By Magaly Muñoz

Nine candidates have filed to run for the Alameda County District 5 Board of Supervisors seat in the March 2024 primary election race to replace current chair Keith Carson who announced his retirement in December.

Carson has held the Board position for over 30 years and initially intended to run for re-election but later expressed in a statement that it was time for him to move on from the job.

It didn’t take long for candidates to announce their interest in the D5 seat representing Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Piedmont, and West Oakland, North Oakland, Rockridge, Grand Lake, and portions of the Fruitvale, Manzanita and Dimond District neighborhoods.

Here are the candidates for Alameda County Board of Supervisors District 5:

Ben Bartlett is a current member of the Berkeley City Council representing District 3, which mainly includes South Berkeley. He was first elected in 2016 and won a second term in 2020. Bartlett states on his campaign website that his priorities will be leading the way on affordable housing, compassionate solutions for homelessness, mental healthcare, gun violence reduction, climate action, and community investment.

Nikki Fortunato-Bas is the current Oakland City Council President representing District 2, which includes Eastlake, Grand Lake, San Antonio, Chinatown and Jack London. She was first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. While serving on the council, Fortunato-Bas passed the state’s strongest city-level COVID-19 eviction moratorium in March 2020, passed legislation to help formerly incarcerated residents access rental housing, and led a task force to reimagine public safety in Oakland. As supervisor, she will prioritize the “three H’s”:  homelessness, housing, healthcare.

John J. Bauters is a current member of the Emeryville City Council and former mayor of the city. He was first elected in 2016. He previously served as a legal aid attorney who represented victims of domestic violence, people experiencing homelessness, and handled evictions. On the council, he sits on the budget and governance committee, marketplace redevelopment project negotiating ad hoc committee, and the transportation committee. Bauters priorities for the Board will be “health, safety and opportunity for everyone.”

Ken Berrick is a current trustee for Alameda County Board of Education, representing Area 3. He was first appointed in 2008. Berrick is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Just Advocates, a nonprofit organization based in Oakland and he is founder and CEO Emeritus of Seneca Family of Agencies. He is a Governor’s Appointee on the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission and the California Child Welfare Council. His priorities on the Board will be education, children’s services, healthcare, and mental health.

Omar Farmer is a current member of the city of Oakland’s Safety and Services Oversight Commission and has also served as an advisory board member of Oakland’s Reimagining Public Safety Task Force. He is also on the Alameda County Veteran Affairs Commission.

Gregory Hodge is the Executive Director of the Executives Alliance for Boys and Men of Color and owns Khepera Consulting. He previously served eight years on the Oakland Unified School District board from 2001 to 2009 and ran for Oakland mayor in 2022. Hodge’s priorities on the Board will be equitable economic opportunity, thriving neighborhood schools, community safety, housing and shelter, and arts, culture, and healing.

Chris Moore is the former president of CGM Ventures Inc., an investment and consulting firm that assists technology startup founders and executives. He is a campaign leader for the recall efforts against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. Moore’s priorities on the Board will be safety and services to clean up the county for residents that “deserve an improved and safer environment.”

Gerald Pechenuk was a volunteer election observer in 2022 and is currently among a group of plaintiffs suing the county of Alameda, including current members of the Board of Supervisors and Secretary of State Shirley Weber for preventing them from verifying the 2022 election results.

Lorrel Plimier is a former patent law attorney and co-founder of Step Forward Tech, an organization advising progressive organizations in using data and technology to advance their operations. Her priorities on the Board will include public health services, public safety, making steps toward 100% renewable energy, and supporting small businesses and workers in the county.

The Primary Election is scheduled for March 5, 2024.

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