Features

Election Night Parties Around Town To Watch the Winners and Losers: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday November 02, 2004

Political junkies who don’t want to spend election night alone staring at television news anchors have plenty of social opportunities Tuesday night. 

Many local candidates and campaigns are hosting parties where the featured display will be a computer with an Internet hook-up providing updated local returns from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters. 

For those with their eyes on the biggest electoral prize, La Peña and UC Berkeley are holding events to watch the race for president. 

Starting at 4 p.m., UC Berkeley will host election night spectators at 102 Moses Hall, home to the Institute for Governmental Studies. Department faculty will stop by to offer commentary as events unfold. 

For a more partisan flavor, La Peña, starting at 5:30 p.m., is inviting progressives to watch election returns on its big screen television at 3105 Shattuck Ave. While election results are broadcast in the background, Aya de Leon, a political satirist, will perform and attendees will discuss future activism work, regardless of who wins. 

On the opposite end of the political spectrum, the UC Berkeley College Republicans will abandon their usual election night clubhouse, Kip’s Restaurant, and watch news coverage at the home of their chapter president in an undisclosed location. 

In Oakland, the Wellstone Democratic Club will watch election returns at Everett and Jones Barbecue on 126 Broadway in Jack London Square.  

Cafe de la Paz is hosting a “Re-defeat Bush” party at 1600 Shattuck Ave. and starting at 6 p.m. the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts is hosting a gathering at 2640 College Ave.  

Berkeley Greens will gather at “Grassroots House” at 2022 Blake St. to watch the race for president and stay tuned to local results via the Internet. 

The lone Green candidate for City Council this year, Jesse Townley, will host an election night gathering from 8 p.m. until midnight at his home at 1354 Carlotta Ave. Other campaigns hosting house parties include District 2 Candidate Darryl Moore at 1411 Channing Way, District 6 Candidate Norine Smith at 2350 Eunice Ave., Measure H, a campaign to publicly finance local elections, at 1305 Henry St., and Berkeleyans Against Soaring Taxes, who will gather from 7-11 p.m. at 262 Hilcrest Road.  

City Council candidates Betty Olds and Laurie Capitelli will hold a joint gathering starting at 9 p.m. at the brand new La Farine French Bakery at 1820 Solano Ave. Max Anderson, a candidate in District 3, will hold an election night party at The Vault Cafe at 3250 Adeline St. Just one block away, his opponent, Laura Menard, will host a potluck at the soon to be opened Spuds Pizza at 3290 Adeline St. 

Supporters of Measure Q, an initiative to push for decriminalizing prostitution, will host a party starting at 7:30 at the Missouri Lounge on 2600 San Pablo Ave. 

The committee to pass tax measures J, K and L will host supporters at its headquarters at 2026 Shattuck Ave. Just two blocks away, the Committee for Measure B, a tax for the Berkeley Unified School District, will keep abreast of local returns via Internet at their headquarters in the former Radio Shack at 1944 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

Unless otherwise noted, all gatherings are scheduled to begin when polls close at 8 p.m. Since the registrar’s office began downloading returns on-line, results have not come quickly. In 2002 it was nearly midnight before returns showed that Tom Bates had been elected Berkeley’s next mayor. 

Anyone who would rather remain at home but not rely on the local news for local results can access city and county returns from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters at www.acgov.org/rov.›