A closer look at the candidates running for Supervisor in Alameda County
Election Season | We highlight races to watch in the East Bay
Vote-by-mail ballots began arriving this week with dozens of critical offices up for a vote.
The East Bay Leadership Council does not endorse candidates, but we thought it was important to highlight a few of the open seats up in 2022.
We began last week with an overview of the Assembly District 20 race and continue with a closer look at the candidates running for District 3 Supervisor in Alameda County. All of these races have significant potential impact over regional policy related to housing, health, and economic development.
Alameda County Supervisor | District 3
Candidates for Alameda County District 3 Supervisor
After Assemblymember Bill Quirk surprised many by choosing to not seek reelection, four candidates entered the field to represent the newly drawn Assembly District 20.
The new lines removed Fremont from the district and expanded East to include parts of Dublin (map).
The addition of Dublin to the district opened the door for Dublin Councilmember and Navy veteran Shawn Kumagai to enter the race as the only candidate with elected experience. The son of Japanese immigrants, he is also the only Asian candidate in a district where Asian Americans make up 31% of the voting age population. Kumagai is endorsed by East Bay Times as a "voice of reason during times of often polarizing politics."
Liz Ortega emerged as a prominent candidate early in this race due to her role as the Statewide Political Director for AFSCME Local 3299 and leader of the Alameda Labor Council. Ortega is endorsed by Assemblymember Quirk along with many other Democratic Party and labor stalwarts.
Jennifer Esteen is a psychiatric registered nurse who cut her political teeth as a union organizer. Esteen made the decision to run before Assemblymember Quirk had announced his intent to step down and has earned endorsements from many progessive leaders and organizations including the Working Families Party.
Joseph Grcar is a retired laboratory scientist and the lone Republican in the race. His platform includes flashy ideas like a new shoreline park and a Tesla tunnel from the San Mateo bridge to West Dublin. Grcar ran against Assemblymember Quirk in 2018 and earned 22.6% of the vote — will it be enough to make the top two?
Voter Statistics
56.7% Democratic
13.2% Republican
30.1% No party preference
Get ready to vote! ✅
Now is a great time to check your voter registration status and make sure you are ready to vote in the June 7th election. You can check your voter status at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
Upcoming Task Force | Drought resiliency and climate change
How are Bay Area water agencies working together to improve drought resiliency and respond to climate change?
Join us to hear from the eight-agency Bay Area Regional Reliability (BARR) Partnership on the work they are doing to develop a regional solution to improve the water supply reliability for over 6 million area residents and the thousands of businesses and industries in the Bay Area.
Date, Time & Location (In-person)
Tuesday, May 17
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Brown and Caldwell, 3rd Floor Conference Room
201 N Civic Drive, Suite 300, Walnut Creek (map)
Health Protocols
Masks recommended
Advocacy Opportunity | Join the East Bay business leaders as we discuss transit-oriented community policy
A proposed transit oriented community at the West Oakland BART. Rendering by JRDV Urban International.
Join us in partnership with East Bay Economic Development Alliance and Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group for a conversation with the Principal Planner for MTC-ABAG, Kara Vuicich. We will discuss the regional planning agency's new draft Transit-Oriented Communities Policy (you can read it here) and ask questions related to how this plan will take shape in the East Bay.
The webinar will be moderated by the President of Gray Bowen Scott and the EBLC's Chair Elect, Leo Scott.
Date & Time
Wednesday, May 18
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Must Read | Electrical homes are the future. The grid isn't ready
Lisa Krieger in the East Bay Times: One out of every six homes in this leafy birthplace of Silicon Valley has a plug-in car, with more to come. Other homes have heat pumps, induction cook tops and arrays of glistening solar panels that help reduce climate change.
Yet yesterday’s electrical grid can’t keep up with tomorrow’s carbon-free ambitions.
“We’re in a ‘ramp up’ mode. We won’t hit our goals unless we accelerate,” said Mayor Pat Burt, who drives a plug-in hybrid Mitsubishi Outlander. “But we really don’t have the capacity to do it faster than we’ve been doing it. That’s the crunch.”
It is a harbinger of what is to come in other California cities. As Berkeley, San Jose and a growing number of other communities commit to an all-electric future, their transformers and distribution lines are being sorely challenged by the need to deliver much more power. Los Angeles is also proposing to study what is needed to modernize its power grid infrastructure.
What else is #TeamEBLC reading?
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If your company is not a member of the East Bay Leadership Council, we hope you will consider joining us. Learn more about our work and the benefits of membership at www.eastbayleadershipcouncil.com