Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Rep. Aisha Wahab Win in East Bay Vote

OAKLAND, BERKELEY, RICHMOND & ALAMEDA, Calif. — East Bay voters delivered commanding victories for Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, Rep. Aisha Wahab, and strong-mayor charter amendment Measure EE in the 2026 midterm election on Wednesday, November 4, while close city council and mayoral contests unfolded in Berkeley and Richmond and officials in Alameda prepared for charter school renewals and winter El Niño storms.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Rep. Aisha Wahab Cruise to Victory as Measure EE Passes

As reported by East Bay Insiders and Oakland North, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee won a full 4-year term with 85% of early ballots counted, holding challengers Brenda Grisham, Mindy Pechenuk, and Julius Robinson to single digits as voters gathered at Oakland’s New Parkway Theater (KALW 91.7) to track Measure EE, Proposition 40, and the Regional Transit Measure (61.5% Yes). Measure EE, which strengthens the powers of the Oakland mayor's office, passed with nearly 74% support, while District 4 Councilmember Janani Ramachandran and City Auditor Michael Houston ran unopposed.

In congressional and Oakland school board races, Rep. Aisha Wahab won her 4th showdown against Melissa Hernandez by a 14-point margin, Arielle Fleischer led Oakland school board incumbent Jennifer Brouhard, and Alexandra Williams led incumbent Valarie Bachelor by 167 votes as ballots continue to be counted through November 10.

Berkeley City Council and Measure U Returns, Liberation at Berkeley Rep, Richmond Mayoral Race, and Alameda Updates

Across neighboring East Bay cities:

• Berkeley City Council, Measure U & Berkeley Rep: According to The Berkeley Scanner, Laura Babitt led Daria Wrubel 52% to 48% in District 1, incumbent Igor Tregub led Majdi Gaith with 59% in District 4, Syrak Micael led Aidan Hill 68% to 32% in open District 7, incumbent Mark Humbert held 52% in District 8, and 6 of 7 local measures led—including the $300 million Measure U infrastructure bond at 70%. In Berkeley arts reported by 48 Hills, Bess Wohl’s Pulitzer-winning 1970s play Liberation is staging its West Coast premiere at Berkeley Rep through November 29, with its final mask-required matinee on November 8.
• Richmond Mayoral & Bond Returns: As reported by Richmond Confidential, with 20,436 early mail-in and drop-box ballots counted (about 34% of Richmond’s 59,820 registered voters), Councilmember Claudia Jiménez led Ahmad Anderson 53% to 47% for Richmond mayor, while the $120 million Measure Q firehouse modernization bond drew 69% (above the 66.7% two-thirds threshold) and Measure V reached 73%.
• Alameda Charter Renewals & El Niño Prep: According to the Alameda Post, following an October 27 presentation by Kirsten Zazo, the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Education will vote on November 10 on a recommended 5-year charter renewal for Nea Community Learning Center and a 5-to-7-year renewal for Alameda Community Learning Center (ACLC). Separately, in the Alameda Post, Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft urged residents to prepare for 1 week of winter El Niño self-sufficiency and announced that free self-service stations offering up to 5 sandbags per resident open November 7.