San Bernardino City Councilman Juan Figueroa handily won reelection Tuesday, March 3, while two other council races appear headed for runoffs and a fourth appeared too close to call, the latest election results show.
In unofficial final results posted early Wednesday, March 4, by the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, 3rd Ward City Councilman Figueroa won reelection over challenger Luis Ojeda by taking nearly 70% of the vote.
But in the 6th Ward, Councilwoman Bessine Richard was 22 votes ahead of challenger Kimberly Calvin, capturing 50.41% of ballots cast to Calvin’s 49.28% in a two-way contest.
“This race is definitely not over,” Calvin said Wednesday, March 4. “I’m a competitor and I definitely don’t concede until there is no light of hope anywhere. When the ROV calls it, that’s when we will accept the election.”
There are still votes left to count, but it’s not know what races they are from. Countywide, about 77,400 vote-by-mail ballots and 17,700 provisional ballots — mail ballots that require further signature review and damaged ballots requiring duplication — remained to be counted as of Wednesday, election officials said. The registrar of voters plans its next update by 4 p.m. Friday, March 6.
In the 5th Ward, Councilman Henry Nickel likely will face Ben Reynoso in a November runoff after they finished first and second, respectively, in a field of six candidates. Nickel garnered 37.52% of the votes; Reynoso 23.82%.
“Obviously, any time you’re running against five candidates, that’s a significant mountain to climb in terms of getting a majority,” Nickel said.
And, so, Nickel said, he was prepared for a runoff.
As for his runoff opponent, Reynoso, “He is very bright,” Nickel said. “I have come to appreciate some of his ideas. I look forward to a spirited debate.”
In the 7th Ward, Councilman Jim Mulvihill and Damon L. Alexander, who came in first in the vote count, also appear headed for a runoff. Alexander was named on 31.41% of ballots; Mulvihill on 29.23%.
“Certainly, I was hoping to top the field, no doubt about that,” Mulvihill said. “But I wasn’t that far away.”
Alexander said his first-place finish was gratifying.
“I’m humbled by the support,” Alexander said. He thanked 7th Ward voters for believing that his team “can make San Bernardino better.”
In San Bernardino, a candidate who receives 50% of the total number of votes cast in a primary, plus one vote, wins outright. In races where that doesn’t happen, the top two vote-getters square off in November.
Alexander said one of his biggest concerns is the condition of San Bernardino roads. He said drivers must navigate around gaping potholes on many streets, sometimes having to choose between riding over a pothole or running into a curb.
“That’s a public safety issue to me,” he said. “That’s something that we can no longer ignore.”
Addressing homelessness is another top concern. Alexander said he would introduce a “wrap around 360” plan that would better coordinate city, county, church and nonprofit programs that help homeless people.
Mulvihill also named the homelessness problem one of his top priorities.
“You have people sleeping in doorways up and down most of the streets of the city,” he said.
Mulvihill said a major focus for him would be spurring economic development, to bring more businesses to the San Bernardino community and generate more tax revenues for the city.
Nickel said he would focus on strengthening the city’s financial position as it recovers from a widely publicized bankruptcy.
Nickel said he wants to place a measure on the November ballot to renew the city’s Measure Z, a quarter-cent sales tax that sunsets in 2022, in order to prevent the city from slipping back into bankruptcy. Without a renewal, the city would face major budget deficits, he said.
“The voters are going to have a lot to consider,” he said, adding, “We have a long road to go” to full recovery.
Calvin, the challenger locked in a tight race, said she is optimistic that she will emerge victorious in the 6th Ward.
“We’re only a couple of votes off,” she said. “And, considering it was the first time that I have run for any kind of office, it was an amazing journey.”
