<body><div>Jump ahead to resultsBerkeleyRegion, state and nationRead all Berkeleyside’s coverage of the 2026 election.The Alameda County Registrar of Voters published its latest batch of election results Friday evening. Many votes in Berkeley remain uncounted, meaning the results are preliminary and incomplete. They could change.Preliminary City Council returns show a close race in Districts 1 and 8, while Syrak Micael has declared victory as he held a large lead in District 7. Daria Wrubel took a narrow lead over Laura Babitt in District 1 after more results were released Friday evening. Igor Tregub held a strong lead in the race for District 4 and Mark Humbert in District 8. The proposed Berkeley parcel tax to support the arts sector is sailing toward victory, as is a proposal to double the city’s first-in-the-nation soda tax. Meanwhile, a proposal to make Berkeley residents the main funders of a regional public bank for the East Bay appears headed to fail. A sales tax increase to balance the city’s budget and a $300 million infrastructure bond are both leaning toward passing, with an increase in yes votes after more ballots were tallied Friday evening.A regional transit measure that could determine the future of AC Transit and BART is headed toward victory.The charts below were last updated with preliminary results on Nov. 6, at 5:32 p.m. There are 76,383 registered voters in Berkeley.When will we know the final results?It can take weeks to get through the bulk of votes in Alameda County and a full month to certify the election. All ballots cast in person have now been counted. The next update will be on Monday, Nov. 9, and the registrar’s team will keep counting ballots, posting updates on Mondays and Fridays until all the votes are counted.<h2>City Council</h2>Two of the four races have no incumbents running, as Rashi Kesarwani and Cecilia Lunaparra are vacating their seats. Read more about the District 1, District 4, District 7 and District 8 races on Berkeleyside.When no city council candidate receives 50% of first-round votes, an instant-runoff process called ranked-choice voting comes into play and votes are reallocated until the top candidate crosses the 50% threshold. This process could come into play in the District 1 and District 8 races.<h2>District 1</h2>Number of registered voters: 10,926When no candidate receives 50% of first-choice votes, an instant-runoff process called ranked-choice voting comes into play and votes are reallocated until the top candidate crosses the 50% threshold. The following chart shows raw numbers for voters’ first-choice preferences.<h2>District 4</h2>Number of registered voters: 8,527<h2>District 7</h2>Number of registered voters: 3,313<h2>District 8</h2>Number of registered voters: 9,664When no candidate receives 50% of first-choice votes, an instant-runoff process called ranked-choice voting comes into play and votes are reallocated until the top candidate crosses the 50% threshold. The following chart shows raw numbers for voters’ first-choice preferences.<h2>School Board</h2>Incumbents Ka’Dijah Brown and Jennifer Shanoski are joined by newcomer Sandy Park in the race. Reichi Lee is waging a write-in campaign. (Read more about the race on Berkeleyside.)The top three candidates earn at-large seats on the school board.<h2>Rent Board</h2>A pro-tenant slate of five candidates is running along with independent candidate Carole Marasovic. (Read more about the race on Berkeleyside.)The top five candidates earn at-large seats on the rent board.Jenny Wong is running unopposed for reelection as city auditor and Andy Katz is running unopposed for reelection for the Ward 4 seat on the East Bay Municipal Utilities District Board. <h2>Regional Measure RTM</h2>The measure would establish a 0.5% sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and a 1% sales tax in San Francisco, over the next 14 years. The tax would generate an estimated $1 billion annually and would be used to fund operations at AC Transit, BART, Caltrain, Muni and other transit agencies. It also funds repaving of transit routes, wayfinding and accessibility programs. Passes with a majority of the combined vote from the five participating counties. (Read more about the measure on Berkeleyside.)<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0sWYwt_1Gqaw1iK00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0sWYwt_1Gqaw1iK00" width="1684" height="796" ></figure>The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is tracking the vote count across all five counties.<h2>Never miss an update. Sign up for the Daily Briefing newsletter.</h2><h2>Berkeley ballot measures</h2>Measure U: $300M bond for city infrastructureThe measure takes aim at Berkeley’s infrastructure needs, adding a charge of $22 per year for every $100,000 of a property’s assessed value. (Read more about the measure on Berkeleyside.)Needs a two-thirds majority to pass.Measure V: Sales tax increase addressing budget deficitCity leaders are asking voters to approve a half-percent sales tax increase, which could generate $9 to 10 million annually for the city’s general fund. (Read more.)Needs a simple majority to pass.Measure W: Tweaks to election proceduresWould make minor changes to election procedures, such as reducing filing fees and increasing the budget to administer Berkeley’s public financing program. (Read more.)Needs a simple majority to pass.Measure X: Amendments to 2024’s Measure BBA tenant group-backed measure to tweak regulations in a previous measure also endorsed by tenant advocates. (Read more.)Needs a simple majority to pass.Measure Y: Parcel tax to provide grants for performing arts groupsWould bring in $6 million per year aimed at keeping the theater and arts scene afloat and cost 7 cents per square foot of improvements for the next 12 years. (Read more.)Needs a simple majority to pass.Measure Z: Parcel tax to fund public bankWould raise $58.3 million over six years toward creating a regional public bank for the East Bay, with the tax set at 6 cents per square foot for homes and 9 cents per square foot for other buildings. (Read more.)Needs a simple majority to pass.Measure AA: Doubling Berkeley’s soda taxWould double the city’s first-in-the-nation tax on sugary beverages to 2 cents per ounce. (.)Needs a simple majority to pass.