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