Planning Commissioner Chris Sturken has won the Redwood City Council District 2 race, defeating Housing and Human Concerns Committee member Margaret Becker in a close election to represent Downtown, Centennial, and parts of Mt. Carmel.
According to returns released on Monday, Nov. 21, Sturken leads by 51 votes, earning 1,090 votes to Becker’s 1,039. Local attorney Alison Madden stands at 543 votes.
While the County Elections Office has until December 9 to certify the results, it reports having only a few challenged ballots left to process in all of San Mateo County.
The outcome of the race took well over a week to determine. As reported by Climate Magazine, Sturken trailed Becker by approximately 3.5 percent in the first returns released on Election Night. He gradually closed the gap with each successive report, finishing nearly 2 percent ahead.
Sturken ran on a campaign aiming for a “safe, livable, and affordable Redwood City.” On the trail, he frequently cited his record as a housing and transit advocate and his broad base of high-profile endorsements. He currently works as an events coordinator for HIP Housing, an affordable housing nonprofit.
Diane Howard and Kaia Eakin have been elected in Districts 6 and 5, respectively. Howard defeated Jerome Madigan with nearly 75 percent of the vote, and Eakin ran unopposed.
The councilmembers will be sworn into office at the December 12 council reorganization meeting, where Mayor Giselle Hale and Councilmember Diana Reddy will depart.
