Voters have approved a measure on Tuesday's ballot to construct a new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, according to complete unofficial election results.
The stadium measure asked voters to consider a proposal to build a 68,500-seat stadium for the football team next to the Great America theme park and required majority approval.
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Measure J passed with 60 percent of the vote.
With the passing of the measure, a 2 percent hotel tax will be established at eight hotels in the vicinity of the theme park to generate $35 million toward the $937 million stadium.
The 49ers and the National Football League have agreed to raise $493 million, and another $330 million would be generated by the Santa Clara Stadium Authority. The redevelopment agency is expected to contribute $42 million.
The proposal has had its fair share of supporters and opponents.
Opponents argued that rather than stimulating the economy, the stadium would sap $67 million from the city's general fund, because money that would otherwise go into the general fund would be diverted to the stadium.
They also had concerns about the stadium's impact on traffic, parking, noise and air quality.
Bill Bailey, a spokesman for Santa Clara Plays Fair, a group opposing the measure, expressed disappointment in the results.
"We stand by our original stance, and that is that the subsidy of a stadium is financially a very bad decision for the city," Bailey said. "Our group still stands by this statement: the NFL teams make money but NFL stadiums do not."
Proponents, however, among them Santa Clara Mayor Patricia Mahan and state Sen. Elaine Alquist, said the stadium would create thousands of jobs for local workers and millions of dollars for schools and Santa Clara's general fund.
Statewide Races
With half of the votes in Tuesday's statewide primary tallied early this morning, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Kamala Harris appeared set to earn the Democratic Party's nomination for lieutenant governor and attorney general, respectively.
According to unofficial numbers from the Secretary of State, Newsom was leading his closest competitor, Los Angeles city councilwoman Janice Hahn, 55 percent to 33.5 percent.
Slightly more than 50 percent of precincts were reporting as of 12:15 a.m.
Newsom's likely Republican opponent in November, current Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonando, was well ahead in his race as well, garnering 45.5 percent of the vote.
Harris was leading former Facebook chief privacy officer Chris Kelly 32.6 percent to 16.6 percent.
If Harris holds on, she would likely face Republican Steve Cooley in November.
Santa Clara County Candidates
A Santa Clara County deputy district attorney appears to have narrowly edged out his boss in Tuesday's race to be the county's district attorney, according to unofficial election results.
Jeff Rosen received 91,837 votes, or 50.6 percent of the total vote, compared to 89,620 votes for incumbent District Attorney Dolores Carr.
Rosen joined the district attorney's office in 1995 and said on his website that he has one of the top conviction rates in the office.
Carr was elected in 2006 as the first woman to serve as district attorney for Santa Clara County after working as a Superior Court judge for the previous six years.
San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed appears to have easily won re-election to the office by receiving 76.7 percent of the total votes.
His 70,088 votes far surpassed the totals of challengers Thomas Nguyen, Susan Barragan and Bill Chew, who received 9,016, 7,573, and 4,752 votes, respectively.
Sheriff Laurie Smith also appears to have been re-elected by a wide margin, according to the unofficial results. Smith received 112,654 votes, or 62.2 percent of the vote, compared to 54,354 for Richard Calderon and 14,119 for Martin Monica.
Calderon is a retired San Jose police captain who most recently served as chief of police with the Gustine Police Department in the Central Valley.
Monica is a substitute teacher and community policing consultant.
Los Gatos Councilman Mike Wasserman finished on top of a packed field fighting to become the new District 1 Supervisor, but did not appear to get enough votes to avoid a runoff election in November.
Wasserman received 18,160 votes, 42.7 percent, well short of the 50 percent-plus-one needed to win the seat outright. It appears he will face Forrest Williams, a computer science engineer who received 8,215 votes, in the runoff.
Teresa Alvarado was not far behind with 7,870 votes, while Tom Kruse and Peter Arellano finished with 4,874 and 3,457 votes, respectively.
Among the five San Jose City Council races on Tuesday's ballot, two incumbents appeared to win re-election while a third will likely face a runoff in November.
Pete Constant appeared to hold on to his District 1 seat, finishing with 5,385 votes, or 65.2 percent, compared to 1,792 for David Clancy and 1,087 for Tom Johnston.
Sam Liccardo will remain in his District 3 seat, finishing with 4,319 votes compared to 1,104 for his opponent, Timothy Hennessey.
