Special coverage: November 2022 Solano County election

Special coverage: November 2022 Solano County election

SOLANO COUNTY – A general election will be held on Nov. 8, 2022, with local elections for three Vallejo City Council seats, two Benicia city council seats, Vallejo school board, Vacaville mayor, Solano County supervisor, multiple sales tax measures, and more. Use this page to explore the Vallejo Sun's coverage as the election approaches.



Vallejo, Benicia Nov. 8 live election results
We’re tracking all three Vallejo City Council races, the Vallejo school board race, the Benicia City Council race, and ballot measures in Vallejo, Benicia and countywide.

View all of our election coverage here:

Elections - The Vallejo Sun
A general election will be held on Nov. 8, 2022, with local elections for three Vallejo City Council seats, two Benicia city council seats, Vallejo school board, Vacaville mayor, Solano County supervisor, multiple sales tax measures, and more.

Vallejo City Council

Districts 2, 4 and 5

This election is the first time three Vallejo city council districts will be represented on the council. The districts were created when Vallejo moved to district-based elections from citywide seats in 2019.

Vallejo decided to adopt council districts after receiving a challenge letter from Southern California based-lawyer Kevin Shenkman in September 2018. Shenkman argued that the city’s at-large election format violated the California Voting Rights Act because there were no African American or Latino councilmembers on the council.

Palmares holds 43-vote lead over Cayangyang for District 4 Vallejo City Council seat
The Solano County Registrar of Voters, which released an updated vote tally on Wednesday, said there were more than 35,000 vote-by-mail ballots countywide left to count.
Matulac, Bregenzer hold early leads for Vallejo City Council; Fox dominates in re-election bid to school board
Vallejo Planning Commissioner JR Matulac and healthcare administrator Peter Bregenzer were showing strong early leads in their respective Vallejo City Council campaigns.
Nov. 8 election guide: Meet the candidates for Vallejo City Council District 2, North Vallejo
The candidates include Cassandra James, who serves on the Housing and Community Development Commission; local realtor Don Jordan; Planning Commissioner Diosdado “JR” Matulac; and community advocate Garrett Toles.
Nov. 8 election guide: Meet the candidates for Vallejo City Council District 4, Downtown
The candidates include former Vallejo school board Trustee Ruscal Cayangyang, Planning Commissioner Charles Palmares, former Planning Commissioner Chris Platzer and community advocate Ravi Shankar.
Nov. 8 election guide: Meet the candidates for Vallejo City Council District 5, Central Vallejo
The candidates include local businesswoman Tara Beasley-Stansberry, Planning Commissioner Melissa Bowman, healthcare administrator Peter Bregenzer, college career advisor Tanya Hall, and business owner Dwight Monroe Jr.
Bregenzer, Platzer, James lead fundraising for Vallejo City Council candidates
Vallejo City Council candidates have submitted financial disclosures for their campaigns as the November election is underway.
Vallejo City Council candidates invest in outreach in last weeks before election
The campaigns filed their final financial reports ahead of Tuesday’s election. The reporting period spanned from Sept. 25 to Oct. 22.

Click on your district on the map below to find out more about the election:

District 4 District 5 District 2 District 1 - no election in 2022 District 6 - no election in 2022 District 3 - no election in 2022

Past candidate forums:

District 4 - Oct. 8

A forum for District 4, Downtown Vallejo and Mare Island, candidates will be held at Suite Treatments at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8.

The forum is the third hosted by the 411 Series Vallejo Seeking Solutions group, which is led by community advocates Liat Meitzenheimer, Mishel Deniz Adolph, Kimberly Nunez-Brandao, and Askari Sowonde.




District 5 - Oct. 4

There was a candidates night for District 5, Central Vallejo, hosted by the Washington Park Neighborhood Association and Berea Seventh Day Adventist Church at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 4.




District 5 - Sept. 28

There was a candidates forum for District 5, Central Vallejo, hosted by the Leachman Park Neighborhood Association at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

  • John F. Kennedy Library, Joseph Room, 505 Santa Clara St.


District 2 - Sept. 17

A forum for District 2, North Vallejo, candidates was be held at the Church of Christ on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The forum was the second hosted by the 411 Series Vallejo Seeking Solutions group, which is led by community advocates Liat Meitzenheimer, Mishel Deniz Adolph, Kimberly Nunez-Brandao, and Askari Sowonde.



