not passed, and aimed to make it easier for local governments to fund housing construction and infrastructure projects. “No” won with a 55.2 percent majority.
Prop 6 wanted to prohibit prisons from punishing inmates with forced labor, replacing them with volunteer work hours. It was not passed, with 53.4 percent of voters against the prop.
Prop 32 aimed to raise the state minimum wage to $18 an hour from the current $16. This prop would have raised the minimum wage to $17 for the remainder of 2024. It was not passed, with 50.8 percent against.
Prop 33 was not passed with 60.2 percent against it, and would have allowed local governments to impose rent controls.
Prop 34, has not been called. Of the votes counted, 50.8 percent are in favor and 49.2 percent are not in favor. Prop 34 will require health care providers to use medicinal revenue for low income and at-risk patients.
Prop 35, "will require the state to spend the money from a tax on health care plans on Medi-Cal, the public insurance program for low-income Californians and people with disabilities." according to Berkeleyside. The tax revenue will go to family planning, medicine, and more. It was passed with 67.8 percent in favor.
Prop 36 was passed, with 68.5 percent in favor, and will increase the penalties for theft and drug trafficking. It reclassifies some misdemeanors related to drug and theft crimes as felonies.
U.S House of Representatives
Lateefah Simon will fill Rep. Barbara Lee's seat on the U.S. House, District 12, after Lee held the position for more than 20 years. Simon won with a 63.6 percent majority over Jennifer Tran.
Adam Schiff elected to fill Dianne Feinstein’s term, and a standard six-year term. Schiff won against Steve Garvey.