Madison Nguyen, the incumbent in the District 7 race, will likely face a runoff election in November after only receiving 41.8 percent of the vote.
She will likely face Minh Duong, who received 1,907 votes, or 24.3 percent of the vote. Patrick Phu Le finished third with 1,333 votes, while Rudy Rodriguez had 1,100 and Vietnam Nguyen had 229, according to the unofficial results.
Runoff elections also appear likely in the two races for vacant seats in District 5 and 9.
Xavier Campos and Magdalena Carrasco appear to have been the top-two vote getters in the District 5 race and will compete in a November runoff, as will Donald Rocha and Larry Pegram, who received the two highest vote totals in District 9.
Carrasco, a family and child advocate with First 5 Santa Clara, was the victim of fraudulent campaign mailers last month, while Campos is the brother of Nora Campos, who is the current supervisor in the district but is being termed out of office.
Local
Santa Clara County Measures
Ten measures on Tuesday's ballot in Santa Clara County appear to have passed, among them a proposal to build a new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara and a proposal concerning cardrooms in San Jose, according to complete unofficial election results.
Measure J, which asked Santa Clara voters to consider a proposal to build a 68,500-seat stadium for the football team next to the Great America theme park, passed with 60 percent of the vote.
Measure K asked San Jose voters to approve a 2 percent tax increase at the city's two cardroom clubs, Bay 101 and Garden City Casino, with the intention that increasing the tax from 13 to 15 percent and increasing the number of playing tables by nine at each of the clubs would generate about $5 million for the city. The measure won with 76 percent approval.
Three school bond measures also passed by a wide margin.
Measure A, a bond for the Mountain View-Los Alto Union High School District, passed with 77 percent approval. The bond will allow the district to add classrooms and science labs to prevent student overcrowding, improve instructional technology to support academic programs, and lower energy costs by upgrading heating, ventilation, electrical and other systems.
Measure E, a bond for the Los Gatos Union School District, passed with 71 percent of the vote. The bond will allow the district to create additional classrooms and school facilities to avoid overcrowding, provide science labs, and improve energy efficiency and fire safety in elementary and middle schools in the district.
Measure G, a bond for Campbell Union Elementary School, won with 73 percent approval. The bond money will go towards repairing leaky roofs, providing disabled access; upgrading wiring, electrical, fire alarm and security systems, improving energy efficiency, replacing failing heating and cooling systems, and upgrading computer learning technology.
Measure B, an $84 annual parcel tax for five years for the Milpitas Unified School District, passed with 70 percent approval.
Measure H, a five-year, $95 annual parcel tax for the Mount Pleasant Elementary School District, won with 71 percent approval.
Measure I, a five-year $48 annual parcel tax for the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District, passed with 75 percent of the vote.
The passage of Measure C with 72 percent of the vote allows the Oak Grove School District to continue for four years expending funds generated by the existing special tax of $68 per parcel.
Measure L, a 20-year $76 annual parcel tax for the North County Library Authority, passed with 77 percent approval.
Contra Costa County Candidates
Contra Costa County voters appear to have elected a new sheriff, a new county supervisor, re-elected an incumbent supervisor and an incumbent county assessor, but neither of the top two candidates for district attorney received enough votes to avoid a runoff in November, according to unofficial election results.
As of 4 a.m. the Contra Costa County Elections Department had not published the final results.
With 102 of 104 precincts reporting, incumbent Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia appears to have been elected to a fourth term representing District 1.
Gioia beat out newcomer Mister Phillips with more than 78 percent of the vote, according to unofficial election results.
District 1 includes the cities of Richmond, El Cerrito and San Pablo and the unincorporated communities of East Richmond Heights, El Sobrante, Kensington, Montalvin Manor, North Richmond and Rollingwood.
With 115 of 116 precincts reporting, Pleasant Hill Mayor Karen Mitchoff appears to have been elected to the District 4 county supervisor seat, beating Michael McGill by more than 2,000 votes.
Mitchoff will replace current Supervisor Susan Bonilla, who is running for state Assembly. The District 4 supervisor represents Concord, Clayton, Pleasant Hill and part of Walnut Creek.
Incumbent County Assessor Gus Kramer appears to have beat out his three opponents by a wide margin, despite being the subject of an employment discrimination lawsuit that the county settled in 2009.
