MARTINEZ — Only 67 votes currently separate the candidates eyeing an open seat on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, with tens of thousands of ballots left to count.
Shanelle Scales-Preston, a Pittsburg city councilmember who has worked for California’s 10th Congressional District since 2001, is currently leading Mike Barbanica, an Antioch city councilmember and retired Pittsburg police lieutenant, in early election results for District 5 — home to more than 200,000 residents along the county’s northern waterfront, encompassing Martinez, Hercules, Pittsburg and a sliver of Antioch.
Scales-Preston held a 0.14% advantage over Barbanica, according to early results from roughly 50,200 ballots counted by Nov. 5.
Both candidates are vying to replace Supervisor Federal Glover, who announced his retirement in December after serving on the board for 24 years.
Through October, direct contributions to Scales-Preston’s campaign surpassed $187,000 — raising nearly 50% more than her opponent’s roughly $115,200 in donations. Contra Costa County’s election laws set a $2,500 cap for these contributions, from both individuals and political committees.
However, this face-off to become District 5’s supervisor was also awash in more than $1.5 million in independent expenditures, which is an unlimited spending mechanism separate from a candidate’s own campaign, which advocacy groups frequently use to bolster their influence in policy-making.
More than $876,000 in independent expenditures backed Barbanica — primarily funded by groups representing hundreds of police officers, dispatchers and law enforcement officials across the Bay Area. That sum quickly outpaced outside spending supporting Scales-Preston’s campaign, which raked in nearly $660,000, largely from labor unions and organizations.
All told, the election raised more than $1.8 million. Both candidates said they believe this is the most expensive supervisor race in the county’s history — reflecting each campaigns’ perspectives that they were fighting against negative and misleading attacks funded by “the machine.”
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Results from an additional 90,000 countywide ballots will be published by 5 p.m. Friday, according to Dawn Kruger, spokesperson for the Elections Division of the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder’s Office. Ballots that were mailed by Election Day will be received and added to the total tallies through Nov. …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
