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Election

A tied City Council race in Richmond was determined Monday after the city clerk pulled a candidate’s name out of a bag. This Nov. 9 file photo shows boxes of ballots waiting to be counted at the Department of Elections at San Francisco City Hall.

Top Stories

Winner’s name pulled out of a bag after Bay Area city council race ends in a tie

Each candidate had received 1,921 votes in Richmond’s District Two council race.

East Bay
Oakland’s ex-Mayor Libby Schaaf finally lays out her next moves
The former mayor has been named the interim executive director for Emerge California, an organization that trains women to run for elected office. By Sarah Ravani
Open Forum
S.F. is sick of school board drama. Don’t make voters say it over
The newly configured board has announced its intention to oust President Jenny Lam. That’s the last thing it should be worried about. By Alex Wong
Joe Garofoli
Barbara Lee has far less money than other California Senate candidates. Here’s why you shouldn’t...
Lee’s supporters are counting on a network of donors that she helped build, as well as other progressives raising enough money to help her run a viable campaign. By Joe Garofoli
Joe Garofoli
California’s 2024 Senate race just started, and it’s going to be wild
Progressive infighting. Gender politics. Republican spoilers. $20 million to get in. With one candidate officially in, the 2024 race has begun. By Joe Garofoli
Bay Area
Alameda County calls for a recount in ranked-choice elections. But questions remain about its...
The dispute is already headed to the courts after one of the candidates filed a petition in Alameda County Superior Court. By Sarah Ravani
Bay Area
Battle brewing over leadership of S.F. school board after election puts progressives back in...
Questions are flying about who will lead the San Francisco school board this year, after a close election changed the power of balance on the board and put a progressive majority back in the driver’s seat after less than a year of moderates... By Jill Tucker
Joe Garofoli
If this was Gavin Newsom’s last inaugural speech, he showed a different side of himself
Newsom opened perhaps his final chapter in executive office by defining not just what he envisions for California, but fleshing out his own often caricatured image. By Joe Garofoli
California
Is Gavin Newsom actually popular in California? Here’s what his election history suggests
Election data may gives us some hints about whether Gavin Newsom would make a good presidential candidate. By Nami Sumida
Bay Area
Alameda County election error that flipped one Oakland race heads to courts
An unprecedented error in counting ranked choice votes has left the fate of the Oakland school board seat up in the air, with the battle headed to the courts and a possible hand count of ballots even as the swearing-in ceremony is set for early... By Nora Mishanec and Jill Tucker
Politics
In huge blow for California’s Kevin McCarthy, House adjourns without electing a new speaker
A day that should have been triumphant for House Republicans as they took control of the chamber turned chaotic and embarrassing as it ended without the election of a new speaker, the party’s first order of business. By Shira Stein
Joe Garofoli
6 California political stories to watch in 2023
From jockeying for position in the presidential race to a potentially open U.S. Senate seat to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s battles with the oil industry, here are The Chronicle’s predictions for the political story lines to follow in the new year. By Joe Garofoli
Bay Area
Alameda County admits tallying error in ranked-choice voting, flips one result and raises big...
Based on the new calculations, Oakland school board candidate Nick Resnick, who was previously declared the winner, lost to Mike Hutchinson, a current board member. By Jill Tucker, Jordan Parker and J.D. Morris, Nami Sumida
East Bay
Maps show which Oakland neighborhoods helped elect Sheng Thao mayor
Sheng Thao dominated West Oakland in the mayoral race, while Loren Taylor performed better in the Oakland hills and parts of East Oakland. By Sarah Ravani and Nami Sumida
San Francisco
After firestorm, commission backtracks on plan to replace S.F. elections chief
The Elections Commission will no longer look at other candidates and will instead consider renewing Director John Arntz’s contract next month. By J.D. Morris
Politics
Two of the closest legislative races in California history are finally over. Here’s who won
The Democratic candidate in one of the tightest races in California conceded on Monday, setting the stage for the final member of the state Legislature to be sworn in. By Sophia Bollag
Joe Garofoli
These 6 California Republicans opposed protecting same-sex and interracial marriage. What were...
More than half of California’s Republican House delegation opposed codifying same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law. By Joe Garofoli
Politics
Experts are torn on whether ‘radical’ Supreme Court election law case threatens California’s...
A Supreme Court case on whether legislators or state courts make rules for federal elections could affect California’s voter-approved commission that draws congressional district lines. By Bob Egelko
Open Forum
Elon Musk’s libertarian ‘information flow’ ideology is going to drown us all
Musk’s brand of free speech absolutism does not map neatly to the typical left-right political spectrum. And his free speech philosophy is not a novel concept in tech. By Morgan N. Weiland
Bay Area
A Bay Area city council race is exactly tied. The winner’s name will be drawn from an envelope
Andrew Butt and Cesar Zepeda each received 1,921 votes in Richmond’s District Two council race. By J.D. Morris
Chronicle Podcasts
Listen: How Oakland Mayor-elect Sheng Thao plans to lead the city
Fifth & Mission podcast: The 37-year-old progressive will be the first Hmong American to lead a major U.S. city. How does she plan to tackle its biggest issues? Chronicle reporter Sarah Ravani joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what Thao... By fifth & mission
Politics
This under-the-radar measure passed by voters could reshape Oakland elections
Oakland voters approved a measure providing $100 to each adult resident to donate to local candidates, in an attempt to counter big-money influence. By Bob Egelko
Bay Area
Oakland’s next mayor is eager to hit the ground running. Here’s what Sheng Thao plans to do first
Once she takes office, Thao will be under pressure to address the city’s skyrocketing homeless population, its public safety challenges, economic uncertainty, a housing crisis and the threat of the Oakland A’s leaving the city. By Sarah Ravani
Bay Area
Can San Francisco replace an executive to boost diversity? Here's what experts say about...
Some progressive San Franciscans and national conservatives seemed to agree on one thing this week. By Mallory Moench
Bay Area
Oakland Mayor-elect Thao promises unity in first appearance since election
Sheng Thao says, “We have to come together,” after the closely fought election in which she beat her runner-up by less than 700 votes. By Sarah Ravani
Bay Area
Democrats now control all House seats along the Pacific Ocean for first time in memory
A surprise upset in southern Washington, a recently flipped seat in Alaska and two key Southern California victories means that Democrats now holds all House seats adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. By Nora Mishanec
Bay Area
Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor concedes race to Sheng Thao
Taylor took an early lead in the election with more first-place votes, but Thao caught up to him as ranked-choice ballots were counted. By Sarah Ravani
Bay Area
Sheng Thao, daughter of refugees, overcomes poverty and homelessness to become Oakland’s first...
Thao’s family fled Laos during a genocide. She is the seventh of 10 children. She was born and raised in Stockton, where her family lived in public housing, and has experienced homelessness firsthand. By Sarah Ravani
East Bay
Sheng Thao is Oakland’s next mayor
A nail-biting race with moderate City Council Member Loren Taylor ends after a lengthy tabulation of votes from the city’s ranked-choice voting system. By Sarah Ravani
Bay Area
Showdown looms between S.F. supes and election commission over uncertain renewal of election...
With San Francisco’s fourth election of the year still to be certified, the man who oversaw it all and scores of other vote-counts over the past 20 years could lose his job next year. By Mallory Moench
Election
Did San Franciscans understand the competing housing propositions? We analyzed every voter’s...
Most people voted differently on San Francisco propositions D and E. But not all of them. By Leila Darwiche, Nami Sumida