Berkeley

DAs Becton and O’Malley Win Some Races Still Too Close to Call

Published

8 years ago

June 8, 2018

Vote tallies in the June 5 election are not yet final, but the results of most races are clear.

Mark Leno holds a slight lead over London Breed for mayor of San Francisco; incumbent Nancy O’Malley defeated attorney Pamela Price for Alameda County District Attorney; the county Measure A childcare tax is close but so far failing to reach the two-thirds majority it needs to pass; and Oakland City Councilmember Dan Kalb and Jovanka Beckles are neck in neck for the November runoff with first-place Buffy Wicks for the Assembly District 15 seat.

One-hundred percent of the precincts have reported, but the counting of mail ballots could shift the results in close races, changing who is first place or who comes in second, winning a spot in November between the two highest vote getters.
Vote totals are based on Thursday morning tallies.

Alameda County
In the race for Alameda County District Attorney, incumbent Nancy O’Malley defeated attorney Pamela Price, 59.06 percent to 40.35 percent. Price was backed nationally by supporters of police accountability, while police unions backed O’Malley with hundreds of thousands of dollars in independent expenditures.

The hotly contested election was the first challenge to an incumbent district attorney in Alameda County for at least 50 years.

Melissa Wilk received 59.31 percent of the vote for County Auditor-Controller, while 39.52 percent of the voters backed Irella Christina Blackwood.

The City of Oakland’s Library Tax, Measure D, was approved 75.94 percent to 24.06 percent.

By 64.63 percent to 35.37 percent, Measure A childcare sales tax is falling short. The measure would tax one-half of one percent gross receipts from retail sales to fund childcare and pre-school programs, programs for homeless and at-risk children, programs to prevent child abuse.

The tax measures need a two-third majority of yes votes in order to pass.

State
Democrat Gavin Newsom led the governor’s race with 33.4 percent of the vote. Republican John Cox received 26.2 percent of the vote, winning a spot on the November ballot. Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat, came in third with 13.4 percent.
In the Lt. Governor race, Democrat Eleni Kounalakis is leading with 23.4 percent, followed by Democrat Ed Hernandez with 20.8 percent and Republican Cole Harris with 18.3 percent.

Former Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, a progressive, received 3.6 percent of the vote.

For attorney general, Democrat Xavier Becerra received 45.3 percent, Republican Steven Bailey 25.3 percent and Democrat Dave Jones, 14.6 percent.

In the race for State Supt. of Instruction, Marshall Tuck, with 37.1 percent of the vote, will face Tony Thurmond, with 34.3 percent, in the November runoff. Tuck’s campaign has received huge donations from pro-charter school billionaires.
Democrat Buffy Wicks leads the race for Assembly District 15 seat with 31.1 percent of the vote. Oakland City Councilmember Dan Kalb follows with 14.9 percent, while Richmond City Councilmember Jovanka Beckles closely trails with 14.6 percent – a difference of 182 votes.

U.S. Senate
Longtime incumbent U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is heading into the November election with 43.8 percent of the vote. She is followed by Democrat Kevin De Leon with 11.3 percent and Republican James Bradley with 8.8 percent.
Contra Costa D.A.

In the race for Contra Costa County District Attorney, incumbent Diana Becton won 49.59 percent of the vote, while Paul Graves is trailing with 42.06 percent.

San Francisco
With thousands of mail ballots left to count, Mark Leno is winning the race for mayor of San Francisco, beating London Breed 50.40 percent to 49.60 percent. Third place contender Jane Kim was defeated in the ranked choice instant runoff.

Voters approved Local Measure E, “Prohibiting Tobacco Retailers from Selling Flavored Tobacco Products,” 68.41 percent to 31.59 percent.

Local Measure F, “City-Funded Legal Representation for Residential Tenants in Eviction Lawsuits,” passed 55.56 percent to 44.44 percent.

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Bay Area

UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

1 day ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

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Arts and Culture

Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh

The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.

Published

9 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

By Antoinette Porter

Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.

Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.

Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.

A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.

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Arts and Culture

Cal Performances Presents Angélique Kidjo & Yo-Yo Ma in Sarabande Africaine at UC Berkeley Greek Theatre on Aug. 30

On Saturday, Aug. 30, the pair will debut the Bay Area premiere of Sarabande Africaine, joined by pianist Thierry Vaton, percussionist David Donatien, and special guest Sinkane. The program illuminates centuries of musical interplay between African traditions and Western classical forms, using the Baroque sarabande dance, and its African ancestor, the Congolese spirit dance Zarabanda, as a gateway to exploring the deep, interconnected roots of global music.

Published

10 months ago

August 25, 2025

Oakland Post

Angelique Kidjo and Yo-Yo Ma. Wikimedia photos.

By Carla Thomas

On Labor Day weekend two of the world’s most celebrated musicians and cultural ambassadors, Grammy Award–winning vocalist Angélique Kidjo and legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma join forces for an evening of music, history, and cultural dialogue at UC Berkeley’s historic Hearst Greek Theatre.

Both Kidjo and Ma have built careers not only as great performers but as passionate advocates for cultural understanding. Sarabande Africaine is as much a conversation about shared heritage as it is a musical performance, blending genres, geographies, and histories.

“Every day there are moments when all of us can feel we are on the inside of something and also when we feel we are on the outside of something,” said Yo-Yo Ma. “To be able to understand both at the same time and oscillate between the two gives us a larger perspective on the world.”

“If your mind is open, and there is no fear, it’s easier to listen, and to question yourself,” said Kidjo.

The upcoming performance is presented within Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Exile & Sanctuary” series for the 2025–26 season. The production explores exile as more than just physical displacement, but a disruption in identity and belonging, while sanctuary represents both refuge and the creative space where new connections and communities can take shape.

Cal Performances’ Illuminations bridges performances with UC Berkeley’s academic research, pairing the arts with conversations about urgent global issues.

Kidjo’s continued partnership with Cal Performances includes her 2021–22 artist-in-residence, premiering her music-theater work Yemandja, set in 19th-century West Africa during the transatlantic slave trade.

She also participated in the Bias in Our Algorithms and Society panel alongside campus leaders like Jennifer Chayes, and joined the Black Studies Collaboratory for a dialogue on music, diaspora, and the world.

She has since returned to Berkeley for multiple performances, most recently in 2024 at Zellerbach Hall.

Yo-Yo Ma’s history with Cal Performances spans decades, beginning in 1997. One notable project includes the 2018 performance of Bach’s complete cello suites at the Greek Theatre, a testament to his devotion to creating “transformative concert experiences in iconic spaces.”

For tickets and more information, visit calperformances.org.