Fil-Am loses court election in San Mateo County, California

Daly City Councilor Ray Buenaventura (left) lost his bid for judge position. PHOTO BY ROSE GARCIA

DALY CITY, California — Ray Buenaventura (Dem.), the Filipino American candidate for the Superior Court (Office No. 6) in the San Mateo County, lost to his opponent, Stephanie Garratt (GOP), in the recently concluded Statewide Direct Primary Election on June 3.

Buenaventura is concurrently a member of the City Council in Daly City.

“I’m excited at the possibility of what could happen tonight, “ Buenaventura told INQUIRER.Net during the Election Watch Party held at the Bayanihan Center in Daly City. “I’m grateful for all the support, and I think I have a positive campaign based on grassroots.”

Out of 475 completed precincts, Buenaventura gathered 21,430 votes or 37.1 percent versus Garratts’ 36,393 votes or 62.9 percentage, a more or less 15 to 20-percent difference.

Total final results were tallied and accounted for the entire 475 precincts by 11 p.m. (June 3). There were roughly 374,000 registered voters in the San Mateo County with at least a third of them identified as Asians.

In the last presidential electio, Julian Shung, a volunteer for Buenaventura said the peak turnout was 35 percent. “Traditionally, in non-presidential elections, the peak is around 20 percent, and we have between 10 to 19 percent projections right now,” said Shung.

Earlier projections and low turnout

Buenventura’s campaign manager, Mitchell Oster, said, “There are no big propositions in the ballot that get people angry or light a fire– something controversial — that would prompt them to troop to polling centers or cast their votes.”

Oster said Buenaventura did not decide to run until two judge positions were vacated, barely four months ago. “Normally, you have a year-stretch to campaign for elective positions.”

Win or lose, Oster said Buenaventura would have had to give up his post as a City Council member if he had won. He retains his Daly City council post.

There is also some likelihood that Buenaventura may assume a vacated justice position in the future.

Judges serves a six-year term in the bench. There are now six judges in the Superior Court in San Mateo County.

RELATED STORY

Would be San Mateo county judge is seasoned lawyer, de la Salle alumnus