Cesar Zepeda elected to Richmond City Council after name drawn from bag

RICHMOND, Calif. - Cesar Zepeda won the District 2 Richmond city council race Tuesday morning, but not by an election.

The race, which ended in a tie, was chosen out of a giftbag by the city clerk.

Each of the two candidates, Andrew Butt and Zepeda, received exactly 1,921 votes in the Nov. 8 election. So under county rules, each candidate had to write their name on a piece of paper, put it in an envelope, then place it in a bag.

They each had a chance to shake the bag, followed by the announcement.

"The winner for District 2 is Cesar Zepeda," announced the city clerk Tuesday morning. "Congratulations."

Both candidates said the tiebreaker was a stranger experience.