Barbara Lee

California ’22 Mid-Term: Historic Wave of Black Candidates Set to Win Election

A wave of Black candidates in California are expected to win after Tuesday’s general election. Among them are three candidates leading in their races to be elected to statewide constitutional offices.

Published

3 years ago

November 15, 2022

Oakland Post

State Rep. Mia Bonta (left) is the projected winner in California’s 18th District and Congresswoman Barbara Lee declared victory in the 12th U.S. District. Twitter photo from Sept. 2021.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

Two African American candidates running for seats in the State Legislature are expected to win and become the two newest members of the California Legislative Black Caucus.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Barbara Lee is projected to win a 12^th term to Congress, and in the state Assembly, incumbent Mis Bonta is expected to keep her seat in the 18^th District.

In Los Angeles, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-13), who is running for mayor of California’s largest city, is still in a too-close-to-call, dead-heat race with billionaire developer Rick Caruso as the ballot count continues.

Three candidates — Dr. Shirley Weber for Secretary of State, Tony Thurmond for State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) and Malia Cohen for State Controller – are running for statewide office.

Weber and Thurmond have already been projected to win their races.

For the first time in California history, there is a chance that three Black state constitutional officers will be elected to serve in office at the same time.

In the legislative races, Assembly District 60 (Moreno Valley), Corey A Jackson is leading Republican small business owner Hector Diaz-Nava. And in the Senate race for Senate District 28 (Los Angeles) to replace Sydney Kamlager, two Black candidates are running for the same seat. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D) is in the lead over Cheryl C. Turner (D).

There are 40 State Senate seats. Twenty are being contested in this election.

While regular updates are being provided for the 165 California elections held to fill state and federal offices, as with every statewide election, no final ballot counts are available on election night. Election results are updated at 5:00 p.m. each day throughout the canvass as counties count the remaining ballots.

Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service on or before Nov. 8 and received no later than Nov. 15 have to be counted.

The official certified results of the election will be posted by Dec. 16, 2022, at sos.ca.gov/elections.

The candidates on the general election ballot were the top two finishers from the June primary.

For some races, winners have been projected by the Associated Press (AP), which conducts a survey of the numbers posted by local election officials. AP projects winners using vote returns and other data.

California Black Media (CBM) is reporting that 27 African American candidates are running in 24 of the state or federal races on the general election ballot. That’s 14.5% of the races. Blacks make up 5.8% of California’s population.

Four Black candidates are running statewide. Three are Democrats and one is a Republican. The following are results available for statewide races.

Incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is projected to defeat state Sen. Brian Dahle (R). Incumbent Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (D) is the projected winner over Black Republican candidate Angela Underwood Jacobs.

Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a Newsom appointee, is the projected winner over her Republican opponent Rob Bernosky.

Incumbent State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is the projected winner over Lance Ray Christensen. This is a non-partisan race.

For Controller, Democrat Malia Cohen leads Republican Lanhee Chen. Incumbent Treasurer Fiona Ma (D) leads Jack Guerrero (R).

Incumbent Attorney General Rob Bonta (D), a Newsom appointee, leads Nathan Hochman (R).

Incumbent Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara (D) leads Robert Howell (R).

For U.S. Senate (both full and partial term): incumbent Sen. Alex Padilla (D), a Newsom appointee, is the projected winner over Mark Meuser (D).

California has 52 Congressional seats. Nine African American candidates are running for eight House seats.

To represent the 12^th Congressional District that includes Oakland, Berkeley and part of San Leandro, incumbent Democrat Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) is projected to defeat Republican electrical engineer Stephen Slauson.

To represent the Third Congressional District, which covers the Eastern Sierra from Death Valley National Park to parts of Sacramento and Placer counties, Democratic candidate Kermit Jones is trailing Republican Kevin Kiley. This district leans Republican.

To represent the 25^th Congressional District that covers Imperial County and parts of San Bernadino and Riverside counties including Calexico, Banning and the Salton Sea incumbent Rep. Raul Ruiz (D) is leading Black Republican pastor and San Jacinto City Council member Brian E. Hawkins.

To represent the 36^th Congressional District that spans Beverly Hills and Santa Monica through coastal areas down to Rancho Palos Verdes in Los Angeles County, incumbent Rep. Ted Lieu (D) is projected to defeat Black Republican Navy Veteran and business owner Joe E. Collins III.

To represent the 37^th Congressional District located in Los Angeles County including Culver City, Leimert Park, Crenshaw and South LA, Democratic California State Senator Sydney Kamlager is leading Black Democrat former L.A. City Councilmember Jan C. Perry. Rep. Karen Bass (D) currently represents this district.

To represent 39^th Congressional District located in Riverside County including Moreno Valley and Perris, incumbent Rep. Mark Takano (D) is leading Black Republican Aja Smith, a civilian information technology specialist at March Air Reserve Base.

To represent the 43^rd Congressional District that includes Compton, Inglewood, Gardena, parts of Torrance and Los Angeles International Airport, Democratic incumbent Rep. Maxine Waters is projected to defeat Republican business owner Omar Navarro.

There are 80 state Assembly seats on the ballot. Twelve Black candidates are running for 11 State Assembly seats. All of the Black candidates are Democrats and 10 are incumbents.

In addition to Jackson (mentioned earlier), the other Black candidates running for Assembly seats are:

Assembly District 18 (Oakland) – incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Mia Bonta is leading Republican Mindy Pechenuk.

