BERKELEY - Nancy Pelosi, the next speaker of the U.S. House, declared it was a big day for Americans one day after Tuesday’s election. But, not for Ballot Box 207600, located in the Berkeley District 4 polling place.

BERKELEY - The tightest Berkeley City Council race in recent history remained too close two full days after the election. While District 7 incumbent Kriss Worthington narrowly led his opponent George Beier by 131 votes as of Thursday, officials at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters said it could take up to 28 days to finalize the totals.

SAN FRANCISCO - Chris Daly is on his way to serving a third term as San Francisco's District 6 Supervisor.

BERKELEY - On the night when Democrats wrangled back the House of Representatives from GOP control, Jerry McNerney, a wind engineer from Pleasanton and novice politician, pulled off a major upset by ousting longtime Republican Congressman Richard Pombo.

SAN FRANCISCO – Plagued by infighting in the past, the San Francisco Board of Education will see fresh faces join its ranks this January.

OAKLAND - At 6 o’clock this morning, one hour before the polls opened, Chen Zunni walked into the Lincoln Neighborhood Center in Oakland’s Chinatown. He helped his colleagues set up the desks and chairs, put out the polling materials, and make sure all the machines were working. Then he sat down and took out his breakfast - warm blueberry muffins he had made himself.

BERKELEY - Overcoming multiple scandals and a wave of anti-Republican sentiment seen around the nation, Rep. John Doolittle (R-Granite Bay) continues to lead in his eighth election.

OAKLAND - Just after 7 o’clock this morning, Elvia Leal, 69, walked into the nearly deserted Spanish Speaking Citizens Council building on Oakland’s Fruitvale Avenue. Carrying a voter’s guide in Spanish that she had received in the mail, the Mexican immigrant made her way to the voting booth and cast her vote for the first time since she became an American citizen a decade ago.

BERKELEY – Mayor Tom Bates appeared headed to victory last night in early returns from a contentious race in which campus development and growth issues were front and center. With 37 percent of the vote counted, the incumbent led his opponent, Zelda Bronstein, 62 percent to 31 percent.

RICHMOND — Voters in this city’s Iron Triangle who turned out today to decide on the mayor’s race and Measure T, the tax code revision that would bring millions to the troubled city, expressed ambivalence about the measure and mixed support for the incumbent mayor.

ALAMEDA – After a heated election season, Alameda voters on Tuesday chose to stick with an incumbent mayor and city council member rather than replace them with a slate of slow-growth challengers.

OAKLAND - Patricia Kernighan was leading challenger Aimee Allison late tonight in the hard-fought District 2 race for the Oakland City Council’s only open seat.

ALBANY — Two opposing forces in Albany’s City Council elections spoke out heatedly tonight as early returns showed candidates Marge Atkinson and Caryl O’Keefe leading by a narrow margin.

ALBANY - Voters in Albany went to the polls today to determine the future of the Albany waterfront and decide on issues from new fire stations to medical marijuana.

BERKELEY -- It was 2 p.m. on Election Day, and students were flooding Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus, going in and out of classes. Just a few feet away stood a polling place, but most of the students just walked by it, not even glancing in its direction.

BERKELEY - Most of the Congressional races to be decided in California today are regarded as a done deal. Because of gerrymandered districts or non-threatened incumbents, California—with 53 Congressional districts, more than any other state—has only three really competitive Congressional matchups this fall.

ALBANY- The city of Albany is preparing for the final push in the City Council elections: two seats, four candidates, one big fight. The future of the Albany waterfront hangs on this vote, as Albany citizens will decide both what �development’ means, and how much money it is worth.

SAN FRANCISCO – They are as diverse as the school system they are trying to represent. They are black, white, Hispanic and Asian. They are retirees, parents, educators and community activists. Their ages range from a spry 29 to a sage 65 years old.

RICHMOND – Five candidates vying for three Richmond City Council seats are campaigning to move the city forward from recent troubles with budget deficits and crime.

BERKELEY – Construction cranes towering over the UC Berkeley campus these days signal the new growth stemming from a long-range university development plan that eventually will see major construction in the city’s downtown business district.

RICHMOND-- On Nov. 7, Richmond voters will choose from among three mayoral candidates, each offering a solution to the violent crime that plagues the city and a vision for putting Richmond back on the map as a good place to live and do business.

ALAMEDA- The race for the next chief executive of the island of Alameda is being consumed by the issue of development. First-term councilmember Doug deHaan is challenging Mayor Beverly Johnson on a platform to limit development, open government meetings and rein in spending on development projects.

BERKELEY- The revival of Telegraph Avenue and the question of student representation dominate the campaign for the city council seat in District 7 – a student-rich district south of the Cal campus.

OAKLAND -- In what some observers are calling the most important local election this year, incumbent Pat Kernighan and newcomer Aimee Allison have lit a spark among many Oaklanders long used to predictable city council races.