By admin 
Judge Leon Dixson retained his Placer Superior Court seat after defeating Rocklin Mayor Dave Bass in the June 2 election.
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Updated returns showed Dixson with a 16-percentage-point margin — 58% of the vote, or 75,547 votes, compared with 41.8%, or 54,481 votes, for Bass — in the race for the court’s only contested seat.
The county elections office said Wednesday that roughly 4,000 ballots remained to be counted or reconciled countywide. Election officials cautioned that final results will not be known until the election is certified next month.
Bass, a prosecutor with the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, acknowledged the outcome in a Facebook post Wednesday, describing the race as a learning experience.
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“There are none here, just lessons. And it is easy to feel alone in the arena, especially after a loss, but I am not alone and I never was,” he said. “I feel the deepest gratitude for every person that jumped in with me, or cheered on, knowing how tough the fight would be.”
Bass said criticism made him stronger.
“We need to remember that the road to protecting our county, our state, will have setbacks, losses, and, importantly, more lessons to be learned,” he said.
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Bass was backed by several prominent Republican elected officials in the nonpartisan race, including state Sen. Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, and Assemblymember Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin. He also received endorsements from Crime Victims United, several law enforcement officials and sitting judges.
Dixson, who was appointed to the bench in 2024 by Gov. Gavin Newsom, thanked supporters in a social media post after the election.
“There are still votes to be counted, but we are happy with the numbers so far and we are grateful for your support,” he said.
Dixson was endorsed by more than 80 judges, including fellow members of the Placer County Superior Court bench. Before joining the court, he served as supervising attorney for Legal Services of Northern California and held several other legal positions.
Campaign finance records show Dixson raised about $160,000 between Jan. 1 and May 15 and spent roughly $134,000 during that period. Bass raised about $100,000 and spent about $80,000, according to state filings.
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