On June 5, Californians for the first time will vote in an open primary.
The top two vote getters in a race will move on to the November general election, whether they are from the same party or not.
In addition, this will be the first election with the new congressional, state Senate and state Assembly districts approved last fall by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. They officially take effect in January. You can look at the new districts at this website.
Look for live election coverage Tuesday evening on Castro Valley Patch.
County Supervisor
4th District
There are two candidates in this election. The distrcit includes parts of Oakland, Ashland, Castro Valley, Cherryland, El Portal Ridge, Fairmount Terrace, Fairview, Hillcrest Knolls and Pleasanton.
Incumbent Nate Miley was first elected in 2000. He is
Tojo Thomas works is a deputy probation officer for Alameda County. You can .
The two candidates submitted columns this week on why readers should vote for them. To read Miley's, . To Read Thomas',
County School Board
Former Oakland teacher Geraldine Sonobe is running against Alameda County Fire Department spokeswoman Aisha Knowles for a seat on the Alameda County School Board.
The seat represents San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, and other parts of unincorporated Alameda County. The county school board is the intermediary between the state Department of Education and local school districts like those in San Leandro and San Lorenzo.
Mike Katz-Lacabe, a San Leandro School Board member, profiled Sonobe and Knowles on his San Leandro Bytes website. He noted that the Oakland Tribune has endorsed Sonobe.
County Superior Court Judgeship
As with the Assembly contest, it is occurring because there is no incumbent. Incumbents win so routinely that elections are almost farsical except when there is an open seat, as in the two cases above.
The judicial candidates are three attorneys; Catherine Haley, 60; Andrew Wiener, 53; and Tara Flanagan, 48. The Oakland Tribune has profiled the candidates.
State Assembly
20th District
This new district includes Union City, Hayward, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, Ashland and Cherryland.
There are five candidates on the ballot.
Sarabjit Kaur Cheema is a New Haven school board member. She is also on the Union City human relations commission. She works as a transportation engineer for the state.
Mark Green, listed as an Independent, has been the mayor of Union City for the past 19 years. He is a member of the Association of Bay Area Government and the Metropolitan Transporation Commission.Luis Reynoso
Jennifer Ong is a doctor of optometry in Alameda. She is also a commissioner on Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women.
Bill Quirk has been on the Hayward City Council for two terms. He is a former NASA scientist and a retired Livermore Lab scientist.
Luis Reynoso is a Mexico native and a naturalized U.S. citizen. He attended Chabot College and Cal State Hayward. He is now a Hayward school board member.
Congress
15th District
This new district includes San Ramon, Livermore, Dublin, Pleasanton, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Union City Hayward and part of Fremont.
There are three candidates in this election.
Democrat Congressman Pete Stark was first elected to Congress in 1972. On his website, he says he has led "the fight to protect Social Security and Medicare, enact health reform, promote peace rather than war, and standing up for working families."
Democrat Eric Swalwell is an Alameda County prosecutor who also serves on the Dublin City Council. Swalwell grew up in Dublin and graduated from Dublin High. He's offering himself as a moderate alternative to Stark.
Christopher Pareja lists no party preference and no job description on the ballot. On his website, he criticizes career politicians and says he wants to build strong economy. The Hayward resident is the owner of B2B Power Exchange and LeadGenaires, companies that help businesses find new opportunities.
Look for live election coverage Tuesday evening on Patch.
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