Early Returns Show Close Ukiah and Fort Bragg Council Races, Hart Leading in District Three

UKIAH, Calif. — Mendocino County posted the results of its first count of voter ballots on Tuesday night. The early count showed close races for the Ukiah and Fort Bragg city councils, Eric Hart ahead in the 3rd District supervisor race, and all three local measures passing.

The numbers are preliminary. The first report, posted at 8:07 p.m., counted only vote-by-mail ballots the county received before Election Day; no precincts had reported in-person votes. The totals will change as the county counts Election Day ballots and mail ballots that arrive over the following days. The report counted 17,494 ballots, about 32% of the county's 54,217 registered voters. Results are unofficial until certified. The candidate names and figures below are from the county's official election-night report.

Supervisor, 3rd District

In the only contested supervisor race, Eric Hart led with 1,394 votes (54.4%) to Buffey Wright Bourassa's 1,168 (45.6%), a margin of 226 votes.

Fort Bragg City Council

Eight candidates are running for three seats. Jason Godeke led with 866 votes (24.1%), followed by Marcia Rafanan (637, 17.7%) and Tess Albin-Smith (605, 16.8%). Mary Rose Kaczorowski (544, 15.1%) and Scott J. Mayberry (504, 14.0%) were next, within about 100 votes of the third spot. Mary Ann Schmidt, Richard Ulveling, and Levi W. Cooke followed.

Ukiah City Council

Eight candidates are running for three seats. The top five were within about 150 votes of one another: Juan V. Orozco (1,166, 15.6%), Susan Sher (1,141, 15.2%), Mari Rodin (1,121, 15.0%), John Strangio (1,107, 14.8%), and Robert Bazzani (1,017, 13.6%). Matt Froneberger, Sean K. White, and Mia L. Uribe followed.

School boards

In the Willits Unified School District, four candidates were running for three seats, within fewer than 160 votes of one another: Nicole Karkar (26.7%), Jeanne King (25.3%), Paula Nunez (24.2%), and Mason Neil Rescina (23.8%). In the Ukiah Unified School District's Trustee Area 1, Beatriz "Bea" Arkin led Gabriel Baca Meza. In Trustee Area 1 of the Mendocino County Board of Education, Marilyn Puget led Craig Perry.

Local measures

Measure D, a Coast Life Support District measure, was passing with 73.3% in favor. Coast Life Support provides ambulance service on the south coast and is one of six rural fire and ambulance agencies moving to form a joint powers agreement to sustain 911 coverage. The agencies told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that billing covers about a third of the district's costs.

Measure B in Fort Bragg (75.7% yes) and Measure C in Point Arena (73.0% yes) were also passing, along with the Mendocino portion of Measure AB, a Sonoma County Junior College District bond (63.7% yes).

Statewide propositions

Most statewide propositions were passing in Mendocino County, including Propositions 1, 2, 3, 4, 37 and 38. Proposition 5 (50.9% yes), and Proposition 40 (50.7% yes) were nearly even. Propositions 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 were failing in the county.

Uncontested council races

Two city council races had two candidates for two seats: Point Arena (Joshua Karlin Resnick and Barbara Burkey) and Willits (Robin Leler and Sherrie Ebyam).

The county's next update is expected as precincts report Election Day ballots.