Walnut Creek Election Guide: What’s On The Ballot, What To Know

WALNUT CREEK, CA — The general election isn’t until Nov. 5, but early voting is about to get underway in California. By Oct. 7, all counties must have begun the process of mailing out ballots to all registered voters.

While the hottest race on the ballot is the presidential election — pitting Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald J. Trump — there are plenty of races to watch in Walnut Creek.

Races To Watch In Walnut Creek

City Council

Five candidates are vying for two seats on the Walnut Creek City Council. Incumbents Cindy Darling and Kevin Wilk face challengers Laura Patch, Craig DeVinney and Brendan Moran.

Darling, an environmental scientist currently serving as mayor pro tem, was first elected to the City Council in 2020, so this is her first time seeking re-election.

Wilk, a technology executive, has served on the City Council since 2016. November marks the second time he has sought re-election.

DeVinney, an ER doctor, pointed out there are no members of the City Council with a health care background. He believes his "experience and perspective will be a valuable addition."

Patch is an environmental nonprofit manager who serves on the Walnut Creek Transportation Commission and holds multiple volunteer roles in the community.

Moran is a real estate broker whose platform includes sustainable development, public safety and economic vitality.

Acalanes Union High School District

Six candidates are vying for two seats on the governing board of the Acalanes Union High School District, which comprises the public high schools serving Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda and Canyon.

The field of candidates includes one incumbent, Wendy Reicher, who was appointed to fill a board vacancy. Her opponents are community volunteer Stacey Schweppe, educator Andrew Fontan, school psychologist Sibyl Minighini, accountant/parent Paul Chopra, and Rossmoor board member Peter Catalano.

Contra Costa Water

Incumbent Contra Costa Water District Board of Directors member Ernesto Ernie Avila is uncontested in his quest for re-election to represent Division 3, which includes eastern Concord, Clayton, and part of Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill. He began serving as board president in May 2022.

BART Board Of Directors

BART Board of Directors candidate Matthew Rinn is running uncontested to represent District 1, which Debora Allen currently represents. District 1 encompasses the cities of Clayton, Concord (partial), Danville, Lafayette (partial), Martinez, Pleasant Hill, San Ramon and Walnut Creek, and an area of unincorporated Contra Costa County.

BART Board of Directors District 3 candidate Barnali Ghosh is also running uncontested. Rebecca Saltzman, who currently represents the district, is running for El Cerrito City Council. District 3 encompasses Albany (partial), Berkeley (partial), Oakland (partial), Piedmont, San Leandro (partial), Unincorporated Alameda County (partial), El Cerrito (partial), Lafayette (partial), Moraga and Orinda, and an area of unincorporated Contra Costa County.

BART District 5 candidate Melissa Hernandez, an incumbent who was appointed to the board in May, is vying to keep her seat against opponent Joseph “Doc” Grcar. District 5 encompasses Dublin, Hayward (partial), Livermore, Pleasanton and an unincorporated area of Alameda County.

BART board members serve four-year terms.

California State Senate, 9th District

California state Assemblymember Tim Grayson and San Ramon City Council member Marisol Rubio, both Democrats, are vying to represent the newly drawn state Senate District 9 after defeating David Minor and Joseph Grcar in the March primary.

California State Assembly, 16th District

Democrat incumbent Rebecca Bauer-Kahan is seeking re-election to the 16th California State Assembly District. Republican Challenger Joseph Rubay is a familiar foe, having sought election to the seat since 2016.

U.S. Congress, 10th Congressional District

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier seeks to keep representing the 10th Congressional District in Washington D.C. In contrast, Republican Challenger Katherine Piccinini, an Oakley resident who was on the 2022 ballot as a write-in candidate for the 10th District, seeks to unseat him. Both defeated a trio of candidates —Nolan Chen (R), Joe Sweeney (NPP), and Mohamed Elsherbini (NPP)— in the March primary.

Candidate Forums

The League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley is hosting several candidate forums; see the complete list.

See information on more local races on the Contra Costa County Elections site.

Statewide Races

In California, there are several statewide races to watch and 10 propositions to vote on.

U.S. Senate

A consequential contest will be the race for the U.S. Senate seat long held by the late Dianne Feinstein. In fact, voters will cast their ballot twice in this race, Nov. 5. They’ll choose a candidate to finish out Feinstein’s current term and again for the next term, which begins in 2025.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey are vying for the seat. Schiff, a progressive favorite in the Golden State, has served as a Democratic congressman here since 2000, representing the state’s 30th Congressional District in Los Angeles County.

Garvey, formerly an All-Star for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, advanced in March to the November ballot as a first-time political candidate. Republicans have failed to advance a candidate in two of the last three U.S. Senate races, making Garvey’s defeat of Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, a rare feat for the GOP in blue California.

