3 of 4 JumpStart Vallejo Candidates Lead Council Race

Three of four JumpStart Vallejo candidates were elected to the Vallejo City Council, according to unofficial election results.

In the contest for three four-year terms, the JumpStart Vallejo political action committee-backed candidates, incumbent Vallejo City Councilman Jess Malgapo and Pippin Dew, placed first and third, respectively. Katy Miessner finished second. JumpStart Vallejo candidate Tony Summers came in fourth place.

The other four candidates for the full term seats were Herman Blackwell, Tony Mapalo, Liat Meitzenheimer and Chris Platzer.

In the race for a two-year term, JumpStart Vallejo candidate Rozzana Verder-Aliga defeated former three-term City Councilwoman Joanne Schivley by a 47-36 percent margin. Ronald Johnson finished third with 15 percent of the vote.

The JumpStart Vallejo candidates have emphasized increasing public safety, investment in new businesses and jobs creation in their campaigns.

They had the endorsement of the Napa-Solano Central Labor Council and have received campaign contributions from Vallejo's police, fire and electrical workers' unions and real estate interests.

Opponents of the JumpStart Vallejo candidates said the City Council can't afford to increase salary and benefits for public employees, particularly public safety employees, to the unsustainable levels that contributed to bankruptcy proceedings.

Contract negotiations with police are at an impasse, and the police officers' union has sued the city to resume negotiations.

Vallejo voters in Tuesday's election also approved Measure E, which shifts the city's municipal elections from odd to even number years.

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