Tuesday night’s early election results offered the first look at the outcome of five Oakland City Council races that could politically reshape one of the nation’s most progressive cities on issues such as crime, policing and the city’s financial future.

With about 147,000 ballots counted, Rowena Brown, Zac Unger, Carroll Fife, Noel Gallo and Ken Houston claimed early leads for five of the city’s eight council seats, while Ryan Richardson led the race to become the next city ​​attorney.

Tuesday’s first round of results included mail-in ballots, while later releases are expected to include in-person votes. Election officials will continue counting ballots as they are received, with final results not expected for at least several days.

Oakland voters have become increasingly polarized over the past two years amid disputes over crime statistics, police staffing and the city’s uncertain financial outlook — issues that have helped place a costly recall effort against Mayor Sheng Thao on electoral ballot.

Here’s how the council and attorney races looked after early results:

Rowena Brown, State Assembly staffer had a slight lead in a 10-candidate race that included former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong; housing planner Shawn Danino; former federal policy official Charlene Wang; shop owner Kanitha Matoury; Pastor Fabian Robinson; seamstress Selika Thomas; City Library Commissioner Cristina Tostado; Mindy Ruth Pechenuk; and Nancy Sidebotham.

The at-large seat being vacated by Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan is the only council office decided by voters citywide, instead of those in a specific geographic district.

LeRonne Armstrong’s campaign follows his firing last year as police chief — a decision by Mayor Sheng Thao that produced widespread backlash and a targeted retreat centered on pro-police, tough-on-crime policies . Armstrong was second in the early results.

Oakland Firefighters Union President Zac Unger was in the driver’s seat of a three-candidate race for a District 1 seat versus accountant Len Raphael and local baker Edward Frank. The district spans areas of North Oakland, including bordering Emeryville, Rockridge and Temescal.

Unger, a progressive champion of the city’s dominant unions, had been seen throughout the election season as the likely successor to left-leaning Alderman Dan Kalb.

Acting Councilor Carroll Fife it had a handle on it six-candidate race in District 3 against incumbent political analyst Warren Logan; clothing business owner Meron Semedar; Community Housing Assistant Michelle Hailey; longtime West Oakland resident Shan Hirsch; and entrepreneur Baba Afolabi.

The 3rd District, which spans West Oakland, uptown and part of downtown, has emerged as a key political battleground of sorts for the city’s future.

Fife’s staunchly progressive ideals on issues such as housing and crime made her the target of a growing moderate movement, with Logan the beneficiary of her critics’ fundraising efforts.

Acting Councilor Noel Gallo had an advantage in sector 5 over opponents Erin Armstrong, Alameda County employee and taco joint owner Dominic Prado. The district covers parts of East Oakland, including the Fruitvale neighborhood.

Gallo would become Oakland’s longest-serving council member, though his reputation for prioritizing community work over policymaking was a concerted challenge from Erin Armstrong, who is an employee of Supervisor Nate Miley.

Ken Houston, a city beautification contractor, had the lead in a four-candidate race for an open District 7 seat that also received bids from City Council staffer Iris Merrouins, former Peralta College Board director Marcie Hodge and pet sitter of Merika Goolsby.

The district, which covers areas of East Oakland near the borders of San Leandro and Alameda, was vacated at the last minute by Alderman Treva Reid, leading to an unexpectedly open race.

Merriouns, who is chief of staff to councilor Janani Ramachandran, received financial support from unions, while Houston received a boost from mayoral recall forces.

Deputy City Attorney Ryan Richardson former judge Brenda Harbin-Forte presided to be the next city attorney following the retirement of Barbara Parker.

The attorney’s race has taken on a particularly contentious tone because of Harbin-Forte’s role as the leader of the recall campaign against Thao, which has drawn attention to Richardson’s support from unions.

The mayoral recall seemed to hang over and at times overshadow other races in Oakland. It also provided a central theme that weaved through them all.

The city faces a deep political divide over key policy issues, such as the extent to which the large police budget should be preserved over other city services in future budget discussions.

With the city in the throes of a financial crisis, a reshuffled city council in January may not have much time to settle before major decisions are in its hands.

Shomik Mukherjee is a reporter covering Oakland. Call or text him at 510-905-5495 or email him at [email protected].

Originally published: November 5, 2024 at 8:51 PM PST