With 619 of 628 precincts reporting, Kramer appears to have received more than 55 percent of the vote, which enables him to avoid a runoff in November.
Deputy District Attorney Mark Peterson appears to be in the lead in the District Attorney's race, but since he didn't receive more than 50 percent of the vote, he will face off against Dan O'Malley in a runoff election in November.
With 619 of 628 precincts reporting, Peterson appears to have received 47.57 percent of the vote while O'Malley received 36.41 percent of the vote. The third candidate, Elle Falahat, only received 15.66 percent of the vote.
Concord Police Chief David Livingston appears to have been elected to be the next Contra Costa County Sheriff, beating his opponent Contra Costa County Sheriff's Lt. Brian Kalinowski. With 619 of 628 precincts reporting, Livingston received just over 56 percent of the vote while Kalinowski received just over 43.5 percent.
Contra Costa County Measures
Voters in Contra Costa County appear to have approved four out of six ballot measure put before them in Tuesday's primary election, according to incomplete unofficial election results.
As of 4 a.m. the Contra Costa County Elections Department had not posted the final results.
With all but one of the 154 precincts reporting, voters in the Mount Diablo Unified School District appear to have approved Measure C, which will authorize the district to issue a $348 million bond to help reduce the impacts of state budget cuts and fix and improve school facilities.
The measure required 55 percent voter approval to pass and, according to preliminary election results, it received appears to have received at least 60.7 percent voter approval.
By approving the measure, voters in the district agreed to tax themselves an estimated $40.83 per $100,000 of assessed value of property until the bonds and interest are repaid.
Voters in the West Contra Costa County Unified School District also appear to have approved Measure D, which authorizes the district to issue a $380 million bond to improve school safety, repair and upgrade facilities, qualify for state matching grants, remove asbestos, install lighting and security systems, construct new facilities, repair restrooms and increase energy efficiency.
With 126 or 129 precincts reporting, Measure D appears to have received more than 62 percent of the vote. It required 55 percent voter approval to pass.
Property owners in the district will pay an estimated annual tax of $48 per $100,000 of assessed property value until the bonds are paid off.
Voters in the unincorporated El Sobrante and North Arlington neighborhoods appear to have rejected Measure E, which would have funded increased sheriff's patrols in the area.
The measure required two-thirds of the vote to pass, but, with 11 of 12 precincts reporting, it appears to have received just over 45 percent approval.
Voters in Kensington, however, appear to have passed Measure G, agreeing to tax themselves to pay for increased police protection in the Kensington Police Protection and Community Services District.
According to complete unofficial results, voters in the district approved the measure by more than 70 percent.
The new annual tax, which will be $200 for a single-family residential parcel, will be in addition to the existing $300 annual tax.
The new tax will begin July 1 and has no expiration date.
Voters in Brentwood appear to have rejected Measure F, which would have extended the city's urban limit line to make way for a major new development on 740 acres west of the city's current city limits, according to complete unofficial election results.
The measure required a majority vote to pass, but more than 57 percent of voters appear to have rejected it.
Voters appear to have overwhelmingly approved Measure B, which changes change the number of divisions in the Byron Bethany Irrigation District from nine to seven, which will save an estimated $48,000.
The district, which was formed under the California Water Code to provide water service for agricultural, municipal and industrial lands in its boundaries, encompasses parts of Contra Costa, Alameda and San Joaquin counties.
Sonoma County Candidates
Sonoma County has a new district attorney, according to complete unofficial election results.
Former Sonoma County prosecutor Jill Ravitch defeated District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua by 7,308 votes, receiving the approval of 54 percent of the county's voters.
If the count holds up when all ballots, including remaining absentee votes, are counted, she'll be the first woman to hold that office.
Ravitch, of Sebastopol, who celebrated her 52nd birthday Tuesday, is currently a chief deputy district attorney in Mendocino County. She lost to Passalacqua, 47, of Healdsburg, by 1,700 votes when she challenged him four years ago.
In the Sonoma County District 4 supervisor's contest, Healdsburg Councilman Mike McGuire appears to have soundly defeated Windsor Councilwoman Debora Fudge. He'll replace Paul Kelly, who did not run for re-election, on the board in January.
McGuire received 11,664 votes, nearly 62 percent, and Fudge got 7,136 votes, according to the unofficial figures.
