There were a few victories and some unexpected setbacks for Filipino-Americans who were candidates in the November 4, 2008 elections.
Results obtained from the different California counties’ elections departments/registrar of voters showed that five Fil-Am candidates were successful in their re-election or initial bid to office, while others missed being elected to the post they were seeking after by a close margin. (All of the counties showed a 100% tally from their precincts; the City and County of San Francisco issued a statement in its site stating that it may take them two weeks or more to process all absentee and provision ballots, and write-in votes received on Election Day.)
The five winners come from different counties, one each for San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Yolo and San Joaquin.
In the Town of Colma, Diana Colvin was successful in her bid for a full term in the Town Council, garnering 181 votes or 26.6 percent of the total votes cast. She placed second in the race, and along with former City Treasurer Raquel Gonzalez and Joseph Silva (who ran for re-election), join Colma Mayor Helen Fisicaro and Vice Mayor Joanne del Rosario in the town council.
Re-elected to the City Council of Hercules, CA is Ed Balico, who placed first in the city council race by garnering 4,753 out of the 15,955 votes cast last Nov. 4. Balico has served as Mayor and Vice Mayor of Hercules, as well as chair of the Hercules Development Agency. This is his third term in the city council.
Further north, in the City of West Sacramento, Mayor Christopher Cabaldon won another term again by garnering 7,044 votes, or 53.6 percent of the total votes cast. This is his fifth term as Mayor. Cabaldon is the first Mayor directly elected by West Sacramento voters in 1998. He is also the youngest mayor in the city’s history.
In Lathrop, CA, Christopher Mateo was one of two persons elected to the city council. Mateo garnered 1,053 votes or 23.13% of the total votes cast. Mateo’s top priorities include public safety, public health and cleanliness, and maintaining/improving employment and the quality of life in the city.
Finally, Hermy Almonte is now a Board Member of the San Leandro Unified School District Area 1. He garnered 9,027 votes, or 58.41 percent of the total votes cast. Almonte’s top priorities include a focus on school safety, promoting quality education for all students, and helping the school board listen to the community and make sound decisions.
As for the rest, some Fil-Am candidates nearly made it, while others lagged behind. Here are the other results:
- Ademan Angeles placed second in the battle for the San Mateo County Board of Education Member, Trustee Area 4. He garnered 50,434 votes or 32.6 percent of total votes cast.
- Charito Casañas nearly made it two Filipinas into the town council of Colma this election cycle. She placed fourth in the race, garnering 146 votes. Charito was only 12 votes behind third-placer Joseph Silva.
- Rodel Rodis is currently in 7th place in the race for four spots in the Community College Board race in San Francisco. With a total of 580 precincts reporting, Rodis has garnered 34,801 votes, or 7.87 percent of the total votes cast. (As mentioned above, it will be two weeks or more before the City and County of San Francisco will be finished counting absentee, provisional and write-in ballots.)
- Myrna Lim is in 3rd place in the Board of Supervisors race for District 11. As of election night, she had garnered 2,392 votes, or 16.48 percent of the total votes cast.
- Noelani Sallings, with 68 total precincts reporting, finished about 540 votes shy of one the two spots open in the Santa Clara Unified School District TA 2 seat. She garnered 9,059 votes, or 24.46 percent of the votes cast last Nov. 4, placing her 3rd in the race.
- Rudy Nasol came in 4th in the Berryessa Union School District race where two spots were open. He garnered 5,019 votes, or 19.97 percent of the total votes cast.
- Dillon Delvo came in second in the Stockton Unified School District Trustee Area 1 race. He garnered 1,146 votes, as opposed to frontrunner Gloria Allen’s total vote count of 1,233.
- Tony Ubalde, who was seeking reelection to his post, placed second to Rosemary Thurston in the Solano Community College Governing Board race, garnering 6,162 votes or 40.16 percent of the total votes cast.
- As expected, Republican candidate to the 12th Assembly District Conchita Applegate was overwhelmed by incumbent Democrat Fiona Ma in their race. Applegate garnered a total of 16,246 votes as compared to Ma who garnered 80,876 votes in both San Mateo and San Francisco counties.
(Published November 7, 2008 p.A1 NC)
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