Mayor's race still undecided; 'Yes' has narrow lead on Measure R

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The race for Menifee Mayor remains undecided because of an ongoing count of ballots that could continue for several more days, according to the Registrar of Voters office.

Meanwhile, the outcome of Measure R – a bond measure sponsored by the Menifee Union School District – remains uncertain, with the “yes” votes only slightly above the 55 percent approval rate required for passage.

In a battle of current City Council members, Lesa Sobek leads Ricky Estrada by 505 votes, according to the latest update provided by the Registrar Thursday night. Sobek has received 44.91 percent of the votes, compared to 43.45 percent for Estrada. Since the first results were announced Tuesday night, Sobek’s lead has reduced from 1,298 votes to 505.

However, although that trend makes the mayor’s race too close to call, it would be a longshot for Estrada to make up the difference as the final numbers continue to trickle in. For instance, Sobek’s lead on Thursday was reduced by only 15 votes from the previous day’s update.

Sobek said she has been told by the Registrar that only the mail-in ballots postmarked on election day remain to be counted. Votes registered on site at local precincts have already been counted. Even so, the Registrar’s Office has until Nov. 12 to complete the count.

The third mayoral candidate, Dameon Greene, trails with 11.64 percent of the votes.

No matter what happens in the mayoral race, Estrada will retain a seat on the City Council. If he loses the race for mayor, he will remain the District 2 representative. He has two years remaining in that term.

At least one Menifee resident believes that the mayoral race is over. Addressing the City Council on Wednesday, John Pruitt first congratulated Sobek on a victory, then spoke directly to Estrada. Pruitt told Estrada he was too young to be mayor, that he needed to “step up your game”, and that “I’ll be watching you.”

Following Pruitt’s remarks, resident Ed Samuelson also addressed Estrada. He referred to Estrada’s comment during the Menifee 24/7 Candidates Forum that he was in favor of repealing Measure DD, which funds a large part of the Police Department’s budget. Samuelson quoted Estrada as saying at the forum that the difference could be made up by eliminating “wasteful spending.”

“At the next meeting, I want you to come with a list of each item you would eliminate, how much, and how that would compare to what Measure DD gets us,” Samuelson said.

The gap in the race for the two other City Council seats is much wider. Menifee 24/7 projects current council member Bob Karwin as the winner in District 1, with 58.28 percent of the votes. He has a lead of 1,527 votes over Mark Harkay, with 9,217 total votes cast.

In District 3, Dan Temple is the winner with 67.30 percent of the votes. Felix Montano has received 17.32 percent and Gene Recor has received 15.30 percent. A total of 7,158 votes have been cast in that district, which is currently represented by Sobek.

The “yes” votes continue to lead the voting for Measure R, although the race is close. “Yes” has received 20,066 votes (55.58 percent) – less than a percentage point above what is needed for approval. That will be the most closely watched race in the final days of the count.

Measure I – a bond sponsored by the Romoland School District – appears headed for approval. “Yes” votes currently have 57.95 percent of the votes.

In the race for local representation on the Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District, Chistopher Carnes has made up an early deficit and leads Angela Domenigoni Little with 51.94 percent of the votes.

And in a hotly contested race that has prompted considerable debate on the Menifee 24/7 Facebook page, Ken Calvert leads Will Rollins in the race for U.S. Representative of the 41st District with 51.51 percent of the votes.

Here are the latest numbers. The next election update will be released at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Menifee mayor:

Lesa Sobek 15,585 votes (44.91%)
Ricky Estrada 15,080 votes (43.45%)
Dameon Greene 4,041 votes (11.64%)
58 of 58 precincts reporting

City Council District 1:
Bob Karwin 5,372 votes (58.28%)
Mark Harkay 3,845 votes (41.72%)
8 of 8 precincts reporting

City Council District 3:
Dan Temple 4,817 votes (67.30%)
Felix Montano 1,240 votes (17.32%)
Gene Recor 1,095 votes (15.30%)
Jay Sno-Fly (write-in) 6 votes
21 of 21 precincts reporting

Measure R - Bond Measure for Menifee Union School District
Yes 20,066 votes (55.58%)
No 16,036 votes (44.42%)
65 of 65 precincts reporting

Measure I - Bond Measure for Romoland School District

Yes 5,716 votes (57.95)
No 4,148 votes (42.05%)
37 of 37 precincts reporting

Director, Valley-Wide Recreation and Park Dist. Area 4
Christopher Carnes 9,410 (51.94%)
Angela Domenigoni Little 8,706 votes (48.06%)
38 of 38 precincts reporting

U.S. Representative 41st District
Ken Calvert 127,288 (51.51%)
Will Rollins 119,833 (48.49%)
513 of 513 precincts reporting