Assembly District 6 (Sacramento) – incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Kevin McCarty is the vote leader over Republican retired airline pilot Cathy Cook.

Assembly District 11 (Vallejo) – incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson is the vote leader over Veterans Affairs consultant Jenny Leilani Callison.

Assembly District 41 (Pasadena) – incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Chris Holden is leading Republican Michael McMahon.

Assembly District 55 (Los Angeles) – incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Isaac G. Bryan is in the leading Republican software developer Keith Girolamo Cascio.

Assembly District 57 (Los Angeles) – incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer ran unopposed for re-election.

Assembly District 61 (Inglewood) – incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Tina Simone McKinnor is leading Democratic Mayor of Lawndale Robert Pullen-Miles, who is also Black.

Assembly District 65 (Compton) – incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Mike Anthony Gipson is leading Democratic public-school teacher Fatima Iqbal-Zubair, who is also Black.

Assembly District 69 (Long Beach) – Democratic Councilmember Al Austin II is running behind Democratic small business owner Josh Lowenthal. No incumbent was on the ballot.

Assembly District 79 (La Mesa) – incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Akilah Weber is leading Republican project manager Corbin Sabol.

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Barbara Lee

WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Kick Off Season with Community Programs in Oakland

“The Golden State Valkyries are more than a team—they’re a movement,” said Oakland Interim-Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “Their touchdown in Oakland marks a new era of opportunity, inspiration, and equity in sports. This partnership reflects our city’s deep commitment to uplifting women, investing in youth, and building a community where every dream has a place to grow. We’re proud to welcome the Valkyries to The Town.”

Published

1 week ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

The Valkyries came to Oakland City Hall with a “Hoopbus.” Present were (from left to right): City Councilmembers Noel Gallo, Rebecca Kaplan, Zac Unger and Rowena Brown; Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, Valkyries President Jess Smith, a Valkyries team representative and Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones. Photo courtesy Rebecca Kaplan’s office.

Team installs new nets at playgrounds, holds flag-raisings at City Halls in Oakland and S.F.

Special to The Post

The Golden State Valkyries brought the excitement of their inaugural season to every corner of the Bay Area with a full slate of community celebrations leading up to their historic home-opener against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday.

The week featured flag-raising ceremonies at city halls in Oakland and San Francisco, three “Violet Net” installation days at Oakland parks to encourage basketball play, fun “Hoopbus” takeovers at multiple schools presented by Kaiser Permanente, and player appearances.

In total, 90 violet nets were installed on 45 basketball courts across 34 public parks throughout Oakland this week. A list of the parks receiving violet nets can be found at Valkyries.com.

About the Golden State Valkyries

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA affiliate of the seven-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, were announced as the 13th WNBA franchise on Oct. 5, 2023. According to Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike.

This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce. Tipping off during the 2025 WNBA season, the team is headquartered in Oakland and will play home games at Chase Center in San Francisco. For Golden State Valkyries’ assets, including team logos, visit valkyries.com.

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Activism

New Oakland Moving Forward

This week, several socially enterprising members of this group visited Oakland to explore ways to collaborate with local stakeholders at Youth Empowerment Partnership, the Port of Oakland, Private Industry Council, Oakland, Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, the Oakland Ballers ownership group, and the oversight thought leaders in the Alameda County Probation Department.

Published

1 week ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Post Staff

Since the African American Sports and Entertainment Group purchased the City of Oakland’s share of the Alameda County Coliseum Complex, we have been documenting the positive outcomes that are starting to occur here in Oakland.

Some of the articles in the past have touched on actor Blair Underwood’s mission to breathe new energy into the social fabric of Oakland. He has joined the past efforts of Steph and Ayesha Curry, Mistah Fab, Green Day, Too Short, and the Oakland Ballers.

This week, several socially enterprising members of this group visited Oakland to explore ways to collaborate with local stakeholders at Youth Empowerment Partnership, the Port of Oakland, Private Industry Council, Oakland, Mayor-Elect Barbara Lee, the Oakland Ballers ownership group, and the oversight thought leaders in the Alameda County Probation Department.

These visits represent a healthy exchange of ideas and plans to resuscitate Oakland’s image. All parties felt that the potential to impact Oakland is right in front of us. Most recently, on the back side of these visits, the Oakland Ballers and Blair Underwood committed to a 10-year lease agreement to support community programs and a community build-out.

So, upward and onward with the movement of New Oakland.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Post Endorses Barbara Lee

Barbara Lee will be able to unify the city around Oakland’s critical budget and financial issues, since she will walk into the mayor’s office with the support of a super majority of seven city council members — enabling her to achieve much-needed consensus on moving Oakland into a successful future.

Published

2 months ago

April 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Courtesy photo, Office of Rep. Barbara Lee.

Former Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Courtesy photo.

As we end the celebration of Women’s History Month in Oakland, we endorse Barbara Lee, a woman of demonstrated historical significance. In our opinion, she has the best chance of uniting the city and achieving our needs for affordable housing, public safety, and fiscal accountability.

As a former small business owner, Barbara Lee understands how to apply tools needed to revitalize Oakland’s downtown, uptown, and neighborhood businesses.

It is notable that many of those who fought politically on both sides of the recent recall election battles have now laid down their weapons and become brothers and sisters in support of Barbara Lee. The Oakland Post is pleased to join them.