Peralta Colleges Incumbent Trustees Re-Elected

Despite a highly critical grand jury report, and urging from the Bay Area News Group, voters opted to renew their contract with the two longest serving trustees on the Peralta Colleges Board of Trustees in the November 2 elections.

Three-term incumbent Dr. Bill Riley crushed challenger William J. Mattox in Area 5 by over 38 percentage points, capturing 68.77 percent of the vote. Area 5 covers much of the East Oakland Hills and the City of Piedmont.

In a much more heated race, two-term incumbent Linda Handy defeated challenger Mónica Tell in with 53.88 percent of the vote. Area 3 covers Central East Oakland, including Allendale, Fruitvale and parts of the Laurel district.

Fundraising
Tell initially raised more money than Handy, according to October 5 campaign finance reports filed with the County. Handy raised more cash than Tell in the first two weeks of October. The latest filings were not available at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office, although candidates are to file within 24 hours of receiving cash.

Riley raised fifty times more cash than Mattox. Mattox filed his October 5 campaign finance report two weeks late. At press time, both candidates have failed to file their October 21 reports, according to the Registrars office.

Voter Turnout
Voter turnout was lower than the 2002 election when Handy ousted incumbent Brenda Knight. This year, Handy received 3,821 votes to Tell's 3,167. There were also 112 write-in votes.

In 2002, Handy received 5,466 votes to Knight's 3,846 votes, according to Smart Voter. Handy ran unopposed in 2006.

Riley ran unopposed in both 2006 and 2002. Election results were not immediately available for his 1998 run for the board.

Campaign Issues
The Peralta Board has come under great scrutiny in the past year. A series of articles in the Bay Area News Group last summer–alleging corruption and poor oversight–led to an Alameda Grand Jury investigation. Issues with technology and financial transparency led to the district's accreditation being put on warning.

"Voters on Tuesday appeared ready to forgive two trustees who oversaw the Peralta Community College District's shaky finances and leadership," Matt Krupnick wrote for the Bay Area News Group, a publication that has also been involved in a legal battle with the District to make an Inspector General's report public.

Last month, a Bay Area News Group editorial by columnist Daniel Borenstein encouraged voters to elect Tell and Mattox and "oust the incumbents."

The challengers criticized the incumbents at a League of Women Voters forum at Oakland City Hall, as well as during a Peralta trustee candidates forum at Laney College.

Peralta board President Abel Guillén ran unopposed and was automatically declared the winner in Area 7. All the incumbents are slated to be sworn-in at a December meeting.

ELECTION RESULTS

AREA 3 ELECTION RESULTS Name Total Votes Percentage Linda Handy 3821 53.88 Mónica Tell 3167 44.54 Write-In 112 1.58

AREA 5 ELECTION RESULTS Name Total Votes Percentage William J. Mattox 5039 30.22 William "Bill" Riley 11468 68.77 Write-In 168 1.01

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Questions Still Surround Eligibility of Peralta Candidate Monica Tell

Within days of the November 2 election, many closely watching the election of the Peralta Colleges Board of Trustees still wonder if Area 3 challenger Monica Tell is eligible for office.

Earlier this month, a story published by The Peralta Report noted that public records suggested that Tell lived outside the Oakland Area she was campaigning to represent, a fact that would make her ineligible for office.

Tell declared her candidacy in August using an Oakland address, according to reports filed with the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office. Her parents have owned the Fruitvale home since she was a child, according to the County Auditor-Recorder records. Tell has voted there regularly since 1999, records show.

In 2007, Tell purchased a Castro Valley condominium in 2007, according to Alameda County Assessor records. Tell began receiving a homeowner’s exemption in 2008 that reduces the amount her condo is assessed for property taxes.

Homeowners are only eligible for the exemption at their principal place of residence, according to Russ Hall, the county's deputy assessor.

At the same time that Tell claimed the homeowner's exemption in Castro Valley, voting records indicate that Tell voted in all three 2008 elections using the Fruitvale address. If a person has multiple residencies and claims a homeowner’s exemption, it is presumed that the residence is the person’s domicile, according to election law.

Tell initially said that she owned the Castro Valley property but lived in Oakland. When asked about the homeowner’s exemption, Tell said she did not recall claiming it. "I'm not aware of that exemption," Tell said. She has received the exemption annually since she first became eligible in 2008, according to the Assessor’s Office.

However, Tell later posted a message on her Facebook page, stating that she had claimed the exemption when she lived in the condo, but rents out the property now.

"I previously claimed the homeowner property tax exemption on that property, but not for this year, as I no longer live in it." Tell wrote, "The condo is rented and occupied by a tenant."

Homeowners receiving the exemption are not allowed to rent out their homes to others, according to Hall, and are required to cancel their exemption if they do not own and occupy their home as their principal place of residency. Tell has not canceled the exemption, which is automatically renewed annually, according to the Assessor's Office.

'Residence' for voting purposes means a person's domicile," according to election law. "The domicile of a person is that place in which his or her habitation is fixed," and whenever gone, "the person has the intention of returning." A person can only have one domicile at any given time.

Candidates are not required to prove their residence when filing, according to Alameda County Registrar Dave MacDonald. He added that candidates must sign under penalty of perjury, however.

For nearly a month, members of the union representing Peralta’s classified staff have been fighting over whether or not to rescind their endorsement of Tell, and how to do so legally.