In the south county's District 2 seat, Petaluma Mayor Pam Torliatt and Petaluma Councilman David Rabbitt are headed for a runoff election in November.
None of the four candidates received more than 50 percent of the vote. Torliatt and Rabbitt defeated rancher John King and Petaluma Councilman Mike Healy. The winner will take the set vacated by Mike Kerns, who is retiring.
Torliatt received 6,607 votes, or 37.5 percent, and Rabbitt tallied 4,456 votes, or 25.3 percent. King and Healy got 18 and 19 percent, respectively.
In the North county supervisorial race, Fudge, 54, claimed she has experience in fiscal responsibility, transportation alternatives, environmental protection and water supply management.
McGuire, 30, said as a councilman and mayor, he has created partnerships with small businesses to create jobs, and as a school board member, led the effort to rebuild decaying schools and secure money for classrooms.
In the southern Sonoma County supervisor contest, accountant and rancher John King challenged three Petaluma City Council members.
King, an advocate of protecting agricultural lands and sustainable water supplies, called for an audit of the county's general fund, an end to wasteful spending and top-heavy management and unnecessary red tape in the county's Permit and Resources Management Department.
Torliatt said she favors smart growth, protecting open spaces and eliminating budget deficits. She cited her 18 years of executive leadership in regional and local government and the city's innovative planning to revitalize Petaluma's downtown.
Rabbitt, 49, listed creating jobs and a better economy as his priorities. He helped create the Petaluma City Schools District's Fund Development Task Force and co-founded Support Healthy Active Kids in Education organization.
Healy, 52, said he supports the SMART train, widening U.S. Highway 101 from Rohnert Park to Novato and increasing funding for road improvements. He said he was the independent voice and consensus builder on the Petaluma City Council and opposed the proposed Indian casino in Rohnert Park.
Sonoma County Measures
Sonoma County voters passed three measures that asked them for money Tuesday but balked at making a change in the county government's structure.
Voters in the Mark West Union School District approved Measure C, a $14 million bond issue to improve schools and classrooms. It required 55 percent approval and received 59 percent of the vote, according to complete unofficial figures.
Proponents said since voters approved a previous bond measure in 2002, test scores increased but now local students need classrooms and facilities comparable to neighboring schools.
The money will be matched by up to $5 million in state funding and will fix leaky roofs, heating and ventilation systems and improve energy efficiency.
Voters defeated Measure D, which would have amended the 1950 Sonoma County Civil Service Ordinance. The measure needed majority approval and received 47 percent.
The current Civil Service Ordinance provides that the director of personnel must be appointed by the Civil Service Commission and provides the director of personnel shall be in the classified, protected service.
The amendment to the ordinance that voters rejected would have changed the appointing authority from the Civil Service Commission to the Board of Supervisors and would change the director of personnel to an unclassified position consistent with other county department heads.
The director of personnel also would have been renamed "director of human resources."
Proponents of the measure said it would have returned accountability for the entire scope of human resources back to the elected supervisors and allows the supervisors to effectively manage the 4,000 county employees.
Measure E asked Rohnert Park voters to approve a half-cent sales tax for five years to pay for police and fire services, 911 emergency response, gang and sex offender enforcement, street paving, parks and recreation and other services. It required majority approval and passed with 55 percent.
The money will go into the city's general fund and be used as authorized by the City Council. The City's sales tax rate will rise to 9.50 percent.
Proponents said the money is needed because the state government is draining the city's coffers and jeopardizing city services. Without the tax increase, drastic cuts to public safety would follow, proponents said.
Opponents said the tax was expected to raise $2.5 million a year for five years, the same amount the city spent on a new city hall, eastside sewer line for future development, street paving that is already failing and other projects. Opponents said the City Council must instead reduce spending.
Russian River Fire Protection District voters approved Measure F, an annual parcel tax between $70 and $350 per parcel. The money will finance the fire protection district's services.
The measure needed two-thirds approval and received 70 percent.
Proponents said the district has not had a tax increase since 1980 and employees have agreed to pay freezes and paying a portion of their health insurance. Without the tax, the district's reserve funds will be spent by June 2011, response times will increase and staff will be reduced, proponents said.
San Francisco
San Francisco voters Tuesday gave broad approval to a $412.3 million bond measure for seismic upgrades to the city's firefighting and police facilities.
