Several Stockton City Councilmembers have already called to congratulate him on winning his bid to join them and have referred to him as the councilmember-elect, as well as have a number of other city leaders since the November 5 election. Yet, Mario Enríquez is not yet ready to declare victory.
During an Instagram live broadcast he held in the afternoon Thursday (November 14), Enríquez acknowledged he very likely will be the first gay man on his city's governing body. But he said he was not yet ready to declare himself the winner of the open District 4 council seat.
With a lead of fewer than 350 votes, he wants to wait until another vote count is released Friday evening. After which, he told his supporters they can except an announcement from him either on Saturday or Monday.
"While we are pretty much there, I also want to be respectful of the process," said Enríquez. "We might call it sooner than you might think."
Having gone to watch the ballot counting process in person last week, Enríquez thanked the country registrar and the team of people processing ballots for the "hard work they are doing."
He noted, "We are all in really good hands where we are at."
Since election night Enríquez has led in the race with roughly 51% of the vote against his opponent, Gina Valadez-Bracamonte, the founder of a nonprofit that assists local working families that are struggling. As of November 14, his lead is 342 votes for 51.22% of the total count, according to the unofficial returns. (With the November 15 vote count update, Enríquez now has a 432-vote advantage.)
"The trend speaks for itself in terms of things leaning in our favor," Enríquez said during his broadcast on the social media site. "On average, we have had a 320- to 340-vote lead against the opponent every single time. Four times now we have had a ballot update and we are consistently in the lead. It is really good for us; the trend is continuing to show that we are in the lead."
He is set to return out LGBTQ representation to the council for the first time since 2012, when its lesbian former member Susan Talamantes Eggman departed for the state Assembly. Now a state senator, she is termed out this year and leaving the Legislature.
Enríquez, who grew up in nearby Lathrop and works for his alma mater the University of the Pacific, had launched his council bid in 2023. After graduating in 2010 with a B.A. in sociology, Enríquez left Stockton to pursue new educational and professional opportunities.
One ended up being with the LGBTQ Victory Fund's educational arm, the Victory Institute, as its director of constituent engagement. He stepped down from the national nonprofit in early 2022 after being hired by the private college.
He asked his supporters for their patience, as many have been calling and texting him to inquire if they, too, can call him the councilmember-elect.
"I appreciate that others have called me personally to thank me on my win. I want to wait just a little bit longer," said Enríquez though he later added, "I hope to be the councilmember-elect very soon and be able to say that."
The update is a preview of how he intends to conduct himself once seated on the council, explained Enríquez.
"I want to showcase, even as a community member, I am always transparent, consistent, and held accountable too. I also want to communicate where we are at in things," he said. "As an elected councilmember, I intend to do updates on policy, our city budget, and issues happening in District 4," he said.
Other races
Enríquez is one of a handful of LGBTQ candidates in the greater Bay Area region who are waiting for additional ballots to come in before they declare themselves the winner. Several are in Alameda County, such as gay supervisorial candidate John Bauters and Oakland at-large city council contender Rowena Brown, where the next vote count update should come Friday (November 15).
Gay Berkeley District 6 city councilmember-elect Brent Blackaby declared victory Tuesday, even as more ballots awaited to be processed. He will succeed outgoing City Councilmember Susan Wengraf, who opted against running for another four-year term, representing the Berkeley Hills.
"I'm so honored that my neighbors in District 6 have elected me to represent them on the Berkeley City Council! While final votes are still being counted, the results are clear - and I'm humbled by the strong support we received," wrote Blackaby, a married dad, in a November 12 email thanking his supporters.
He did so after his opponent, Andy Katz, a gay and bisexual East Bay Municipal Utility District board member, called him that morning to concede the race.
"I appreciate Andy's leadership and his dedicated service to the East Bay, and I look forward to collaborating in the weeks and months ahead to address the challenges facing Berkeley," wrote Blackaby.
Katz will remain in his EBMUD Ward 4 seat through 2026, where he will be joined by gay former Alameda city councilmember Jim Oddie. Monday night Oddie declared victory in his race for the open EBMUD Ward 5 seat.
"Campaigns are never easy, which is why I especially want to express a deep gratitude for all of your support. Many of you have been supporting me for years, and I am grateful that you have stuck by me," wrote Oddie. "For those of you just joining, thank you for believing in me. As of this evening's count, we are ahead of our closest opponent by about a little over 11%. While the final count will not be complete for another week or so, it is statistically improbable for another candidate to overcome this margin."
Back in San Joaquin County, Enríquez will have an LGBTQ political colleague in gay Tracy Mayor-elect Dan Tavares Arriola, who bested his two opponents in his second bid for the position. Elected to his council seat in 2018, Arriola had first sought to become mayor two years later but fell short.
As the Bay Area Reporter's Political Notebook first reported online Wednesday, Arriola took first place in this year's mayoral contest with 47% of the unofficial returns. He had all but declared victory the day after the November 5 election based on the initial results in the race, telling his supporters via a post on X that "the opportunity to serve the city that raised me is truly the honor of a lifetime."
Statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization Equality California, on whose board for its educational arm Arriola serves, officially congratulated him as the winner of the mayoral race in its own post on X mid-afternoon November 13.
Congratulations to Equality California Institute Board Member @DanArriolaCA on his victory in Tracy! 🎉 We're excited to partner with him as we keep fighting for a world that's healthy, just, and fully equal for every LGBTQ+ person. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ #EqualityWins pic.twitter.com/hqPtmnl9fC
- Equality California (@eqca) November 13, 2024
"Congratulations to Equality California Institute Board Member @DanArriolaCA on his victory in Tracy! We're excited to partner with him as we keep fighting for a world that's healthy, just, and fully equal for every LGBTQ+ person. #EqualityWins," read EQCA's post.
Arriola's partner of two years, Hayward public school teacher Charlie Jones, also appears poised to win his race for a school board seat in the East Bay city of Pleasanton where he lives. He is currently in first place with 51% of the vote, with the next vote count update in the county expected on Friday.
As for Arriola, he is limited to serving two two-year terms as mayor. Thus, Arriola could lead the city that is home to many residents who commute to jobs in the Bay Area through 2028 if he's reelected in 2026.
Keep abreast of the latest LGBTQ political news by following the Political Notebook on Threads @ https://www.threads.net/@matthewbajko.
Got a tip on LGBTQ politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or email [email protected]
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