Adena Ishii pulls ahead in race for Berkeley mayor, according to latest results

BERKELEY — Nonprofit consultant Adena Ishii has pulled ahead of Councilmember Sophie Hahn in the race for Berkeley mayor with the two separated by just more than 1,000 votes, according to the most recent ballot update.

As of 4:10 p.m. Friday, updated results from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters showed Hahn and Ishii divided by 1,145 votes – Ishii had about 51% of the vote with Hahn pulling in about 49%.

Ishii said she’s grateful to have gained the first-place spot, meaning most voters placed her as their number one pick in the city’s ranked-choice voting system. She and her team are cautiously optimistic results will hold as more ballots trickle in, Ishii said Friday.

“Our team put in a lot of hard work. We knocked on over 20,000 doors and we gained a lot of momentum at the end,” Ishii said. “I wasn’t sure how things would end up and to be leading in first place votes is really important because we want to show we have the full confidence in the city.”

Hahn held an early lead beginning on Election Day but the gap between her and Ishii had been narrowing with just under 400 votes separating the candidates after an update Monday. Hahn and her campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Representing District 5, Hahn was first elected to the Berkeley City Council in 2016. Previously, she served on a number of bodies including Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustments Board, Commission on the Status of Women, Berkeley Public Library Board of Trustees and the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Parent Teacher Association.

Ishii, who formerly served as president of the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville, briefly worked as a law clerk for the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and as a fellow in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. She was also co-chair of the Berkeley Unified School District Reparation Task Force.

Both candidates campaigned on similar platforms of expanding Berkeley’s housing stock, improving city infrastructure and addressing public safety. But while Hahn presented herself to voters as an experienced and dedicated leader, Ishii has pitched herself as a much needed fresh face and unity builder.

Former Councilmember Kate Harrison, Logan Bowie and Naomi Pete were also in the race for mayor. The three candidates were ruled out through the ranked-choice voting process with votes for each redistributed to Hahn or Ishii.

Harrison’s seat has since been filled by Councilmember Cecilia Lunaparra. Councilmember Igor Tregub also replaced former Councilmember Rigel Robinson after he resigned in January, citing burnout and harassment as his reasons for leaving.

Hahn’s bid for mayor created another vacancy on the council. Zoning Adjustment Board Member Shoshana O’Keefe is currently leading in that race with 76% of the vote against Todd Andrew, chair of the Solano Avenue Business Improvement District Advisory Board.

A fourth new face is expected to be named to the council as a replacement for retiring District 6 Councilmember Susan Wengraf. Small business owner Brent Blackaby was leading Andy Katz, a member of the East Bay Municipal Utility District Board of Directors, 60% to 40% as of Friday.

Councilmembers Terry Taplin and Ben Bartlett maintained their leads in their reelection bids, according to most recent figures.

Whoever wins the mayoral race will replace outgoing Mayor Jesse Arreguín, who’s maintained a strong lead in his bid for state Senate against former Richmond Councilmember and current AC Transit Board Director Jovanka Beckles.