Throughout the campaign, candidate Don Perata said that he didn't understand the ranked-choice voting system being used for the first time in the Oakland mayor's race. Unfortunately for the former state senator, his two closest rivals in the race understood Alameda County's new voting system well enough to turn a near-certain victory for Perata into a possible defeat. Because if voter trends hold until the final count, it is likely that City Councilwoman Jean Quan will become Oakland's 46th mayor in January. On Tuesday, Quan held a news conference and said she remained cautiously optimistic but acknowledged the race was...