2022 election coverage
Incumbent Board of Trustees candidate Cindy Reiss, along with first-time candidates Louis Quindlen and Sheweet Yohannes, lead in their respective areas, according to election results reported on the Alameda County Registrar of Voters site as of 3pm PT on Nov. 9.
Kevin Jenkins, who currently serves as trustee for Area 2, is the apparent winner for the District 6 seat on the Oakland City Council. Jenkins told The Citizen he would resign from the Peralta board if elected to the Oakland City Council.
Area 5 – Cindi Reiss
Incumbent Cindi Reiss maintains a 3,000 vote lead over challenger Saleem Gilmore in the race to retain her Area 5 seat on Peralta Board of Trustees. Reiss, who was initially elected in 2018, currently serves as Board President. Area 5 includes the city of Piedmont and covers much of the area between Highways 580 and 13.
With 100% of the precincts reporting but absentee and provisional ballots still being counted, Reiss leads Gilmore with 65% of the vote as of 3pm PT on Nov 9. Ballots are still arriving at the Registrar of Voters office, according to a spokesperson, and must be counted if they are postmarked by election day.
Reiss ran on a platform of continuing the work she and the board began in the areas of financial accountability, infrastructural stability, and a “robust post-COVID educational environment,” according to her campaign website.
Area 3 – Louis Quindlen
Louis Qundlen holds a commanding lead over his competitor, Tarrell Gamble, for the Area 3 seat. With 100% of precincts reporting, Quindlen has 78% of the vote compared to 22% for Gamble as of 3pm PT on Nov 9. There was no incumbent in this race since Linda Handy, who held the seat since 2002, decided not to run for reelection.
Area 3 includes part of the Laurel district as well as the San Antonio, Fruitvale, Brookdale, Fairfax, and Maxwell Park districts of Oakland.
Quindlen, who taught Machine Technology at Laney college for 17-years, advocated the creation of a new strategic plan for the district during his campaign. Other issues on which he focused included alignment of the district’s budget around student success, and growing enrollment through increased marketing efforts, according to his campaign website.
Quindlen received the endorsement of The Citizen following a Trustee Candidate Forum on Oct. 5. He also received endorsements from a number of labor unions and the Alameda County Democratic Party.
Area 7 -Sheweet Yohannes
In the closest contest for a board seat, Sheweet Yohannes maintains a 1,000 vote lead over opponent Seth Steward in the race for the Area 7 trustee seat as of 3pm PT on Nov. 9. With 100% of the precincts reporting, Yohannes has earned 58% of the vote.
Yohannes claimed victory in a LinkedIn post dated Nov. 9.
“I’ve officially won my first election!” she wrote. “From filing paperwork and building websites to prepping for endorsement interviews and canvassing, this has been one serious learning experience.”
Yohannes expressed her sincere appreciation to those who “donated their time and money to my campaign. I truly could not have done any of this without your support and commitment.” She also thanked Emerge California, an Oakland non-profit focused on training female Democratic candidates. Yohannes concluded the post with this call to action: “Now, let’s get to work!”
If her victory is confirmed, Yohannes will replace Julina Bonilla, the previous Area 7 trustee, who resigned from the board in August citing health reasons.
Area 7 includes most of downtown Oakland, the Port of Oakland, and Emeryville.
Yohannes is Assistant Dean for Business Innovation and Technology at Golden Gate University. She is also an adjunct professor and Interim Program Director for Business Analytics, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She ran on a platform of “opening the lines of communication” regarding Peralta’s budget issues, and consulting students and staff before making major decisions, according to her campaign website.
Yohannes received the endorsement of The Citizen. No other endorsements are listed on her campaign website in stark contrast to Steward who received support from several labor unions, state and local politicians, and current Peralta trustees Linda Handy and Kevin Jenkins.
Kevin Jenkins
Kevin Jenkins, the current trustee for Area 2, appears to have won his race to represent District 6 on the Oakland City Council. Jenkins initially received 67% of votes, according to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters site. After three rounds of rank choice voting calculations, where lower ranked candidates are eliminated and their votes redistributed to the remaining candidates based on voter preferences, Jenkins’ lead expanded to 81% of the vote as of 3pm PT on Nov. 9.
Jenkins informed The Citizen via email that, if elected to the Oakland City Council, he plans to resign his seat on the Peralta Board of Trustees in January.
According to district Board Policy 2110, the board must address a vacancy either by ordering an election or making a “provisional appointment to fill the vacancy by a resident of the trustee area in which the vacancy occurs.” Jenkins’ current trustee term does not end until December of 2024.
