Mail-in ballots all but complete, counting of provisional ballots began today.
By Roger Straw, November 15, 2022
As expected, Tuesday’s count of additional mail-in ballots at our Solano County Registrar of Voters did not affect the likely final outcome of Benicia’s City Council race. Frontrunners Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye maintained a solid lead.
Today’s Preliminary Results
Click image to enlarge. Source: Solano County Registrar of Voters.
Scott has 5,613 votes, 24.74%
Birdseye has 5,391 votes, 23.76%
Largaespada has 5,243 votes, 23.11%
Strawbridge has 4,793 votes, 21.13%
Innes has 1,645 votes, 7.25%
By the numbers – note day-by-day vote margins at right…
Click image to enlarge. Source: BenIndy, numbers from Solano County Registrar of Voters.
Scott’s lead over Birdseye decreased today by one from 223 to 222. Birdseye’s lead over Largaespada increased from 142 to 148.
Votes outstanding…
Click image to enlarge. Source: Solano County Registrar of Voters.
Unless there are any surprises, ALL mail-in ballots have now been counted. Another 1,012 or so provisional ballots – countywide – must be counted. Benicia is typically about 10% of total Solano votes, so there are perhaps 100 more provisional ballots for Benicia. The Registrar of Voters expects to certify the final result by November 30.
Scott and Birdseye distancing from incumbents, will be sworn in on December 6
By Roger Straw, November 14, 2022
As expected, Monday’s count of additional mail-in ballots at our Solano County Registrar of Voters increased the leads by frontrunners Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye.
Many have presumed the race is over. But on Friday, incumbent Councilmember Lionel Largaespada conceded on his Facebook page, and both the Benicia Herald and this Benicia Independent called the race for Scott and Birdseye. (I read somewhere that Christina Strawbridge conceded, but I am unable to confirm it.)
By the numbers – the lead increased each day…
Scott’s lead over Birdseye has remained pretty much equal, increasing only from 209 to 223.
Birdseye’s lead over Largaespada has increased from only 42 to 112, and tonight to 142.
Ballots still outstanding…
All but approximately 250 mail-in ballots have been counted. Another 1,671 or so provisional ballots must be counted. The Registrar of Voters expects to certify the final result by November 30.
Councilmember Lionel Largaespada wrote on Facebook that he called retired executive Terry Scott and planning commissioner Kari Birdseye to congratulate them.
The Vallejo Sun, by Scott Morris, Nov 11, 2022
Retired executive Terry Scott, left, and planning commissioner Kari Birdseye, right, appear to have prevailed in the Benicia City Council race. Photos: Scott Morris.
BENICIA – Benicia voters appear to have ousted incumbent city councilmembers who drew substantial monetary support from oil manufacturer Valero, as two challengers who have been critical of the refinery appear poised to win after Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial results from the Solano County Registrar of voters.
Councilmember Lionel Largaespada wrote on Facebook Thursday night that he called retired executive Terry Scott and planning commissioner Kari Birdseye to congratulate them on their apparent victory in the city council race.
“While there are still ballots to be counted the data indicates their respective leads will hold,” Largaespada wrote. “It has been the greatest honor and privilege to serve the community I love, where I raise my family and I hope they will raise theirs.”
Birdseye, who works as an environmental spokesperson, thanked her opponents in a statement provided to the Sun.
“Although we don’t always agree on policies that are best for our community, Councilmember Largaespada served Benicia well, especially working with frontline community groups,” Birdseye said. “I thank both Lionel and Christina for their dedication to our community and look forward to their continued counsel as I step into this new role.”
Scott has been in first place since the first returns were released Tuesday night. Birdseye was initially in second place, but fell behind Largaespada as more Election Day votes were counted. But as the county continued counting late-arriving vote-by-mail ballots, Birdseye again took second place, and her lead grew to more than 100 votes late Thursday. Incumbent Councilmember Christina Strawbridge has remained in fourth place.
Benicia’s council members are elected by the entire city and the top two vote-getters will be on the council for the next four years.
The race was hotly contested, particularly because of the influence of Valero, the city’s largest employer that spent tens of thousands of dollars campaigning for the incumbents in the last days leading up to Election Day.
Valero previously campaigned for Largaespada and Strawbridge and against Birdseye in 2018. Birdseye narrowly lost that race. When Strawbridge ran for mayor two years later, Valero again supported her, but she lost badly to now-Mayor Steve Young.
This year, it appeared that Valero might sit out the race following a scandal when it was revealed that the refinery had allowed toxic gas to be released from a hydrogen vent for years. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District obtained an abatement order for Valero, but what penalties the refinery may face have yet to be determined.
Valero’s political meddling was a major issue at a candidates forum in October, where Scott and Birdseye called for greater oversight of the refinery in the wake of the emissions scandal.
Altered Valero PAC mailer (added here by the BenIndy, not in the original Vallejo Sun article)
But Valero did not take any action during the campaign until its final weeks, when a political action committee (PAC) receiving funding from Valero sent mailers on behalf of Largaespada and Strawbridge and spent $10,000 on Facebook ads. According to filings available by Tuesday’s election deadline, Valero had spent $89,507.71 supporting Largaespada and Strawbridge.
Largaespada and Strawbridge have both denounced Valero’s attempts to influence the city’s politics. By law, their campaigns cannot coordinate with the activities of Valero’s PAC.
Vice Mayor Scott and Councilmember Birdseye unseat two incumbents, form new progressive majority
By Roger Straw, November 11, 2022
The guesswork and waiting is over. There are more ballots to count, but concession phone calls have been made, and our local newspaper, The Benicia Herald, has called the race.
We congratulate and celebrate with Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye, our new Benicia City Council representatives.
The candidates and their campaigns worked hard, reaching out to voters throughout the city. And every candidate and residents from every camp called out the interference of Valero and labor PACs in our local election – a possible factor in a very close election.
With 5 candidates vying for the two open Council seats, Scott has a clear lead, and will become Benicia’s new Vice Mayor. Birdseye will claim the second seat as the only female voice on Council and a leader for environmental sensitivity and climate action.
A majority of Benicia Independent readers will join me in celebrating a new majority for industrial oversight, worker safety and security, climate justice and democratic (small d) values. I believe Benicia has a bright future under the leadership of Mayor Young and our four elected councilmembers, Scott, Birdseye, Campbell and Macenski.
Solano County won’t announce the final result until next week sometime, and the election won’t be certified until November 30 or thereabouts. County offices are closed today for Veteran’s Day and over the weekend, so counting of outstanding ballots will continue on Monday November 14. An update should appear on the Registrar of Voters website around 5pm on Monday.
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