South Bay Election Update: Closest Races and Measure PVE Results

Days after voters cast their ballots in the November 3 general election, several municipal races across the South Bay remain stubbornly too close to call.

Sunday updates from the Los Angeles County registrar’s office show razor-thin margins in the contests for Carson City Council, Rancho Palos Verdes City Council, El Segundo City Council, and a local parcel tax initiative.

Election officials released their latest figures Sunday afternoon after processing 78,618 additional ballots. Countywide voter turnout has reached 52.80% with a total of 3,119,732 tallied votes.

Election Night 2026: Bay Area & California Results | CBS News

Roughly 53,000 ballots remain to be processed across the county, including 20,000 vote-by-mail envelopes, 28,000 conditional registrations, and 5,000 provisional ballots. The registrar plans to issue its next update Monday between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

In Carson City Council’s Fourth District, entrepreneur and Public Works Commissioner John Hollaway holds a tight lead over incumbent Arleen Rojas. Hollaway captured 51.57% of the vote compared to Rojas’s 48.43%, leaving just 220 votes separating the two candidates.

Up the coast in El Segundo, a similarly narrow contest is unfolding for two open council seats. John Pickhaver leads the field with 34.78% of the vote.

Incumbent Mayor Chris Pimentel trails Pickhaver by 172 votes, holding 33.38% support. Sitting Councilmember Ryan Baldino sits in third place, trailing Pimentel by 190 votes with 31.84%.

Rancho Palos Verdes voters are deciding three open seats on their city council. John Cruikshank leads the pack with 25.58% support.

LIVE: Polls close in California; Live results, projected midterm election winners

Former Planning Commissioners David Chura and Matthew Brach follow in second and third place with 20.47% and 15.91% of the vote, respectively. Attorney Tina Funiciello trails Brach by just 210 votes in fourth place with 15.35%.

Jessica Patton Vlaco sits in fifth with 11.86%, while healthcare consultant Michele Carbone occupies the final spot with 10.82%.

2026 Election Results: Californians vote on key propositions

The fate of Palos Verdes Estates’ Measure PVE represents the most uncertain local ballot question. The measure requires two-thirds support to pass, sitting at 68.14% support as of 4 p.m. Sunday.

If the parcel tax maintains at least 67% support, it will generate roughly $8.7 million annually through the 2032-33 fiscal year. The measure would extend an expiring special parcel tax at a rate of $1,025 per taxable parcel to fund the city’s independent police department and pay down pension liabilities.

City officials note that failure would strip $5.1 million in dedicated annual funding from the police department.

Mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day will continue arriving through November 10. The L.A. County registrar expects to release final certified election results on November 27.