Measure B passed with more than 79 percent of the vote, according to complete unofficial results from the city's elections department.
The money will be used to renovate and make seismic upgrades to the city's auxiliary water supply system; to build, repair and retrofit fire stations; and to build a new Public Safety Building in Mission Bay that would house police headquarters, the Southern District police station and a fire station.
The Public Safety Building would replace the current facilities at the antiquated Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant St.
The measure allows an increase in property taxes to pay for the bonds.
The measure, which required a two-thirds vote to pass, had wide support from city officials, including Mayor Gavin Newsom and most of the Board of Supervisors, police Chief George Gascon and fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White.
The measure as originally introduced was $652 million, but $240 million -- which would have funded a new forensic sciences center for the medical examiner's office and crime lab -- was later removed.
Seventy percent of San Francisco voters also approved Measure A, renewing a $32.20 parcel tax for seismic and fire safety repairs at public schools.
Voters turned down Measure C, which would have given the Board of Supervisors say over the appointment of some members of the city's Film Commission, who are all currently appointed by the mayor. The vote was 54 percent to 46 percent to reject the measure.
Measure D, which will change the way retirement benefits are calculated for new city employees, was approved by nearly 78 percent of voters. Proponents argued the retirement benefits the city was paying its employees under the current system are unsustainable.
Measure E requiring disclosure of the Police Department's annual budget for security to city officials and visiting dignitaries was approved with more than 55 percent of the vote.
San Franciscans voted down Measure F to allow additional provisions for tenants to postpone rent increases if they become unemployed, and approved a Measure G affirming city policy to locate the northern terminus of the planned San Francisco-Los Angeles high-speed rail line at the city's downtown Transbay Transit Center.
Alameda County
Wilma Chan will be returning to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors next year after residents in the third supervisorial district voted by a large margin to send her back to the seat she represented from 1994 to 2000.
Chan received a whopping 54.6 percent of the vote in a four-candidate race in District 3, which includes San Leandro, Alameda, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Hillcrest Knolls and parts of Oakland, so she won't have to face a runoff in November.
Alameda Mayor Bev Johnson finished second with 30.7 percent, financial planner Harold Lowe was third with 7.6 percent and retired businessman and perennial candidate Lou Filipovich was fourth with 6.6 percent.
Chan, who served in the state Assembly and eventually became majority leader after she left the Board of Supervisors, said her priorities are solving the county's budget problems while protecting health and senior programs, improving access to quality education and creating jobs.
She will succeed Alice Lai-Bitker, who is stepping down at the end of the year after 10 years in office.
In District 2, which includes Hayward, Newark, Union City and parts of Fremont and Sunol, no one got 50 percent of the vote.
Alameda County Family Justice Center executive director Nadia Lockyer finished first with 38 percent of the vote but she will face a runoff in November.
It appears that she will face former state Senator and Assemblywoman Liz Figueroa, who was second with 24.94 percent of the vote.
But Union City Mayor Mark Green finished a close third with 23.78 percent of the vote and only trails her by 263 votes, so there's at least an outside chance that a tally of uncounted absentee ballots could alter the race.
Hayward Councilman Kevin Dowling finished fourth with 12.9 percent.
The winner of the November runoff will succeed Gail Steele, who is retiring after 18 years in office.
Lockyer, the wife of state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, said in her ballot statement that she wants to promote economic growth, make government more efficient and create healthy families and safe communities.
Hayward planning commissioner and retired budget Marvin Peixoto won a spot on the City Council by finishing first in a six-person race for two open seats with 29.8 percent of the vote.
The seats are being vacated by Dowling and Anna May.
College instructor Mark Salinas won the other open seat by finishing second with 25.3 percent of the vote.
Sara Lamnin, the program director for the Hayward Community Action Network and chair of the Hayward Citizens' Advisory Commission, finished third with 19.8 percent.
Food and beverage broker Ralph Farias, Jr. was fourth with 9.8 percent, retired business owner Steve Oiwa finished fifth with 7.5 percent and security guard Lawrence Fitzpatrick was sixth with 7.2 percent.
Michael Sweeney, who was running unopposed, was easily re-elected mayor of Hayward with 97.4 percent of the vote. The other 2.6 percent went to write-in candidates.
Administrative law judge Victoria Kolakowski led a three-way race for an opening on the Alameda County Superior Court bench with 45 percent of the total vote.
