Sorce, Matias and Gordon appear to win Vallejo council seats in latest tally

VALLEJO – Andrea Sorce, Alex Matias and Helen-Marie “Cookie” Gordon appear to have won their races for Vallejo City Council after the latest vote tally was released by the Solano County Registrar of Voters Thursday evening. 

In the mayor’s race, Sorce, the chair of the city’s Surveillance Advisory Board, had a 301 vote lead over former Councilmember Pippin Dew. 

Not long after Thursday’s results were released, Dew congratulated Sorce in a social media post. 

“I wish her every success as she leads our city in a new direction, and I encourage everyone in our community to come together in support of our path forward – together as a united community,” Dew said. 

Sorce, however, remained cautious. “I received word that my opponent conceded this evening and I appreciate the gracious remarks and message of unity for our community.” Sorce said in a statement.  She said although the results are promising, “I still want to respect the process and the remaining votes to be counted, given how tight this race has been.” 

Sorce had started out with a lead early on election night, but Dew pulled ahead as the night went on. However, Wednesday’s results revealed that Sorce was leading and that margin grew Thursday. 

During her campaign, Sorce said that she would be a strong advocate for government transparency and fiscal accountability. She also promoted her work as a co-founder of the Solano County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and said that she would work to ensure that the Police Department completes the remaining reforms laid out in a settlement agreement with the California Department of Justice.

In the District 1 race, which represents the Hiddenbrook and Northgate neighborhoods, Matias, a nonprofit executive, has a strong lead of 1,632 votes over his nearest opponent, Alameda County District Attorney’s investigator Carl Bonner. Bonner received 2,152 votes or 29% to Matias’s 3,784 votes or 51%. Retired HR director Brenda Plechaty received 1,493 votes or 20%.  

“My neighbors here in District 1 have spoken and I’m honored to have earned such resounding support in this election to represent them as Councilmember.” Matias said in a statement. “Now begins the hard work of consensus building for a safer Vallejo, for an economy that works for everyone, housing we can all afford, and most importantly, a Vallejo that puts the community first.”

In an interview, Bonner said that he is waiting for the county to announce the final results but he also noted that with the remaining numbers he might be able to close the gap but it's unlikely that he could overcome Matias’s lead.

Bonner said that he has learned a lot during the campaign process and that he has enjoyed the competitive elements of the race. 

“I've been getting a lot of encouragement from a lot of colleagues and friends and families, they want me to keep going,” Bonner said. “Just because I might have lost this campaign doesn't mean there isn’t a future. So I'll just have to sit down and contemplate that during the holiday season to decide if I really want to continue in that direction.” 

The results from District 6, which includes South and Central Vallejo, show Gordon, a tenant commissioner with the Vallejo Housing Authority, with a 204-vote lead over incumbent Cristina Arriola who received 2,466 votes to Gordon’s 2,670.

Gordon demonstrated the strength of her community connections in what many felt would be an uphill battle to overcome support for Arriola. 

It is still possible that there could be enough uncounted District 6 ballots among the countywide estimate of 17,200 votes to change the outcome of the race but Arriola would need to win nearly all the outstanding ballots. 

On Wednesday morning, when a significant number of votes still remained uncounted, Gordon felt confident enough with her lead to release a statement announcing that she had won the seat.

“I am deeply grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to serve as your next Vallejo City Council Member for District 6,” Gordon said. “Thank you, Vallejo, for your trust and support in choosing to cast your vote for me.” 

After Thursday’s results, she said in an interview that voters had recognized the work that she had done to make District 6 streets safer for pedestrians and persons with disabilities and were also aligned with her recent advocacy to stop proposed school closures in Vallejo. 

Arriola said that since the numbers are still fairly close that her campaign would make a statement once the votes are all counted. She said that whatever the outcome, she is confident that her legacy of voting with her constituents even when she stands alone on the council will continue to make a difference in Vallejo.