San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe and Rep. Paul Cook, R-Apple Valley, appear to have won seats on the board of supervisors and avoided November runoffs.

The unofficial final results posted Wednesday, March 4, show that both candidates had more than 50% of the votes, which would mean there won’t be runoffs. Cook ran in District 1; Rowe in District 3. If the leads hold, they would take office Dec. 7.

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The District 5 seat, however, looks to be headed to a runoff in which Joe Baca Jr., a Rialto city councilman and teacher, would face Jesse Armendarez, a Fontana city councilman and real estate agent.

Rep. Paul Cook, R-Apple Valley, appears to have won the San Bernardino County 1st District seat in the Tuesday, March 3, 2020, election, results posted Wednesday, March 4, 2020, show. . (Photo courtesy of Paul Cook)

Dawn Rowe, who was appointed San Bernardino County 3rd District Supervisor in 2018, appears to have won the seat in the Tuesday, March 3, 2020, election, results posted Wednesday, March 4, 2020, show. (Photo courtesy of Dawn Rowe)

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Jesse Armendarez, a Fontana city councilman, appears headed for a runoff for the San Bernardino County 5th District Supervisor seat. (Photo courtesy of Jesse Armendarez)

Joe Baca Jr., a Rialto city councilman and high school teacher, appears headed for a runoff for the San Bernardino County 5th District Supervisor seat. (Photo courtesy of Joe Baca Jr.)



In the District 1 race, Cook had 65.5% of the votes. Rita Ramirez, a Victorville city councilwoman, was running a distant second; followed by Marcelino “Chico” Garza, special assistant to the San Bernardino County superintendent; and Stevevonna Renee Evans, an Adelanto city councilwoman and business executive.

In District 3, Rowe won 55.7% of the votes, apparently defeating four challengers. Eddie Tejeda, a Redlands city councilman and teacher, was in second place, followed by retired educator Kaisar Ahmed. Following Ahmed was Karen Ickes, San Bernardino County human services manager; and Latron Lester, a minister from Barstow.

In District 5, Baca got 39.5% of the votes, while Armendarez was in second place with 27.3%. Since neither candidate appeared to receive over 50% of the vote, a runoff would be needed.

Countywide, about 77,400 vote-by-mail ballots as well as 17,700 provisional ballots, mail ballots that require further signature review and damaged ballots requiring duplication, remained to be counted as of Wednesday morning, according to the county registrar of voters. There were 1,300 mail-in ballots unable to be counted after initial signature review but have yet to be corrected by voters. Mail-in ballots postmarked Tuesday must be counted as long as they arrive by the end of Friday. It’s not known what races these ballots are from. The next results update is set for Friday, March 6, at 4 p.m.

Rowe’s election raises questions about a pending case over her appointment to the board more than a year ago. I.E. United, a political advocacy group, sued over Rowe’s appointment, arguing that supervisors violated the state’s open-meeting law when they appointed her to the seat Dec. 18, 2018.

In September 2019, Superior Court Judge Janet M. Frangie said the process used in November and December 2018 by supervisors to fill the 3rd District supervisor’s seat violated the Ralph M. Brown Act. She also ordered that the appointment be rescinded.

The state Supreme Court in January, however, ruled that Rowe could remain in office, granting a temporary stay while the high court hears the argument.

That case, however, has little to do with the election, county spokesman David Wert said.

“The case had to do with the process the Board of Supervisors used to fill the seat,” he said. “Whether the judges will see some significance in the fact that the people have now spoken is up to them. The county is prepared to continue to defend the process the board used to appoint (Rowe).”

Rowe declined to comment about the case but said she is pleased with the election result.

“It’s nice to know that I connected with what appears to be a majority of the voters,” Rowe said, adding that she will continue to work on the issues that matter most to her district. “We continue to face a number of challenges in San Bernardino County, including the homeless problem, the need for a skilled workforce coming out of high schools and junior colleges and land-use issues in some parts of the district.”

Cook and Baca could not be reached Wednesday.

Armendarez said he is “humbled by the show of support” from the district in which he was born and raised.

“My message of dealing with the homeless crisis, making our neighborhoods safer and bringing more livable wage jobs to our region has clearly resonated with the voters,” he said. “I look forward to continue sharing my vision for our community as we head towards November.”