She will face Deputy District Attorney John Creighton in a runoff election in November, as he finished second with 32 percent of the vote.
Attorney Louis Goodman finished third with 22 percent.
City of Berkeley
A Berkeley parcel tax measure that would have floated $22.5 million in bonds to improve the city's pools received 60.4 percent of the vote in Tuesday's election but fell short of the two-thirds majority it needed to pass, according to complete unofficial results.
Supporters of Measure C said in their ballot argument that Berkeley's municipal swimming pools are a treasure but badly need to be renovated because they are deteriorating and are nearing the end of their useful lives.
The measure would have renovated the Willard and West Campus pools, relocated the warm water pool, which is now at Berkeley High and is slated for demolition next year, and build a new competitive pool at King Middle School. The measure also would pay for maintaining and operating all four pools.
But opponents, such as anti-tax groups and some neighborhood groups, said the city can't afford the measure and there are more cost-effective alternatives.
Marie Bowman of Berkeleyans Against Soaring Taxes, or BASTA, said the city's finances already are stretched too thin, as it faces a $14 million deficit next year, and $20 million in new taxes were added last year.
Bowman said rehabilitating existing pools can be done at one-third the cost of the bond measure and paying for memberships for pools at the YMCA or the University of California at Berkeley would only cost about 1 percent of the money that the measure would pay for maintenance.
However, supporters of Measure C said that it will lower, not raise, maintenance costs through modernization and energy efficiency and that the city's debt isn't skyrocketing because the City Council is making budget cuts.
In Pleasanton, voters strongly rejected a development plan for the Oak Grove area in the hills in the southeast side of the city.
Only 45.7 percent of voters supported Measure D and 54.3 percent opposed it.
Supporters said the development is within the city's urban growth boundary and is designated residential in its general plan. The plan would have created 51 lots for luxury custom homes on a 562-acre site and had been approved by the City Council.
Supporters said the home sites were designed to fit within the existing trees and topography, shielding most of the homes from view and eliminating the need to remove oak trees and provide nearly 500 acres of open, natural, parkland and protect the most visible ridgeline in perpetuity.
They also said it would bring increased tax revenue to the city.
But opponents said the development would have violated the spirit of a measure passed in November 2008 that imposed new ridgeline protections.
They said voting against Measure D is the final step to protecting the natural beauty of the city's hills.
Voters in the Alameda County part of the Lammersville Joint Unified School District approved combining a portion of the Tracy Joint Unified School District and the Lammersville Elementary School District.
Voters in the Mountain House area of Alameda County voted in favor of Measure A by a margin of 19 to 5. Measure A also was approved by voters in rural Tracy in San Joaquin County.
The unification of the districts will result in the formation of the Lammersville Joint Unified School District.
The district will have a five-member board elected at large, but the Mountain House Elementary School District will be permitted to continue to exist as an independent elementary school district.
Voters in the Alameda County portion of the Bethany Irrigation District, which also includes parts of Contra Costa and San Joaquin counties, unanimously approved reducing the number of divisions within the district from nine to seven as well as reducing the number of directors.
Supporters of Measure B said those steps will save $48,000 a year.
Voters in the Alameda County part of the district approved Measure B 10 to 0. Measure B was also approved by voters in Contra Costa County, according to the unofficial results.
Alameda County
Marin County Sheriff Robert Doyle was re-elected with 60 percent of the vote, according to complete unofficial election results Tuesday night.
Doyle defeated Marin County Coroner Ken Holmes, who will lose his job as coroner.
Marin County Supervisor Susan Adams defeated former Assemblywoman and California Secretary of Education Kerry Mazzoni in the race for the District 1 seat. Adams got 52 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results.
When the Marin County Board of Supervisors voted in November to combine the offices of sheriff and coroner to save $400,000 a year, it meant Marin County would join forty-seven other counties with a joint Sheriff-Coroner's Office.
Holmes, 67, decided to challenge Doyle, 62, for Marin County Sheriff.
Doyle joined the sheriff's office 40 years ago and has been sheriff for 14 years.
Doyle's office has 207 sworn deputies, 114 other law enforcement professionals and a $50 million budget.
Doyle said the sheriff's office can easily accommodate the coroner's office and create a more efficient county government.
