Contra Costa Tallies 184,200 Ballots as El Cerrito Races Tighten

Contra Costa County election workers are processing more than a third of the county's total midterm turnout this week, leaving several municipal contests across East and West County too close to call even as coastal cities advance delayed environmental restoration work before winter wildlife windows close.

184,200 Unprocessed Ballots Remain Across Contra Costa County

According to the Contra Costa County Elections Division's latest post-election inventory, an estimated 184,200 unprocessed ballots remain to be tallied across the county. With 280,686 ballots counted so far out of an estimated 464,886 total ballots cast—drawn from a countywide electorate of 733,037 registered voters—nearly 40% of all cast ballots were still awaiting tabulation heading into Friday's update.

The Elections Division broke down the 184,200 remaining ballots by category:

• 165,000 vote-by-mail ballots received on or before Election Day via drop boxes and postal delivery.
• 12,000 vote-by-mail ballots received in the mail after Election Day with valid postmarks.
• 4,000 conditional voter registration (CVR) provisional ballots cast by same-day registrants.
• 2,000 miscellaneous ballots requiring signature verification or manual duplication.
• 500 standard provisional ballots cast at polling places.
• 200 ballots still in transit from local voting locations.

In eastern Contra Costa County, the outstanding mail ballots are being closely watched in Antioch, where challenger Joy Motts currently holds the lead over incumbent Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker in the Antioch City Council District 1 contest, and former mayor Mary Rocha leads incumbent trustee Brandon Dawkins in the Antioch Unified School District Area 5 board race.

59 Votes Separate Contenders for Second El Cerrito Council Seat

In West County, preliminary returns covering an estimated 44% of expected ballots in El Cerrito show a razor-thin contest for the second of 2 open seats on the El Cerrito City Council.

Former BART senior manager Kimberly White holds 1st place in the early count, positioning her to win one of the 2 seats. Just behind her, incumbent Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn Wysinger clings to a 59-vote lead over challenger Wally Nowinski for the 2nd seat. Four-term, 12-year incumbent Councilmember Gabe Quinto trails in 4th place, followed by first-time candidates Mary Anne "MJ" Jawili in 5th place with 12% of the vote and Forrest Lanning in 6th place with 6%.

Richmond Schedules Delayed Meeker Slough Cleanup Ahead of Jan. 15 Habitat Window

Just west of El Cerrito along Richmond's Marina Bay shoreline, municipal public works crews are finalizing permits to begin a long-delayed tidal marsh cleanup before winter bird nesting rules take effect. Richmond Deputy Public Works Director Tawfic Halaby confirmed that the Meeker Slough debris cleanup—originally slated to begin in Sept. 2025—is now expected to launch before the end of 2026.

To protect the federally endangered California Ridgway's rail, all marsh maintenance must be completed prior to the start of the species' annual breeding season on Jan. 15. Jen McBroom, a senior biologist at Olofson Environmental who monitors the wetland, reported that biological surveys recorded 17 Ridgway's rails in the Meeker Slough marsh in 2025, up from an average of roughly 10 birds annually over the past decade and a low of just 2 birds in 2010.

To avoid disturbing marsh vegetation or compacting tidal mudflats, contractors will conduct the initial cleanup by hand from small boats during high tide over a 1 to 2 day window, followed by recurring maintenance cleanups twice a year outside the nesting season.