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New precinct-level voting data show how each Berkeley neighborhood voted.
How Berkeley voted by precinct
Political divisions in progressive Berkeley, where 95% of the city voted for Gavin Newsom, aren’t particularly stark. But when they appear, they tend to vary by well-worn, geographic lines. In the wealthiest neighborhoods — Berkeley Hills and Claremont — support for local measures was lowest, while support for some independent candidates for rent board and school board was highest.
The maps below show how Berkeley residents voted in all competitive local races. Berkeleyside will publish a separate story later this week showing how residents voted in key county and statewide races.
The numbers reflect first-round votes: Ranked-choice results by precinct are not yet available.
Measure L, the $650 million infrastructure bond, failed to meet the 2/3 threshold in most precincts but was popular near campus and in South Berkeley
Measure L earned the support of 59% of Berkeley voters but failed to meet the two-thirds threshold needed to pass. The measure would have raised property taxes to repair the city’s streets and build affordable housing.
The massive bond was least popular among voters in the hills, where about half of residents cast a “no” vote. It was most popular near UC campus and in downtown, where more than 80% supported the measure. (Turnout in precincts near campus was low compared to the rest of the city.) The measure also passed the two-thirds threshold in several South Berkeley precincts.
Measure M, the vacancy tax, passed in all Berkeley precincts but was least popular in the hills
Measure M passed with 65% of the vote. Like Measure L, the vacancy tax was least popular in the hills and most popular with voters near UC Berkeley campus, downtown and in South Berkeley. The measure won majority support in every precinct.
In rent board race dominated by tenants slate, independent candidates Elgstrand and Marasovic performed well in the Berkeley Hills, Claremont
Voters’ top five picks were elected to the Berkeley rent board: Soli Alpert, Nathan Mizell, Vanessa Marrero, Stefan Elgstrand and Ida Martinac. The “pro-tenant” slate completed an almost-perfect sweep of the seats up for re-election: Only Negeene Mosaed didn’t make it onto the rent stabilization board.
Alpert, the only incumbent running, earned more votes than any other candidate in most of the city’s precincts. Mizell didn’t win a single precinct but finished solidly in second place overall, 2,000 votes ahead of Marrero, who was also backed by the tenants union.
Independent candidates Stefan Elgstrand and Carole Marasovic performed well in the hills and Claremont Court, while tenants slate candidates were more popular in the rest of the city. Elgstrand finished fourth overall and Marasovic finished seventh out of eight candidates.
Berkeley school board candidates backed by teachers union dominated; incumbent Ka’Dijah Brown came in first in every precinct
Voters chose three candidates to represent the city in this at-large election for Berkeley school board: Ka’Dijah Brown, Mike Chang and Jennifer Shanoski. All three candidates who made it onto the board were endorsed by the Berkeley and California teachers unions, which spent an unusually high $55,000 on behalf of the three candidates.
Brown, the only incumbent, finished first in every precinct, unusual for a candidate in a citywide election. Her support was strongest in South and West Berkeley.
Independent candidate Reichi Lee finished fourth behind Shanoski, missing out on a seat by 1,098 votes. But she was popular in the city’s eastern precincts — she finished second in four of them. Were the race confined to the eastern and northern parts of the city, she would have earned a seat on the board.
Kesarwani defeated Mitiken but lost District 1’s eastern precinct by 1 vote
The race for a council member to represent Northwest Berkeley was close. Incumbent Rashi Kesarwani defeated Elisa Mikiten 49.6% to 41.5%, winning by 539 first-choice votes. Tamar Michai Freeman earned 8.8% of the vote.
The most controversial issue of the race was the height of new apartment buildings planned for the parking lot at the North Berkeley BART station, which sits just west of Sacramento St. While both candidates supported a 7-story limit on the new development, Mikiten criticized Kesarwani for being slow to voice her opinion on the height limit.
Kesarwani overtook Mikiten in the two precincts west of Sacramento St., while Mikiten won by one vote east of Sacramento St.
In District 8 race, Mark Humbert won handily with deepest support in Claremont District
Mark Humbert will represent District 8, the southeastern corner of Berkeley, after earning 64% of first-round votes. Mari Mendonca came a distant second with 26% of the vote. Humbert, who said he would broadly carry on council member Lori Droste’s legacy on housing, policing and other issues, was most popular in the Claremont neighborhood, though he defeated his challengers by a significant margin in the district’s other precincts, too.