Cassandra James to win Vallejo’s seat on Solano County Board of Supervisors

VALLEJO – After the latest vote tally was released Monday evening, Vallejo Housing Commissioner Cassandra James appears to have an insurmountable lead in the District 1 Board of Supervisors race, which represents northern Vallejo.

Unofficial results released Monday evening showed James with a lead of 920 votes with an estimate of 925 votes still uncounted. While the county is still receiving some mail in ballots, James’ opponent Michael Wilson said Monday that he called “District 1 Supervisor-Elect Cassandra James to congratulate her on her victory.” 

“It was a great process,” Wilson told the Vallejo Sun,  “and a positive campaign, we worked hard getting my message out.” 

James said she and Wilson spoke about the challenges of campaigning and they agreed that they are both excited to work with each other going forward.

“Now I can get excited, but the work is just beginning,” James said. “I am deeply honored that I will be the next supervisor from district 1.”  

The race between two candidates has been close since the first reported results came in on Tuesday but James pulled ahead Wednesday evening and has maintained that lead. As of Monday evening, James had 7,246 votes or 53.4% and Wilson had 6,323 or 46.6%.of the vote. 

Monday’s results revealed no major shifts in the other contests. District 2 Supervisor Monica Brown, who represents southern Vallejo and Benicia, won reelection after receiving 55% of the vote.

This will be Brown’s third term as Supervisor, she credited her success in this election to her outreach efforts through her weekly newsletter and her attendance at a number of community events. 

“I am delighted that District 2 feels good enough to have me work with them, I will continue to do the best job I can,” Brown said. “I'm humbled and I'm grateful for an opportunity to have another term.”

Brown said that in the coming term she is going to be vigilant in assuring that contracts with nonprofits or developers include a detailed list of deliverables so the county can hold organizations accountable for completing the projects or services they provide for the county. 

Leadership consultant Rochelle Sherlock ran an energetic campaign for the District 2 seat but she was not able to turn that energy into the votes she needed to push the election to a runoff, receiving about 29% of the vote.

“I am profoundly grateful to everyone who got involved with the election, from those who asked me to run for the office in the hopes of having the change we desperately need, to all of those who supported and encouraged me along the way,” Sherlock told the Vallejo Sun. “My life is so much richer as a result of each and every person who was actively engaged.”

Real estate broker Nora Dizon, who ran on a responsible development and anti-corruption platform, received 16% of the District 2 vote. Dizon said that she would have liked to focus on infrastructure improvements and balanced development as a supervisor, but  she hopes that those elected will resist influence from the developers of the proposed new city of the California Forever project.

In the contest for California State Senate District 3, Republican candidate Thom Bogue, a Dixon city councilmember, leads with 29% of the vote and will face off against former West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon in the general election in November. 

Bogue and Cabaldon prevailed over a crowded field which included Vallejo Councilmember Rozzana Verder-Aliga, Rohnert Park councilmember Jackie Elward and auto dealership assistant manager Jimih Jones.

On Wednesday, Bogue said that his strategy for the November election is to let people know that he is concerned about the same things they are and that he genuinely cares about the people in the district. 

“If somebody does not step up who understands the political process and is willing to represent how we are tired of the direction the state is heading, with the impacts on everyday hard working people then where do we go from here?” Bogue said.

On Friday, Cabaldon said that Verder-Aliga had called him to concede the position as the second highest recipient of votes. In that statement he quoted Verder-Aliga as saying, “I have only one request, Christopher. Please take care of Vallejo.”

Cabaldon, a Democrat, celebrated the primary election as historic because “all three Democratic candidates were people of color, two immigrants, two women, and one LGBTQ+. “

“We elevated parts of our district that have not often been at the table, in a blaze of inclusive representation,” he said. “What an honor to make history on the journey together with Rozzana and Jackie Elward.”

The split vote between the democratic candidates indicates that if democratic and progressive voters align behind Cabaldon he will have ample support to win the runoff against Bogue in the November. 

“Now we move forward to the November general election, facing a pro-Trump Republican who is out of step with our district’s values and made clear during the primary that he will stand in the way of bold climate action, civil and reproductive rights, housing affordability, and getting results to reduce homelessness,” he said. “With your help, we will stand united and prevail in November.”