“Based on The Peralta Report article, we have to evaluate and reconfirm our endorsement,” Mike Donaldson, interim political coordinator of the Peralta Chapter of SEIU Local 1021 said in an interview. “We have to see what our legal obligation is, but we tentatively have a dual endorsement.”

To be eligible for office, Peralta board candidates must reside and be registered to vote in a specific trustee area, according to the district's Board Policy. Linda Handy, the two-term incumbent Tell is facing on November 2, said that living in the area is “very relevant to the job she’s running for.”

“If you think its okay to use an address in one area when you live in another says a lot about honesty and your integrity,” Handy said.

A Castro Valley neighbor, who spoke highly of Tell, said his children used to play with Tell's younger relatives when they visited her.

"It hasn't been that long since she moved," said Kevin Prettyman, a neighbor who has lived in the property next door to Tell's Castro Valley condo since 1984. It is unclear when Tell actually moved back into her parent’s home from her Castro Valley condo. Prettyman estimates Tell moved out sometime in August or September.

One person banking on Tell's campaign is her Castro Valley tenant, Claudia Quezada, a board member of the Contra Costa Hispanic Chamber of Commernce. Quezada contributed $100 to Tell's election campaign, according to an October campaign finance report. Although Tell suggested that her tenant had moved in recently, voting records indicate that Quezada has lived in the condo since at least June 2008.

To date, SEIU has not rescinded it’s endorsement of Tell, who has since been endorsed by the Bay Area News Group.

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Peralta Trustee Candidates Hustle to Fundraise

Peralta trustee challenger Monica Tell has raised as much money in two months as two-term incumbent Linda Handy has raised all this year, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Alameda County Registrar of Voters Office.

Tell reported raising a total of $17,694 since declaring her candidacy in August. She reported raising $6,666 in the first half of October, after raising $11,028 through September.

Handy reported $14,896 in total contributions so far this year, with more than half coming in the first two weeks of October. Handy reported $8,524 in contributions from October and $3,222 from July through September. She had previously raised a $3,150 in the first half of 2010.

Both candidates hope to raise more money before the November 2 election.

An upcoming fundraiser at Phil Tagami's Rotunda building in downtown Oakland, sponsored by mayoral candidate Don Perata and City Councilmember Ignacio de la Fuente is likely bring Tell more than a few thousand dollars.

Tomorrow evening, a fundraiser for the Oakland Black Caucus' PAC will be held at Joyce Gordon Gallery.

Candidates for the Area 5 trustees race -- incumbent Dr. William "Bill" Riley and William J. Mattox.

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William Mattox's Campaign Contributions - October 5, 2010

William J. Mattox, the challenger in the Area 5 race of the Peralta College Board of Trustees election has managed to raise $375, according to a campaign finance report filed on October 19.

Mattox is challenging three-term incumbent Dr. Bill Riley for a seat on the Peralta Board. Riley has raised over $16,000 for his reelection bid.

Mattox also received two loans, according to the filing; one from his wife and one from himself.

The filing was due on October 5, and according to staff at the Alameda County Registrars office, Mattox will be fined $5 for each day it was late.

Mattox recently launched a website. Visit http://mattox4trusteeperalta.org

NAME	CITY	STATE	OCCUPATION	AMOUNT
Barnases P. Wheatley	Piedmont	CA	Retired	100
Gary Baysmore	Oakland	CA	Retired	100
Joy Walterschild	Catonsville	MD	Retired	25
H. Mahlon Harmon	Oakland	CA	Retired	50
Richard Booker	Pasadena	CA	Attorney	100

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Peralta trustees endorse incumbents in November elections

Peralta trustee incumbents get support from other trustees in November 2 election. One trustee challenger splits dual endorsement

With the November 2 election a little less than two weeks away, candidates for the Peralta Board of Trustees are preparing to make a final push for their campaigns.

With three incumbents running for office – and one who won’t appear on the ballot – at a time when the board has been under major scrutiny, it’s not a surprise that the the incumbents are backed by their board colleagues.

"I can work with whoever wins.
Abel Guillen
Peralta Board President

Trustee Dr. William “Bill” Riley, the board’s longest serving member, is facing opposition for the first time. The three-term incumbent has been endorsed by a majority of the board.

Riley has been endorsed by trustees Cy Gulassa, Linda Handy, and Oakland mayoral hopeful Marcie Hodge. Board President Abel Guillen endorsed Riley earlier this year and contributed to his campaign.

In Area 3, two-term incumbent Trustee Handy has been endorsed by most of her board colleagues. Trustees Gulassa and Bill Withrow have both endorsed Handy. Trustee Riley has also endorsed Handy and contributed to her campaign.

Peralta Board President Abel Guillen endorsed Handy early on, but later decided to endorse Monica Tell. Four years ago, Guillen became the first Latino on the Peralta board when he successfully unseated two-term incumbent Alona Clifton.

“I can work with whoever wins,” Guillen said of his dual endorsement.

Trustee Nicky Gonzalez Yuen did not respond to a request for comment on this story. He is not listed on any candidate’s website as an endorsee.

Riley’s opponent, William J. Mattox, has not received any endorsements from sitting trustees.

Riley is also supported by former Peralta trustees Amey Stone and Darryl Moore. Handy is also endorsed by former trustee and current Berkeley City Councilmember Moore. Both are supported by Marlon McWilson, a member of the Alameda County Board of Education who ran against Marcie Hodge in 2008.

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