A MAJORITY of Filipino-American candidates in the Bay Area are poised to win seats in their races based on unofficial election results released by the different County Election Divisions.
Incumbent Rob Bonta (District 18) has garnered 85 percent of total votes as of press time, easily trumping his Republican opponent David Erlich. However, Republican challenger Rene Pineda (District 19) is falling behind considerably against his opponent, incumbent Phil Ting, who is a Democrat.
In the mayoralty race, incumbents Milpitas Mayor Jose Esteves and Christopher Cabaldon of West Sacramento are a lock to win their respective races, while incumbent Mayor Pete Sanchez of the City of Suisun ran unopposed and received 93.61 percent of the votes.
For City Council, incumbents Ray Buenaventura and Mike Guingona (Daly City) are leading the count, while Pat Gacoscos is currently ranked second in Union City.
Current Hercules Mayor Myrna de Vera is leading the race for a seat in the City Council. Another Filipina bet, Joanne Del Rosario, who has been appointed Mayor and Vice Mayor in the past, is ahead in the battle for two Council seats in the City of Colma.
Planning Commissioner Garry Barbadillo of Milpitas sits in second place in the elections for two seats in the City Council. In the 2012 elections, Barbadillo came in third, narrowly missing a chance to be a Council member.
In El Cerrito, Gabriel Quinto has so far garnered 2,224 votes or 31.57 percent in the race for two seats to the City Council.
Fil-Ams who are running for seats in school boards are also in a position to secure posts in their respective districts.
In San Francisco, Hydra Mendoza is currently in third place for the Board of Education race with 12.11 percent of the vote, behind Emily M. Murase and Shamann Walton.
Two Fil-Ams—Rosie Tejada and Katherine Zarate Dulany—are in first and third places in their bids for seats in the Jefferson Union High School District Board (serving Daly City, Pacifica, Brisbane, Colma and Broadmoor).
In Solano County, Tony Ubalde leads the counting for votes for the Vallejo City Unified School District with 6,096 votes or 15.62 percent. For the Santa Clara Unified School District TA2, candidate Neolani Sallings is currently sitting second with 6,338 votes.
Thelma Boac, who is running for a Berryessa Union School District post, sits in 2nd with 27.64 percent of the votes, while Lionel J. Tingin, is currently in third place in the race for a seat in the Brisbane School District Governing Board. Additionally, Rosalinda Canlas leads the race for two seats to the New Haven Unified School District Governing Board.
Lastly, Mae Cendana Torlakson currently sits in first place in the counting of votes for Ambrose Recreation and District Directors in Contra Costa County. She is married to former state Senator Tom Torlakson, who is leading in the California School Superintendent race.
Current Commissioner Robert Bernardo is in a tight race for two seats to San Mateo County Harbor District Board. He is 488 votes behind second placer James Tucker.
However, not all Fil-Am candidates have experienced success. Aside from Rene Pineda’s floundering bid for the Assembly, Christopher Mateo is way behind in the race for two seats to the Lathrop City Council.
Gov. Brown, Lt. Gov. Newsom and other winners
In California, incumbent Jerry Brown won a historic fourth and final term as governor, easily beating out his opponent Neel Kashkari, who has conceded. The governor promised to use his new political energy during his final term to focus on the state’s pressing environmental and economic issues, especially with the passing of new laws he has endorsed, such as Prop 1 (the Water Bond) and Prop 2 (the Rainy Day Fund). The new measures will allow California to sell more than $7 billion in bonds to fund water infrastructure projects, and will establish a special “rainy day fund” to help save money and lower debts.
“Every part of my mind, body, imagination I’m going to throw into these next four years,” Brown said.
Currently, Gavin Newsom leads Ron Nehring in the race for Lt. Governor. Kamala D. Harris and current Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones look headed for reelection.
John Chiang has a comfortable lead over challenger Greg Conlon for State Treasurer, while Betty Yee has garnered 52.7 percent of the total votes in the race for State Controller.
Democrat Alex Padilla is 5 percentage points ahead of Republican Pete Peterson in the battle for Secretary of State for California. Whoever wins will succeed incumbent Debra Bowen who is termed out.
Negative results for other CA propositions
The overwhelming support for Props 1 and 2 did not extend to the remaining propositions in the ballot.
Prop 45, which sought to have the Insurance Commissioner’s approval before any health insurer can change its rates or anything else affecting the charges associated with health insurance, and Prop 46, requiring drug testing of doctors and an increase in the pain/suffering cap for medical negligence lawsuits, are on the verge of defeat. As of press time, No Votes on Prop 45 are at 59.8 percent, and No Votes on Prop 46 are even higher, at 67.1 percent.
Another ballot measure, Prop 48, seeking approval or rejection of the tribal gaming compacts between the state and the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians and the Wiyot Tribe, is being rejected by voters. No votes on Prop 48 is leading, so far garnering 60.9 percent of the total votes.
Meanwhile, Prop 47, which requires a misdemeanor sentence instead of felony sentence for certain drug and property offenses, is getting approval from California voters. Yes votes on Prop 47 is currently at 58.5 percent against No votes which total 41.5 percent.
Republicans gain control
In Washington, Republicans took control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, increasing their power in the final two years of President Barack Obama’s term. It was a major victory for the GOP, which now controls both chambers of Congress for the first time in eight years, since 2006.
About one-third of the Senate, the entire House of Representatives, 36 of 50 state governors, and numerous state and local offices were up for election on Nov. 4. Republican victories swept the nation, retaining every one of the GOP-held seats up for grabs and picking up more than the six seats needed to take control of the Senate.
The GOP now controls 52 seats in the Senate, with two independents, and is tipped to win at least one more as votes are still being counted. They are also projected to retain control in the House of Representatives, expanding their majority to levels not seen since before World War II.
Republican Mitch McConnell, who was elected as the new Senate majority leader last night, said the result was a vote against “a government the people can no longer trust.”
He also said that the White House and lawmakers no longer have to be in “perpetual conflict,” and are obligated to “work together on issues where we can agree.”
“Tomorrow, the papers will say I won this race, but the truth is…tonight we begin another one, one that’s far more important—and that’s the race to turn this country around,” McConnell said at his victory speech in Louisville, Kentucky.
It was a sweeping blow to President Obama. The Republican Senate takeover will undoubtedly limit his legislative agenda and possibly force him to shape up during the remainder of his term in office, allowing Republicans to hold hearings from both chambers and pass GOP-favored legislation.
President Obama has been widely unfavored even among Democrats, lurching ambitiously from crisis to crisis, causing many to question his reliability.
The results of the Election will also test the President’s ability to compromise with his empowered political opponents, who have been resisting his legislative agenda since he was first elected in 2008.
(For complete results of the statewide elections and ballot measures, visit the California Secretary of State’s website at www.vote.sos.ca.gov/contests/statewide/. With reports from Inquirer.net, BBC, Reuters, LA Weekly, and USA Today.)
(www.asianjournal.com)
(San Francisco November 7-13, 2014 Sec. A pg.1)
