In Berkeley Mayor’s Race, City Hall Veteran Leads Government Critic

The Berkeley mayor’s race has come down to a ranked choice contest between a veteran of City Hall and a first-time candidate who ran on a message of overcoming what critics have called a “toxic” atmosphere in city government.

Results early Wednesday showed Councilmember Sophie Hahn leading a five-candidate pack with 39.4% of first-choice votes, followed by community activist Adena Ishii with 34.8%. Kate Harrison, who quit the City Council in January after blasting Berkeley’s decision-making process as “broken,” was third with 23.3%. Two other candidates followed with just over 1% of the vote each.

After running the ranked choice system’s automatic runoff, Harrison and the others were eliminated, and Hahn led Ishii by 53% to 47%.

Wednesday, both Ishii and Hahn acknowledged that the current results reflect only about 30% of the votes likely cast in the race, based on past Berkeley elections.

Nonetheless, Hahn said in an emailed statement she was “very optimistic this margin will hold — and possibly increase.”

Ishii said in an interview that she’s optimistic that her campaign’s year of effort will be rewarded with a victory in the race. “Honestly, I’m just so proud of our team that we’ve put in so much work over this last year and knocked on over 20,000 doors,” she said.

Also on Tuesday’s ballot were four City Council races:

• • In District 2, southwest Berkeley, incumbent Terry Taplin holds a 70% to 30% advantage over challenger Jenny Guarino, a UC Berkeley union organizer and grad student at the Goldman School of Public Policy.

• • In District 3, South Berkeley, incumbent Ben Bartlett leads with 53% of first-choice votes over two opponents: Deborah Matthews, a longtime community activist, and Chip Moore, who has served on several city bodies, including the Planning Commission and Police Accountability Board. The ranked choice runoff currently eliminates Moore and gives Bartlett a 68% to 32% lead over Matthews.

• • The race in District 5, North Berkeley, is Hahn’s former seat and features three first-time candidates. Shoshana O’Keefe, a teacher at Berkeley High School and longtime member of the city’s Zoning Adjustments Board, leads with 67% of first-choice votes over Todd Andrew, a real estate agent and member of the city’s Homeless Commission, and Nilang Gor, a scientist in the field of infectious and genetic diseases and also a Homeless Commission member. The ranked choice runoff currently eliminates Gor and gives O’Keefe a 76% to 24% edge over Andrew.

• • In District 6, the Berkeley Hills, first-time candidate Brent Blackaby, an entrepreneur and civic volunteer, leads East Bay Municipal Utility District board member Andy Katz 63% to 37%.