<h2>California propositions </h2>Prop 1: Borrow $11.25 billion for housingProp. 1 would allow the state to sell $11.25 billion in bonds to fund various affordable housing programs. Of that total amount, $1.25 billion would go toward veteran housing, while the rest would fund rental homes, homeownership programs, farmworker housing, affordable student housing, tribal housing and more. The bond is expected to help fund up to 40,000 multifamily rental units, while also helping another 40,000 households buy a home. (.)Prop 2: Raise limit on rainy day fund depositsThis constitutional amendment would allow the state to deposit up to 20% of its general fund tax revenue in the state’s reserves, up from the current ceiling of 10%. The deposits would not count toward the voter-approved Gann Limit, which caps the amount state lawmakers can spend each year and requires excess funds to be returned to the people. It also authorizes spending some tax revenue to pay down California’s $20 billion federal unemployment insurance debt. (.)Prop 3: Make income taxes on higher earners permanent to fund education and healthcareThe tax, first enacted in 2012, is set to expire in 2031. Under the measure, income taxes for top earners range from 10.3% (for individual income over $360,000) to 12.3% (for individual income over $721,000), with graduated rates in between. Eighty-nine percent of the money goes to K-12 public schools and 11% goes to community colleges, with any excess going to public healthcare. The tax typically raises $5 billion to $15 billion a year — about 3% to 10% of overall K-12 spending. (.)Prop 4: Allow public financing of political campaignsThis would authorize California’s state and local governments to establish public campaign funds for candidates if they choose to. It would reverse a 1988 ban on such systems for the state and most local governments. Currently, only five California cities have public financing for local offices, including Berkeley and San Francisco. The California Legislature put this measure on the ballot. (.)Prop 5: Delay replacing recalled state officialsUnder current law, after choosing whether to recall an elected official, voters are asked who should replace them. This constitutional amendment, placed on the ballot by state lawmakers, would delay the election of a successor until a separate election. The recalled officer would be allowed to run in that election. If the governor is recalled, the lieutenant governor would take over their duties until a new governor is elected. (.)Prop 37: Create low-cost mortgages for homebuyersCalifornia’s Housing Finance Agency would be able (but not required) to borrow up to $25 billion to help would-be homebuyers purchase newly constructed houses and condos. These loans could provide up to 17% of a home’s purchase price, leaving buyers with a cash down payment of 3% if paired with a typical mortgage — $24,000 for an $800,000 home. Homebuyers would repay the loan in monthly installments to private lenders. Anyone earning up to twice the area’s median income would be eligible. Private lenders, not taxpayers, would be on the hook if homebuyers default. (.)Prop 38: Borrow $8.4 billion for immunology researchProposition 38 would create an $8.4 billion bond largely to fund research into fighting cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s, plus other diseases that can be treated through immunotherapies. Half the money would go to a research institute affiliated with the University of California. The other half would be distributed to select public universities and nonprofits. Drugs created through this research would have to be discounted at 20% for Californians and 10% of any revenue from the drugs would go back to the state general fund. Philanthropist and medical inventor Gary Michelson put this measure on the ballot. (in CalMatters’ voting guide.)Prop 39: Require identification for votingThis initiative would require voters to show government-issued identification at the polls and order election officials to verify that all registered voters are U.S. citizens. Voters who cast a mail-in ballot would need to give the last four digits of a government ID, such as a driver’s license number. California currently requires residents to provide an identification card and Social Security number to register to vote, but does not request it at polling places. It was placed on the ballot by conservative groups. (.)Prop 40: Apply one-time tax to billionaires to fund healthcare and educationProposition 40 would require the estimated 200 Californians whose net worth exceeded $1 billion at the start of this year to pay a one-time 5% tax. Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, the group that put the measure on the ballot, projects that it would raise roughly $100 billion over five years. That money would be earmarked primarily for healthcare, with some reserved for food assistance and education. If propositions 41 or 42 earn more votes than Proposition 40, this measure would be nullified. (.)Prop 41: Require audits of new tax programsThis proposition would make it harder to pass new special taxes by requiring the state auditor to review any special tax proposal before it goes to voters. The auditor would assess whether the program that would receive funding could cut spending by at least 10% annually. Any new special tax approved by voters would count toward California’s spending limit, potentially triggering automatic refunds that reduce funding for other state programs. If this proposition receives more votes than Proposition 40 (a wealth tax on billionaires), Proposition 40 is nullified, even if Proposition 40 also passes. It was placed on the ballot by opponents of the proposed billionaire tax. (.)Prop 42: Ban new taxes on personal propertyProposition 42 would make it much harder to create a wealth tax in California by prohibiting new taxes on the mere ownership of assets such as investment accounts, business interests and personal property — assets that are typically only taxed when they are sold or generate income. Like Proposition 41, which also attempts to block Proposition 40 (a wealth tax on billionaires), Proposition 42 would nullify Proposition 40 if it receives more votes, even if the billionaire tax also passes. It was placed on the ballot by opponents of the proposed billionaire tax. (.)Prop 43: Raise vote threshold for special tax measuresThis would make it harder to impose or increase local taxes by raising the threshold for local citizen-driven special tax ballot initiatives to pass from a simple majority to two-thirds. The two-thirds threshold already applies to taxes proposed by local governments but not by individuals. The measure reflects a deal between state lawmakers and the anti-tax Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association to keep a more restrictive tax proposal off the ballot. (.)Prop 44: Require more clinic spending on patient careProposition 44 would require community clinics that serve low-income patients to spend 90% of their annual revenue on patient care. The measure directs the attorney general to publish guidance on what spending qualifies and allows the state to fine clinics that don’t spend the full 90%. The labor union Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West put it on the ballot after pushing a similar bill last year that failed. Clinics failed to keep the measure off the ballot with a lawsuit earlier this year. (.)Prop 45: Speed up environmental reviews for housing and infrastructureProposition 45 would limit reviews under the state’s landmark environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act. Placed on the ballot by the California Chamber of Commerce, the measure aims to help developers advance projects they designate as “essential” more quickly and easily. It would impose a 365-day limit on environmental reviews for those projects, including infrastructure like roads and bridges, housing, schools, broadband and wildfire mitigation. It would also require courts to rule within 270 days on lawsuits related to the environmental review law. (.)<h2>State offices</h2><h2>National races</h2>Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported the cost of Measure U for property owners. It would add a charge of $22 per year on average for every $100,000 of a property’s assessed value.CalMatters and KQED contributed reporting to this story. Some charts came from partnerships with the Associated Press, the Knight Foundation, the Institute for Nonprofit News and LION Publishers.<h2>Berkeley election 2026 resources</h2>The deadline to preregister to vote online or by mail in Alameda County is Oct. 19 (though you can register the day you vote if you miss that deadline). The election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. We put together a guide to the essentials of how to register and vote, what’s on the ballot and more.Here are some other helpful election resources:<ul><li>The city of Berkeley’s election portal.</li><li>Don’t know your Berkeley City Council district? The city website has a handy tool for that.</li><li>Vote 411: View a personalized ballot by entering your address.</li><li>Voter guides from CalMatters, the LA Times and the California Secretary of State.</li><li>Check your voter registration status (and sign up to get election materials online).</li><li>Find your voter profile (Alameda County registrar of voters).</li></ul></div></body>

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Read all Berkeleyside’s coverage of the 2026 election. The Alameda County Registrar of Voters published its latest batch of election results Friday evening. Many votes in Berkeley remain uncounted, meaning the results are preliminary and incomplete. They could change. Preliminary City Council returns show a close race in Districts...

Election results in Berkeley and Alameda County

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Read all Berkeleyside’s coverage of the 2026 election. The Alameda County Registrar of Voters published its latest batch of election results Friday evening

Election results in Berkeley and Alameda County

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