East Bay voters on Tuesday will select a new member of Congress, and determine the fate of upscale downtown development in Walnut Creek — and a host of school and other measures.

Slightly more than half of Contra Costa and Alameda county voters live in cities or other political districts with an election, including those in the vacant 10th Congressional District, San Ramon and Walnut Creek.

Voters in Newark, Emeryville and Albany also will make decisions on a variety of issues.

Contra Costa elections chief Steve Weir is not making any turnout predictions in what is typically a low participation special election.

But Weir expects that turnout will be higher than it was in the Sept. 1 special election, which had far fewer issues on the ballot. And once again, he predicted, voters who cast ballots by mail will vastly outnumber those who show up to the polls Tuesday.

In the Sept. 1 special election primary for the 10th District, three-quarters of the votes came on vote-by-mail ballots. Turnout overall was 29 percent, slightly higher in Contra Costa at 32 percent.

The congressional contest, coupled with Walnut Creek's two school funding measures and its ongoing brouhaha concerning downtown development, is expected to drive up turnout there.

The highest-profile race is undeniably the runoff to replace Ellen Tauscher in the 10th District. Two-thirds of the heavily Democratic district is in Contra Costa, with smaller

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segments in Alameda, Solano and Sacramento counties.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Tauscher in June as the U.S. State Department's undersecretary for arms control and international security.

Democrat and Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, of Walnut Grove, faces Republican attorney David Harmer, of Dougherty Valley. Three minor-party candidates also will appear on the ballot.

Walnut Creek voters will decide the fate of Measure I, a contentious initiative that would grant Broadway Plaza owner Macerich Co. permission to build a new store downtown, intended for Neiman Marcus.

Residents of the Acalanes and Walnut Creek school districts will decide whether to extend indefinitely existing parcel taxes that help close the state funding gap.

The measures require a difficult two-thirds vote threshold, but there has been little organized opposition.

A full list of races and measures follows:

CONGRESS

  • 10th Congressional District — John Garamendi, Dem.; David Harmer, Rep.; Mary McIlroy, Peace and Freedom; Jeremy Cloward, Green Party; and Jerry Denham, American Independent.

    CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

  • San Ramon City Council — two seats — Dave Hudson (i), Jim Livingstone (i), Doug Burr and Jim Brady.

  • San Ramon mayor — Abram Wilson (i).

  • Measure G, Acalanes Union High School District — Asks voters to extend indefinitely an existing $189 parcel tax to fund school programs. Two-thirds vote required.

  • Measure H, Walnut Creek School District — Asks voters to extend indefinitely an existing $82 parcel tax to fund school programs. Two-thirds vote required.

  • Measure I, Walnut Creek — Asks voters to approve a downtown Broadway Plaza commercial retail project that property owner Macerich has said will be a Neiman Marcus department store. Majority vote required.

    ALAMEDA COUNTY

  • Emery Unified School District, three seats — Cheryl Webb (i), Brian Donahue, Miguel Dwin (i), Darice Bridges, Joshua Simon (i).

  • Emeryville City Council, two seats — Jennifer West, Frank Flores, Kurt Brinkman

  • Newark City Council — two seats — Ana Apodaca (i), Nadja Adolf, and Alan Nagy (i).

  • Newark mayor — David Smith (i).

  • Measure I, Albany Unified School District — Asks voters to approve a five-year, $149 parcel tax to help backfill the loss of state funds. Two-thirds vote required.

  • Measure J, Albany Unified School District — Asks voters to combine three existing special school taxes. No tax increase requested. Two-thirds vote required.

  • Measure K, Emeryville — Asks voters to increase business license tax on card rooms from 9 percent to 10 percent of gross receipts or $1,000 per table, whichever is greater.

    Majority vote required.

  • Measure L, Newark — Asks voters to establish a 3.9 percent utility users tax for six years to fund police, fire and other city services. Majority vote required.

    Reach Lisa Vorderbrueggen at 925-945-4773.

    or www.ibabuzz.com/politics.

    VOTER INFORMATION
    Find your polling place or answers to other election questions at the following locations:
  • Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters: 555 Escobar St. in Martinez. Contact the office at 925-335-7800 or www.cocovote.us.
  • Alameda County Registrar of Voters: 1225 Fallon Street G-1 in Oakland. Contact the office at 510 267-8683 or www.acgov.org/rov.