Cities across Contra Costa County took to the polls on Tuesday, approving a spate of new laws and representatives, and nixing many others.
Half of the County's 607,515 voters cast their ballots in the 2016 general election, according to county data. Voters largely backed Democratic candidates for all legislature positions, excluding District 16, in which Republican Catharine Baker kept her seat against Democratic challenger Cheryl Cook-Kallio.
There weren't too many surprises in store for county voters this year. Perhaps the biggest of the night (save for the Presidential Election, of course) was the passing of Measure L, establishing rent control, in Richmond. Another upset came to supporters of the BART-funding Measure RR, after it failed to get the two-thirds majority required to pass, with only 60 percent of voters giving it their approval. The Transportation Authority's Measure X, which also required a two-thirds approval, also failed on the ballot.
Voting also seemed to be a breeze for most cities within the county, with people taking to social media to boast about not waiting in long lines or having issues at the polling place. However, there were some complaints coming out of a Martinez polling station, which some voters found to be small and lacking in necessary privacy.
A full list of results can be found at the Contra Costa County Elections site, but here are some highlights:
United States Representative, 5th District
Mike Thompson — 76.48 percent
Local
Carlos Santamaria — 23.53 percent
United States Representative, 9th District
Antonio C. "Tony" Amador — 39.79 percent
Jerry McNerney — 60.21 percent
United States Representative, 11th District
Mark Desaulnier — 71.48 percent
Roger Allen Peterson — 28.52 percent
United States Representative, 15th District
Eric Swalwell — 67.08 percent
Danny R. Turner — 32.92 percent
State Senator, 3rd District
Bill Dodd — 66.29 percent
Mariko Yamada — 33.71 percent
State Senator, 7th District
Steve Glazer — 67.23 percent
Joseph Alexander Rubay — 32.77 percent
State Senate, 9th District
Nancy Skinner — 69.11 percent
Sandre R. Swanson — 30.89 percent
State Assembly, 11th District
Jim Frazier — 65.05 percent
Dave Miller — 34.72 percent
State Assembly, 14th District
Tim Grayson — 62.28 percent
Mae Cendana Torlakson — 32.72 percent
State Assembly, 15th District
Tony Thurmond — 85.94 percent
Claire Chiara — 14.06 percent
State Assembly, 16th District
Catharine Baker — 55.93 percent
Cheryl Cook-Kallio — 44.07 percent
Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor, District 3
Diane Burgis - 59.29 percent
Steve Barr – 40.47 percent
Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor, District 5
Federal Glover – 54.81 percent
AnaMaria Avila Farias – 44.75 percent
Gillian Edevane covers Contra Costa County for NBC Bay Area. Contact Gillian.Edevane@NBCuni.com.