District 5 - Sept. 10

A forum for District 5, Central Vallejo, candidates was held at Bridgeway Church on Saturday, Sept. 10.

The forum was the first hosted by the 411 Series Vallejo Seeking Solutions group, which is led by community advocates Liat Meitzenheimer, Mishel Deniz Adolph, Kimberly Nunez-Brandao, and Askari Sowonde.



All districts - Aug. 30

Candidates from all three races participated in a candidates' forum held at the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.




District 4 - Aug. 13

The four men vying to represent District 4 introduced themselves during a candidates' forum hosted by the St. Vincent’s Neighborhood Coalition.




Benicia City Council

Lionel Largaespada and Christina Strawbridge are both seeking re-election and challenged by planning commissioner Kari Birdseye, retired executive Terry Scott and retired teacher William Innes

Five candidates are running for two seats on the Benicia City Council this fall. Council incumbents Lionel Largaespada and Christina Strawbridge are both seeking re-election. Planning commissioner Kari Birdseye, who was defeated by Largaespada and Strawbridge in 2018, is running again, while retired executive Terry Scott and retired teacher William Innes have also launched campaigns.

As Benicia does not have election districts for its council, the top two vote-getters will be elected to the council.

Benicia voters appear to reject incumbents, Valero in City Council election
Councilmember Lionel Largaespada wrote on Facebook that he called retired executive Terry Scott and planning commissioner Kari Birdseye to congratulate them.
Nov. 8 election guide: Two seats contested on Benicia City Council
Council incumbents Lionel Largaespada and Christina Strawbridge are both seeking re-election. They are challenged by planning commissioner Kari Birdseye, retired executive Terry Scott and retired teacher William Innes.
Valero makes late entry into Benicia City Council race
Texas-based oil manufacturer Valero is making a last-minute push to re-elect incumbent councilmembers Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada.

Benicia City Council candidate forum - Oct. 12

A forum for Benicia City Council candidates hosted by the League of Women Voters of Solano County was held at the Benicia Senior Citizen's Center at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 12.




Candidate profiles:

Planning commissioner Kari Birdseye believes Benicia City Council needs new leadership
Kari Birdseye believes it’s time for new leadership in the city of Benicia. The longtime planning commissioner is running for a seat on the Benicia City Council this fall to bring change to the city she has called home for 22 years.
Retired public educator running for Benicia council says candidates not ‘palatable’
William “Billy” Innes Innes has thrown his hat into the ring seeking one of the two seats up for grabs this fall.
Largaespada wants second term to show how much further Benicia community can go
Ahead of his election to the Benicia City Council in 2018, Lionel Largaespada said he was running for office “to pass along an even better Benicia to the next generation.”
Retired executive Terry Scott running for Benicia council to bring ‘overdue change’
Retired corporate executive Terry Scott believes maintaining the status quo has harmed the city of Benicia so he is seeking election to the Benicia City Council to bring about what he calls much needed change.
Strawbridge seeks third term on Benicia City Council
Longtime Benicia councilmember Christina Strawbridge believes her voice is still needed on the city council.

Vallejo school board

Incumbents John Fox and Tony Gross are challenged by Ajit S. Bhandal.

The only Vallejo Unified School District Board of Education trustee area that will be on the ballot in November is Trustee Area 5, which represents southeast Vallejo. Like the city council, the school board moved to trustee areas instead of citywide elections in 2018.

Three candidates are running for the seat, including two incumbents. Current trustees John Fox and Tony Gross, both elected in 2018 before the district moved to trustee areas, are challenged by Ajit S. Bhandal, who is listed on the ballot as a naturopathic practitioner.

Fox declares victory in Vallejo school board re-election bid
Fox received 2,606 votes – or 58% of the total – more than double the 1,202 votes for Gross, according to unofficial results released by the Solano County Registrar of Voters late Wednesday.
Vallejo school board trustee outspends opponent by 24 times
John Fox and Tony Gross are vying to represent the newly created Trustee Area 5, which encompasses Southeast Vallejo.

Vallejo school board candidate forum - Oct. 4

A Vallejo school board candidates forum was held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at Emmanuel Apostolic Church at 900 Sixth St.

The forum was hosted by the 411 Series Vallejo Seeking Solutions group, which is led by community advocates Liat Meitzenheimer, Mishel Deniz Adolph, Kimberly Nunez-Brandao, and Askari Sowonde.