According to the latest poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, Schiff holds a 28 point-lead (63 percent to 35 percent) over Garvey. Schiff gained widespread name recognition for his role in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Read more about that race here.

U.S. House

As for congressional races, the state’s most competitive contests for the U.S. House seats in California are primarily in three regions — the Central Valley, Orange County and the Inland Empire, according to the Public Policy Institute of California’s most recent election report. The competitive races include districts 3, 9, 13, 22, 27, 40, 41, 45, 47 and 49.

Currently, the GOP holds seven of these seats. Here’s a brief breakdown of the candidates in each competitive area:

• District 3, which hugs the Nevada border from Death Valley to the Sacramento suburbs, will see another contest between Republican Incumbent Kevin Kiley and returning Democratic candidate Jessica Morse. Kiley previously attempted to run for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s seat in a failed recall attempt.
• District 9 centered in Stockton pits Democratic incumbent against Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln II.
• In District 13, covering the San Joaquin Valley, Republican incumbent John Duarte—who flipped the seat red in 2022 for the first time since 1974—will face Democrat Adam Gray. Since Redistricting in 2022, the district has been considered a left-leaning swing district whose voters went for Biden in 2020 but chose a Republican representative in 2022.
• District 22 in the San Joaquin Valley will have Republican incumbent David G. Valadao challenge Democrat Rudy Salas. Both candidates were neck-and-neck during the March primary, with Valadao receiving 32.7 votes to Salas’ 31.3. Redistricting has shifted the 22nd to the left since 2020, making Valadao one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in the House.
• In District 27, which covers northeast Los Angeles County, GOP incumbent Mike Garcia is pitted against George Whitesides, a former chief of staff of NASA during Barack Obama’s presidency and a formidable challenger for Garcia, who has held the seat since 2020.
• In District 40, covering northeast Riverside County, Democrat Joe Kerr will challenge Republican incumbent Young Kim.
• District 41 will have Republican incumbent Ken Calvert face off against a much younger Democratic contender, Will Rollins. Calvert is the longest-serving GOP member in California Congress. Rollins, who is gay, has clashed with Calvert over LGBTQ+ issues, which may prove to be a challenge for him in a district that encompasses Palm Springs.
• Orange County’s District 45, covering inland north county communities, is diverse politically and ethnically since the area hosts the largest population of Vietnamese people in the nation. There, Republican incumbent Michelle Steel will face off against Derek Tran, a Democrat known for his advocacy for workers’ rights.
• District 47, another Orange County stronghold, is currently represented by Rep. Katie Porter, who did poorly in the March primary and is not seeking reelection. Former GOP state legislator Scott Baugh, who lost to Porter previously, will challenge Sen. Dave Min.
• District 49 will see Democratic incumbent Mike Levin go up against Republican challenger Matt Gunderson.

State Measures

Of course, it wouldn’t be a major election in California without many proposed propositions on the ballot.

Ten statewide propositions are on the ballot, including two $10 billion bond measures for school construction and to address climate change. Two amendments to the state constitution are also on the ballot: one that would repeal the unenforceable ban on same-sex marriage and another that would make it easier for bond measures to pass by lowering the voter threshold from the current supermajority needed to approve bond measures.

However, the most hot-button measure on the ballot is Proposition 36, which seeks to reverse some of the criminal justice reforms passed when voters approved Proposition 47 a decade ago. If Prop 36 passes, it could significantly increase prison time for some drug and theft offenses that are currently misdemeanors.

Click here for Patch’s in-depth reporting on all 10 propositions.

How To Vote

Walnut Creek voters have three options to vote:

• Mail-in ballot: Voters can mail in the ballots they receive in the mail by signing and sealing them and placing them in either a mailbox or an approved drop box. Contra Costa County opened its approved outdoor drop boxes Monday, Oct. 7. The drop boxes will stay available for voters 24/7 until 8 p.m. Nov. 5. See the countywide list of drop box sites here.
• Early voting: Each county will have at least one location where voters can vote in person or drop off ballots at least 10 days before primary election day. See here to find your nearest early voting location.
• Traditional in-person voting: Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. Click here to find your polling location.

Registering To Vote

Not sure if you’re registered to vote, or need to change your address? You can find out here and make any changes you may need, as well. Californians must register to vote by Oct. 21 to vote in the Nov. 5 election. You can also register in person on Election Day for a conditional ballot.

In Walnut Creek, people who wish to register to vote in person can do so at their nearest DMV, post office or library. The county Elections Office at 555 Escobar St. in Martinez also offers voter registration.

Election Day

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Use the links above to find your polling place, and remember that if you are already in line to vote when the polls close, you can still vote — so don't leave! Nov. 5 is also the last day to get your ballot in the mail if you are going that route to cast your votes.