Many candidates and incumbents won in the June primary elections; however, the Alameda County district attorney race is one historic seat not to be missed
By ONME Newswire
In this episode of News Too Real, show host, Julia Dudley Najieb reviews the latest northern and central California county-wide elections.
Historic Alameda County district attorney race close
In northern California, two district attorney candidates, are vying for the powerful Alameda County seat that has a population of over 1.5 million people, and almost 12% of the population in this county is Black. This will be an historic election for either candidate who wins this county as the first African-American district attorney of Alameda County. However, the candidate that wins this seat will have to deal with immediate, long standing issues such as: the escalating gun violence in Oakland, CA; problems at the Santa Rita jail in Dublin, and confusion concerning the Alameda County Sheriff's Office who had over the 47 employees who failed psychological evaluations.
So who is the best candidate for this infamous job?
Pamela Price, originally from Dayton, Ohio has vast community support and endorsements from grass-root organizations. Price earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1978 and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 1982. Her career experience includes working as a successful civil rights attorney. She received the most votes during the primary election.
Her campaign priorities include: race-neutral bail, sentencing reform and to stop over-criminalizing youth.
On the other hand, Terry Wiley was the first African American to head the Recruiting and Attorney Development Division, increasing diversity within the prosecutor’s office. In Wiley’s current role as Director of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, he has developed a model training program to recognize and root out implicit bias of prosecutors--something much needed in all of the court systems throughout California.
He led the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office partnership with the NAACP Expungement Program which has cleared the records of hundreds of people in Alameda County. Wiley also currently serves as the Director of Human Resources at the DA’s office. Wiley has a lot of support and endorsements from elected officials and high profile law enforcement organizations, and has the advantage of already working withing the Alameda County District Attorney's Office for 32 years as the .
His campaign priorities include: focusing on repeat offenders, more corporate accountability, and to strengthen partnerships with victim advocates.
Peralta Community College District still in a free fall post-pandemic
Meanwhile, Peralta Community College District faces a dismal budget crisis with the recent decline of student enrollment after the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, faculty members continue to face uncertainty due to the hundreds of cut courses and laid-off adjuncts (about 250!)--294 course sections have been cut since the fall of 2020, according to insidehighered.com.
The online news article also continued, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges put the colleges on probation in January 2020 after scrutinizing their finances. The colleges made improvements and were moved to “warning” status as of January 2022. An Alameda County civil grand jury report also slammed the district board last year for infighting and poor shared governance practices, among other issues.
These controversies followed a 2019 audit of the district by the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, an agency that helps California public K-12 schools and colleges manage their finances. The audit highlighted “serious concerns about the district’s fiscal condition” and made 70 recommendations, including working to “align full-time faculty with district enrollment” and decrease the number of administrators.
Peralta Community College District is comprised of Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College, representing a big chunk of northern California.
Areas 3, 5 and 7 seats are up for elections: Black candidate Tarrell Gamble who is Chair and Board Trustee of the Alameda County Employees Retirement Association and is the President of the Board of San Francisco Achievers scholarship program, faces an uphill battle for the area 3 seat against favored candidate, Louis Quindlen, who teaches on one of the campuses for Peralta, and is more in tune with the issues at the group of colleges.
However is area 5, Black candidate, Saleem Gilmore, endorsed heavily by various community organizations and other high profile supporters, has an even chance to win against the controversial incumbent, Cindi Reiss. Many resident and community leaders hold Reiss responsible for the accreditation probation and and the 2019 audit due to the fiscal irresponsibility of the board of trustees.
In area 7, some feel that Seth Steward is overqualified. The Citizen held a virtual forum with candidates running for seats on the Peralta Community College District’s (PCCD) Board of Trustees. In a narrow margin, decided by just one vote, The Citizen decided to endorse opponent and candidate, Sheweet Yohannes.
Cooper wins in Sacramento County; he will leave his California Assembly seat in December
Jim Cooper (Democratic Party) is a member of the California State Assembly, representing District 9. He assumed office on December 1, 2014. His current term ends on December 5, 2022.
Cooper won election for Sacramento County Sheriff in California outright in the primary on June 7, 2022, after the general election was canceled he won 54.5% during the primary--the county had not seen a new sheriff in this position in over a decade.
