Solano County's district attorney appears to have been unseated by a challenge from his major crimes prosecutor amid allegations of corruption and incompetence in his office, according to preliminary results from Tuesday's election.
Meanwhile, one Solano County supervisor successfully defended his seat from three challengers while another appears headed to a runoff election this November.
District Attorney Donald du Bain was left with 48.49 percent of the vote at the end of Tuesday's voting, which doesn't appear to be enough to overcome the 51.12 percent of the vote garnered by his challenger, prosecutor Krishna Abrams.
[Related: UPDATED: Preliminary Election Results Solano County Candidates.]
Du Bain's turn as district attorney was troubled by allegations that prosecutors and police were seeking to have autopsy results support their investigations rather than being unbiased, and his chief pathologist was fired in 2013 after questions about her competency arose.
Abrams pledged to restore trust and ethics to the office. Her record includes 18 years' experience as a prosecutor, being named Solano County "Prosecutor of the Year" in 2012 and winning the "Outstanding Prosecutor" award for rural or medium counties in 2012-2013 from the California District Attorneys Association. She was the first Solano County prosecutor to win the award.
[Related: UPDATED: Preliminary Election Results on Solano County Measures.]
District 3 Supervisor Jim Spering appears to be headed for a runoff election this November against Fairfield City Councilwoman Pam Bertani.
Spering received the most votes according to preliminary results, but the 44.73 percent of the vote he received fell short of the majority necessary to avoid a runoff.
Bertani received 40.33 percent while candidates Michael Oman and Steven Lowe finished with 8.08 and 6.69 percent, respectively.
Spering was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2006 and was Suisun City mayor between 1986 and 2006. He said he has secured funding for the state Highway 12-Jameson Canyon Road widening project, helped balance the county's budget, and led efforts to create the Solano County Family Justice Center.
Spering said he brought together stakeholders at Travis Air Force Base to protect the new assault landing zone and has been active in infrastructure improvement, job creation, preserving agriculture and supporting veterans programs.
Bertani, an attorney, said she will work to eliminate wasteful spending, and unnecessary perks for elected officials and top managers and invest that money in the community.
She said she has worked to clean up neighborhoods and create mentoring programs for youth, continue the downtown revitalization in Fairfield, and preserve vital public services in the county.
District 4 Supervisor John Vasquez seems to have defended his seat successfully against challenges from realtor Eugene Ray, farmer Gerald Clift and Dixon Vice Mayor Thom Bogue.
Vasquez received 51.93 percent of the vote, while his none of his challengers could muster more than 20 percent.
Clift came the closest with 18.28 percent.
Related coverage:
UPDATED: Preliminary Election Results Solano County Candidates
Preliminary Election Results on Solano County Measures.
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--Bay City News
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