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Measure D supporters were glum as Superintendent Rob Kessler spoke to them Tuesday night shortly after 9 p.m., thanking them for their efforts. Absentee ballots and early returns showed the parcel school tax was receiving 58 percent support when it needed 66 percent to pass.

At his side were Trustee Rachel Hurd and Nancy Vandell, who led the fight for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.

"We're going to pick ourselves up and try again," Hurd told the crowd as they fought back tears, standing around a table of largely untouched treats.

A computer in the Bishop Ranch "Yes on D" office projected the results on one wall, while Hurd and other volunteers kept tabs with a black pen on another as the tallies came in. When all precincts had reported, Measure D received 62.59 percent.

"There was a tremendous outpouring of volunteer effort," said Vandell.

Computers also were in action across the courtyard at the "Joan Buchanan for Assembly" headquarters as family and friends stopped by to congratulate Buchanan on her two-to-one lead over opponent Ted Ford for the Democratic nomination for the 15th Assembly District race in November.

School board member Buchanan, an Alamo resident, will now face San Ramon Mayor Abram Wilson in the November election. Wilson clinched the Republican nomination with 36.78 percent of the vote against opponents Robert Rao (29.89); Judy Lloyd (21.70); and Scott Kamena (11.34).

Though the race for District 3 Contra Costa County Supervisor was relatively close, incumbent Mary N. Piepho beat out State Assemblyman Guy Houston with 53.15 percent of the vote.

Piepho surpassed the 51 percent needed to secure the election, preventing the race continuing into November. Houston received 45.25 percent of the vote, and write-in candidate Stevan Thomas received 1.61 percent.

Voter turnout Tuesday was low countywide; 29 percent of roughly 491,000 registered voters in the county showed up at the polls. That number was as high as 67 percent during the presidential primary in February and was 38 percent during the last primary election in June 2006.

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