Steve Gizzi, a Benicia practicing attorney and former councilmember, was elected to serve as the judge for Department 3 of the Solano County Superior Court.(Courtesy photo)

With all precincts in Solano County reporting as of Wednesday, Benicia practicing attorney Steve Gizzi has won a victory over prosecutor John Coffer in the race for judge on the Solano Superior Court.

Gizzi, who had served on the Benicia City Council from 1996 to 2002, had received 54 percent of the vote to Coffer’s 44 percent.

“I am humbled and honored by the wonderful outpouring of support from my Solano County constituents on election day,” Gizzi wrote on his campaign’s Facebook page. “In this crazy world of unkept political promises, all I can think to do is tell you how much I appreciate your confidence, and also to assure you that I will not let you down.”

Despite his loss, Coffer also took to Facebook to thank those who supported him.

“I want to thank all of you who provided support, endorsements, contributions and encouragement to me for the past several months during the campaign,” he wrote. “It was quite a ride!”

Other races impacting Benicia saw big wins for Democrats, whether incumbents or statewide frontrunners. Per California’s top-two primary system– sometimes referred to as the “Jungle Primary,” the top two vote-getters will face off in the November election, even if they come from the same party. Rep. Mike Thompson dominated in the race for California’s 5th congressional district– which includes Benicia– with 79 percent of the vote in Benicia and Vallejo alone. As of press time, the second-place vote getter was not decided, although Anthony Mills- an independent merchant mariner– was leading with 9 percent of the vote. Independent community organizer Nils Palsson garnered 7.72 percent of the vote in Solano, and Green Party candidate Jason Kishineff got 3.14 percent.

In the race for California’s 14th Assembly District, which Benicia is a part of, incumbent Assemblymember Tim Grayson took first place over his opponent Aasim Yahya, a senior at Concord High School. In Solano County, Grayson received 83 percent of the vote to Yahya’s 15 percent. Both will square off in the fall.

The outcome in the gubernatorial primary in Solano was the same as it was for the state as a whole. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom received 41 percent of the vote in Solano– compared to the 33 percent he has garnered statewide so far– while Republican businessman John Cox received 23 percent of the vote in Solano– 26.2 percent statewide. Both candidates will face each other in the general election.

However, not all races in Solano had the same results as they did in the rest of the state. Incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein was the top vote-getter in Solano with 48.9 percent of the vote– and 43.8 percent statewide– but James P. Bradley, a Republican health care chief financial officer, came in second in the county with 7.9 percent of the vote. However, state Sen. Kevin de Leon fared better in the rest of the state with 11 percent of the vote and will be running against Feinstein in the fall.

Solano also voted in line with the state on ballot measures. Residents said yes to Propositions 68, 69, 71 and 72, but no to 70. However, Solano residents did not vote the same when it came to Regional Measure 3, the Bay Area initiative which aims to raise the price on bridge tolls by $3 over the next seven years to generate money for transit improvements throughout the region. The measure won with 53 percent of the vote of the Bay Area but not in Solano County where residents voted 69 percent against the measure.

For more information on how Solano voted in other races, go to livevoterturnout.com/SolanoCA/LiveResults/en/Index_2.html.

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