Cooper, a 30-year law enforcement veteran and strong advocate of public safety and victims’ rights in the Legislature, is a former Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department Captain who commanded several Divisions including the Main Jail, Work Release, Courthouse, High Tech Crimes (Against Children), Training and Reserves and Narcotic and Gangs.
During his eight years in the Assembly, Cooper authored more than 30 public safety bills; including legislation aimed towards cracking down on sexually violent predators, felony murderers, ghost guns, and school gun violence. Additionally, Cooper authored legislation to enhance DNA collection, improve Emergency Medical Response services, expand community policing, and increase access to rape kits. Cooper was named Legislator of the Year by the California District Attorneys Association, the California Police Chiefs Association, and the California Narcotics Officers Association. He is also the recipient of Crime Victims United “Victims Defender Award.”
As the homelessness pandemic has spiraled out of control in Sacramento County, Cooper will also have to deal with the rise in violence spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kimberly Tapscott-Munson continues seat on Fresno County Office of Education
In Fresno County Board of Education District's Area 1, the general election was canceled; in fact, candidate and incumbent, Kimberly Tapscott-Munson, (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.
Kimberly Tapscott-Munson is a retired School Librarian with 20 years of outstanding service. She currently serves as Vice-President of Fresno County Board of Education, the first woman of color elected to the board in 2018. Tapscott-Munson will be the President of the Board of Trustees coming this December, as so voted by the trustees.
Tapscott-Munson received her Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts from Fresno Pacific University, and her Library Certification, an Associates in Science in Library Technology, and her Associates in Arts in Liberal Arts all from Fresno City College.
She is the CEO of K.T.M. Consultant Services, proving the answers… to all of your questions. She was the former Community Engagement Consultant to the Office of councilmember, Miguel Arias, District 3 for The City of Fresno.
"My project as The Community Engagement Consultant, for District Three in the office of Councilmember Miguel Angel Arias for the City of Fresno. Has wrapped up as of August 1, 2022," said Tapscott-Munson. "It has been my honor and a pleasure for me to have served the constituents of district 3 and others of this great city, for the past 3 years. I am grateful for the relationships that I have formed through this position. During my time in this position, I hope it was evident that I led with my heart. For the care and concern for our communities. I may have not been able to accomplish all that I had wished. But my hope is that I made a difference. And I am excited to see… what is next!"
Mrs. Kimberly Tapscott-Munson sits on the following Boards and Committees:
Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Nu Omega, Chapter Oakland, CA.: Legacy, Committee Member
1st Vice President of the Kings and Tulare County NAACP (National Advancement for Colored People): Gold Member
Fresno County Democratic Women's Club -President *Endorsed Candidate
BWOPA (Black Women Organized for Political Action): Hospitality Chair, Salute 2 Sisterhood Committee Chair, Lifetime Member * Endorsed Candidate
NWPC (National Women's Political Caucus) *Endorsed Candidate
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Committee, The City of Fresno District-3 Representative
The Girls Scouts of Central California South, Member at Large
West Creek Village Connective Impact Community Center Development and Design Committee
San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors seat district 2
In San Joaquin County, the district 2 board of supervisors race is heading up; 73-year old Black candidate, Elbert Holman Jr. who is the former Stockton Vice Mayor and a retired law enforcement officer is running against local businessman and Stockton city councilman, Paul Canepa who is 55.
Both candidates are lifelong Stockton residents who helped the city traverse through bankruptcy together as city councilmembers. However, residents are concerned about the representation on the Board of supervisors; if Canepa is elected, four of five sitting supervisors will be white, and the board will be all-male regardless of who is elected.
During the June primary election, Canepa led with 40.5% of the vote to Holman's 27.5% of the vote.
Major concerns in San Joaquin County include innovative ways to capture spring water run-off for the farmers and funding for the rising mental health crisis that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Holman was a member of the Stockton City Council in California, representing District 1. He assumed office on January 7, 2009, and left office on January 1, 2019.
Holman was born in Stockton and is a graduate of Edison High School. His professional experience includes working for the San Joaquin County Sheriff Department and as the chief investigator for the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office.
