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Jamie Yee on Friday expressed optimism over initial election results that show her leading opponent Reena Gupta in the race for Pleasanton City Council District 3, though she acknowledged the race isn’t over until the votes are all counted.
As of Friday afternoon, Yee, a former Pleasanton school board trustee, had 62.63% (2,573) of the vote while Gupta, a Pleasanton resident and business advocate, had 37.37% (1,535) of the vote. According to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters there were 265,849 unprocessed ballots as of Thursday afternoon. The office was expected to release an update on the vote count by the end of the day Friday, its first since the early-morning hours of Nov. 4.
If the results hold, Yee will be the first person of color to hold a seat on the dais since S. Floyd Mori served as a council member and mayor from 1972 to 1975. However, she emphasized that if elected, she will aim to represent every resident across the city, no matter their district or how they voted.
“I take that to heart,” Yee told the Weekly on Friday.
Gupta, a former Economic Vitality Committee member who came into the race with more of a small business and entrepreneurial background, said she wants to “study the voting data before drawing conclusions.”
“Political alliances certainly play a role in elections, but my hope is that we continue building an electoral culture where every candidate has an opportunity to stand on their own merits, ideas and commitment to the community,” she said. “Ultimately, voters benefit when they evaluate each candidate individually.”
Yee, who works for the Alameda County Public Health Department, is a longtime resident who grew up in the city and went through the Pleasanton Unified School District system. She served on the school board from 2008 to 2020.
Yee said she appreciated being able to meet and connect with so many voters throughout her campaign. She said she had plenty of great conversations regarding Pleasanton’s top issues, including reinstating the Pleasanton Public Library’s former hours of operation and addressing the city’ s budget problems. Last year, the city had to make notable cuts and reductions across departments due to an ongoing structural deficit.
She said once the new City Council takes over, which she said she hopes includes her, they can hit the ground running in addressing those concerns. She said one of her biggest priorities would be hiring a new permanent city manager.
Former city manager Gerry Beaudin left the city last year for a new job in the East Bay; the council appointed Joe Calabrigo, Danville’s former city manager, to replace Beaudin in the interim.
“(I’m) really excited to work with the council and the mayor, and whoever the new city manager is, to just get things going and moving and get this budget stuff dealt with so that we can all enjoy our city the way it was meant to be enjoyed,” Yee said .
While Gupta has not yet conceded the race, she did say she was grateful for the experience of running for office as a first-time candidate.
“The learning, personal growth and experiences over these past few months have been beyond anything I imagined,” Gupta said in a statement to the Weekly Thursday. “I gained an in-depth understanding of how our city operates, how decisions are made and how much work goes on behind the scenes. It is something I never imagined I would learn so deeply.”
Gupta also said she was proud of the campaign she ran and her team’s advocacy “beyond seeking votes,” including advocating for more civic engagement.
“My message to residents is simple: Stay involved. Stay curious. Learn what is happening in your city,” Gupta said. “We should all be asking how every taxpayer dollar is spent, how decisions are made and how we can collectively make our city better. Accountability and transparency are everyone’s responsibility.”