The seven-member Marin County coroner's office has a $1.5 million annual budget.
Holmes said his advanced certificates from the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, qualified him to be elected sheriff and he said Doyle has no experience or training to act as coroner.
He said he has assisted three counties who consolidated both offices.
In the supervisorial contest, Adams cited her efforts to adopt the Baylands Corridor to protect San Rafael's wetlands and to bring stronger control and oversight of the San Rafael Rock Quarry.
Mazzoni said she opposes the Marin Energy Authority because the timing is wrong and she prefers increasing energy efficiency in homes and businesses.
In Ross, attorney P. Rupert Russell and community volunteer Carla Small won election to the Ross Town Council. They defeated Mark Fritz and Iris Winey.
Small got 358 votes, Russell 263, Winey 173 and Fritts 168 votes, according to unofficial results.
Councilmen Michael Collins Skall and William Ronald Cahill did not run for re-election.
Marin County
Three ballot measures asking for money for libraries in Marin County passed Tuesday, according to complete unofficial election results.
Measures that would have allocated money for flood control in Santa Venetia and a flood wastewater management contract in the Novato Sanitary District appear to have failed.
The library measures asked voters to approve an annual $49 parcel tax starting July 1 and all required two-thirds approval.
Measure A, an annual parcel tax for the Marin County Free Library District, passed with 74 percent of the vote.
The Marin County Free Library District includes Bolinas, Fairfax, Novato, Stinson Beach, Inverness, Point Reyes, Corte Madera, Marin City and the Civic Center library.
Measure B, a $49 annual parcel tax for five years to enhance San Anselmo library services, also passed with 74 percent approval.
Measure C, a seven-year, $49 annual parcel tax for the San Rafael Public Library, won with 69 percent approval.
Library officials said the money is needed to restore reduced hours and services because of local government funding cuts, to avoid staff reductions, hire a children's librarian and increase outreach to schools whose library services have been cut.
Seniors ages 65 and older would be exempt from the parcel taxes if the parcel is their primary place of residence.
Measure D, a special $530 annual parcel tax on voters in Flood Control Zone No. 7 in Santa Venetia, failed, according to unofficial results. It needed two-thirds approval and got only 29 percent.
The money would have paid for the construction of Pump Station 2, Estancia Ditch improvements, an evaluation of the Las Gallinas Creek levee and to replenish capital improvement and emergency reserves.
Opponents of Measure D said it earmarked $1 million on a levee study that focuses on a single element of the flood control system but doesn't guarantee physical improvements to the levee.
Opponents said the $530 tax is more than four times the $125 average parcel tax in Ross that pays for an integrated approach that includes flood control and habitat restoration.
The measure's proponents said Santa Venetia would flood without levees and fully operational pump stations.
Proponents said local money must be spent to get matching federal dollars and that responsible stewardship of the watershed and maintenance of the existing flood control measures that have kept Santa Venetia flood-free for almost 30 years are compatible goals.
Muir Beach's tax Measure E passed with 86 percent of the vote. It needed two-thirds approval.
The measure asked voters in the Muir Beach Community Services District to approve an annual parcel tax for four years to pay for capital improvements and maintenance of water supply and distribution equipment.
The tax, starting July 1, will be $3,250 on commercial parcels and $300 on each living structure on residential parcels and on all other parcels.
Measure F appears to have failed in the Novato Sanitary District, according to unofficial results.
The measure asked Novato Sanitary District voters to approve a $15.6 million service contract with Veolia Water West Operating Services to operate the city's wastewater treatment plant. It required a majority vote and received the approval of 49.2 percent of the voters.
Proponents said the measure would protect water quality, keep sewer rates low and maintain local control of wastewater facilities.
The District needs to employ technical experts to maintain its facilities, and the contract would save the district $7.2 million over five years compared to the District alone managing the facilities, the measure's supporters said.
Opponents said the contract allows the treatment plant to become a corporate profit center, has hidden costs and the projected savings are speculative.
Opponents also said Veolia has a troubling environmental record and runs one of the Bay Area's worst polluters, the Richmond sewer plant. They want the plant to be run by local public employees.
San Mateo County
The District 3 seat for the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors appears to be too close to call in Tuesday's election, but the incumbent for the District 2 seat appears to have been re-elected, according to complete unofficial election results.