Candidate profiles:

Teacher John Fox seeks re-election to Vallejo school board
Trustee John Fox is asking voters for another term on the Vallejo school board so he can “continue the hard work and keep the momentum this board has established.”
Longtime Vallejo educator Tony Gross seeks second term on school board
Gross is seeking a second term “to continue to improve the city’s public education system.”

Ballot measures

Vallejo, Benicia and Solano County

Vallejo Measure P

In Vallejo, voters will decide on Measure P, a proposed seven-eighths-cent sales tax increase. City officials say the tax hike would generate $18 million annually for the city’s general fund and would be used to address blight, illegal dumping, homelessness, roads, provide fire and police protection, and keep public spaces clean. If approved, it would make Vallejo's sales tax the highest in the county at 9.25%.

Vallejo tax measure ahead in election results; Solano County sales tax being narrowly defeated
Vallejo’s proposed seven-eighths-cent sales tax increase appears headed toward being approved by the city’s voters. Measure P is leading with 55% of the vote-by-mail and precinct ballots counted so far, according to unofficial results released by the Solano County Registrar of Voters. Ba…
Vallejo group organizes to oppose ‘regressive’ sales tax increase
A group of Vallejo residents have organized an opposition campaign against a proposed sales tax hike on the November ballot, arguing the increase will hurt the most vulnerable in the community.
Vallejo councilmember Cristina Arriola leads campaign against proposed sales tax hike
Vallejo councilmember Cristina Arriola has signed her name to the formal argument opposed to the city’s proposed seven-eighths-cent sales tax increase that will go before the voters this fall.
Vallejo sales tax measure sparks intense debate with voting underway
Measure P is the second recent attempt by the city to pass a sales tax hike after Vallejo residents narrowly rejected a similar measure in 2020.
Vallejo sales tax measure campaign fundraising dwarfs opponents
Vice Mayor Rozzana Verder-Aliga, councilmembers Hakeem Brown, Pippin Dew, Katy Miessner, and Mina Loera-Diaz have each donated $500 to the committee since it was formed in September to support Measure P.

Benicia Measure R

Benicia has placed a three-quarter-cent increase on the November ballot called Measure R. Benicia anticipates the new sales tax rate would generate $5 million more annually. It would be a general tax but the measure’s description states the city will prioritize “repairing, paving and maintaining streets, fixing potholes, improving safe routes to schools and fixing aging storm drains.”

Benicia Measure K

The Benicia City Council also placed Measure K on the ballot to decide whether to extend the duration of an Urban Growth Boundary, which is expected to sunset on Dec. 31, 2023. Benicia voters first approved the 20-year plan in November 2003 to prevent urban sprawl, and preserve agricultural land and open space in the city. Measure K would allow the Urban Growth Boundary to remain in place until Dec. 31, 2043.

Nov. 8 election guide: Benicia voters to decide on sales tax increase, Urban Growth Boundary
Measure R would raise the city’s sales tax by three-quarters of a cent, Measure K would extend the duration of Benicia’s Urban Growth Boundary for 20 years.

Solano County Measure E

Voters across Solano County will decide whether to raise the county's sales tax by one-eighth of a cent, generating an estimated $9 million per year. While the tax is a general tax that can be spent for any purpose, the ballot measure approved by the Solano County Board of Supervisors states that it will be used for projects aimed at improving wildfire preparedness and response.

The tax would raise an estimated $9 million each year. It would need a majority of over 50% to pass and would take effect on April 1, 2023.

Solano County Taxpayers Association President Michael Nolan and California Taxpayer Protection Committee President Thomas Hudson submitted an opposition argument to Measure E, arguing that the county was attempting to circumvent a two-thirds vote requirement for special taxes.

"The Board of Supes wants to increase the sales tax to raise money for public safety services and probably your City has another local sales tax increase on the same ballot," they wrote. "This is a General Fund tax that the County can spend on anything it desires. So you have to ask yourself, where is the $9 million in additional taxes per year will be spend?"

An argument in favor written by supervisors John Vasquez and Jim Spering pointed to a Solano County Civil Grand Jury report which found that Solano County is not prepared for future emergencies.

"It is time to dedicate additional money and resources to address the challenges we face in Solano County," the supervisors wrote. "Wildfire does not respect county lines or city boundaries and revenues dedicated to wildfire prevention are shrinking."