These obscure races control the levers of power in Oakland — and they’re heating up
By Joe Garofoli, SF Chronicle | Feb 15, 2024
One of the most hotly contested and critical races in the Bay Area is also one where many voters will look at their ballot and say, “Who the hell are these people?”
They’re the Democratic Party Central Committee races. The candidates for these spots don’t hold elective offices, but they do have a powerful role to play by doling out endorsements as an arm of the California Democratic Party. That stamp of approval can be especially meaningful when it comes to local offices where voters don’t know the candidates. In Alameda County, 85% of the candidates and ballot measures the local party endorsed in 2022 won.