Don Horsley, who served as the sheriff of San Mateo County from 1993 to 2007, received the highest number of votes -- 23,980 -- in a race against four other candidates for the District 3 seat of Rich Gordon.
Gordon is seeking to fill the state Assembly seat of Ira Ruskin, who is being termed out of office.
Montara resident April Vargas garnered 15,069 votes and will face Horsley in a run-off election in November. A candidate must obtain at least 50 percent-plus-one of the votes in order to avoid a run-off election.
Sequoia Healthcare District board of directors member Jack Hickey garnered 10,105 votes, while San Carlos City Councilman Matt Grocott received 8,757 votes and San Carlos resident Michael Stogner received 4,243 votes.
Supervisor Carole Groom, who was appointed to the board mid-term in December 2008 after then-Supervisor Jerry Hill was elected to the state Assembly, appears to have defeated her sole opponent, retired businessman Daniel Kaul, with 42,505 votes in the District 2 race.
Kaul, who received 14,773 votes, said in the weeks prior to the election that he had stopped campaigning but would have served the seat if elected.
Both parcel tax measures in San Mateo County and another measure providing rent stabilization and eviction guidelines for the city of East Palo Alto appear to have been approved in Tuesday's election, according to complete unofficial election results.
The two parcel tax measures, for the Cabrillo Unified School District and the San Mateo County Community College District, required a two-thirds majority to pass.
Measure E, which assess an annual education parcel tax of $150 per parcel for five years for the Cabrillo Unified School District, appears to have passed with 70.7 percent of the votes in its favor.
The measure calls for annual audits and citizen oversight, and the money would not go toward administrative salaries. The tax would help bridge the district's $2.5 million budget deficit, according to supporters.
Measure G, which levies a $34 per-parcel tax annually for four years for the academic programs within the three community colleges in the San Mateo County Community College District, appears to have passed by an even slimmer margin with 66.9 percent of the votes.
The measure exempts seniors and no proceeds will go toward administrative salaries.
Supporters of the measure said state cuts of more than $25 million to the district have caused significant reduction in faculty, staff and the number of classes, and that about 14,000 students in San Mateo County are on wait lists and cannot get the classes they need.
Opponents have claimed many students attending the colleges do not live in San Mateo County, and that colleges can simply raise tuition prices to cover rising costs.
Measure H, the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance, required majority approval and appears to have passed with 78.4 percent of the votes, according to unofficial election results.
The measure will repeal East Palo Alto's existing rent stabilization ordinance for residential tenancies other than mobile home parks and establish rent levels consistent with state law.
The measure also protects residential tenants from unreasonable rent increases and arbitrary, discriminatory or retaliatory rent increases.
In addition, the measure assures landlords the right to a fair return on their properties.
The measure was endorsed by the East Palo Alto City Council.
Solano County
Incumbent John Vasquez appears to have received the highest number of votes for the Solano County Board of Supervisors District 4 seat in Tuesday's election, but not enough to avoid a runoff election in November, according to complete unofficial election results.
Vasquez, who was elected to the board in 2002, garnered 4,087 votes, while Donald Pippo, who held the District 4 seat from 1983 to 1990, received 3,590 votes, unofficial election results show.
A candidate must obtain at least 50 percent-plus-one of the votes in order to avoid a runoff election.
The other two candidates, county employee Rebecca Benton and teacher's assistant Lisa Mullis, received 1,412 votes and 634 votes, respectively.
Solano County Sheriff Gary Stanton, who is serving his ninth year as sheriff-coroner, appears to have been re-elected with 39,557 votes against 664 write-in votes.
Napa County
One incumbent on the Napa County Board of Supervisors appears to have been re-elected in Tuesday's primary election while a second appears to be headed to a runoff election in November, according to complete unofficial election results.
Brad Wagenknecht, elected to the District 1 seat in 1999, garnered 1,721 votes against his opponent Dan Monez, who was Napa police chief for 17 years and received 1,228 votes, complete unofficial election results show.
The District 3 seat will apparently have to be decided by a runoff election in November. Incumbent Diane Dillon, an attorney who has already served two terms on the board, earned 1,713 of the votes, just under the 50 percent-plus-one of the total vote needed to prevent the runoff.
Business owner Jeff Parady will join her in the runoff election after receiving 1,287 votes.
Yountville-area farmer and grape grower Michael Haley finished third with 540 votes.
