The latest results from the Nov. 5 election show Lemon Grove City Councilmember Alysson Snow as the new mayor of the city, defeating incumbent Mayor Racquel Vasquez and challenger Liana LeBaron, a fellow council member.
A 1-cent sales tax increase also appears headed for victory.
With 1.5 million votes counted and 20,000 left to go countywide Thursday, Snow had captured almost 40% of the votes in a three-way race.
LeBaron and Vasquez each had about 30% and were separated by just 44 votes Thursday, but were about 1,000 votes behind Snow.
Incumbent George Gastil is trailing behind two candidates in a bid to retain his seat, which expires this year.
LeBaron’s seat also expires this year, but the first-term council member did not seek re-election but instead ran for mayor, leaving her and Gastil’s seats open. Challenger Jessyka Heredia has captured 29% of the votes and Sitivi “Steve” Faiai has 26%. Gastill has about 24 percent of the votes, trailing behind Faiai by about 300 votes.
Challenger Seth Andrew Smith is fourth in the race with about 20% of the votes.
Snow’s council seat still has two years before expiring and will be filled either by appointment or a special election.
Voters also have shown strong support for Measure T, a 1-cent sales tax increase that will be in place for 10 years and is projected to raise about $6 million annually to fund parks, community facilities, fire protection, paramedics, police and emergency services, homelessness, infrastructure and other needs.
On Thursday, the measure had support by about 72% of voters and needed a simple majority to pass.
