Frankel extends lead in mayoral race; Measure G-26 still short in latest results

The race for Paso Robles mayor is still too close to call, but it tilted a few more votes in one direction this week. Meanwhile, the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District's bond measure continues to trail badly — and with tens of thousands of county ballots still uncounted, both contests remain genuinely unsettled.

The Paso Robles Daily News reported that unofficial results posted by the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder's Office at 4:55 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5 show former councilmember-led candidate Faith Frankel with 2,915 votes (45.26%) in the mayor's race, ahead of Bill Britton's 2,760 (42.86%) and Chris Rogalla's 765 (11.88%). Frankel's margin over Britton grew from 133 votes in early returns to 155 votes — progress for her campaign, but hardly a comfortable cushion in a race where thousands of city ballots may still be in the pipeline.

What the latest count shows

The countywide picture puts the remaining uncertainty in perspective. Of 183,042 registered voters across San Luis Obispo County, 72,127 had ballots counted as of the Nov. 5 update — a turnout of 39.40%, split between 64,499 vote-by-mail ballots and 7,628 cast at polling places. All 153 precincts countywide have reported at least partial results.

But the county's unprocessed ballots report estimates roughly 60,375 ballots remain to be counted: about 53,502 vote-by-mail ballots received on or before Election Day, 2,726 mail ballots that arrived after Election Day, and 2,709 provisional ballots. Under California law, the county has until Dec. 3 to certify final results — meaning Paso Robles residents may not know the final outcome of their local races for weeks.

Within the city, 6,992 of Paso Robles' 18,847 registered voters had been counted as of the update, a turnout of 37.10%, with all 11 city precincts reporting.

City council races: one runaway, one squeaker

The District 1 contest is not in doubt. Incumbent Councilmember Kris Beal holds a commanding lead over challenger Linda C. George, 962 votes (73.04%) to 355 (26.96%).

District 2 is a different story entirely. Michael Massey leads with 637 votes (36.11%), followed by Chris Bausch at 566 (32.09%) and Robert Simoni at 561 (31.80%). Massey's lead over Bausch stands at 71 votes — and just five votes separate Bausch from Simoni for second place. With mail ballots still being processed, a shift of even a few dozen votes in that district could reshuffle the outcome. Whichever two candidates ultimately prevail will help determine the balance of a council that will grapple with the city's ongoing growth, water, and downtown development debates.

School board and the fate of Measure G-26

Three Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board seats are also on the ballot, and two of the three races are competitive:

• Trustee Area 1: Thomas Apkarian leads Jim Cogan, 987 votes (55.36%) to 796 (44.64%).
• Trustee Area 2: Randy Kwiatkowski leads Brian Maxted, 404 votes (62.35%) to 244 (37.65%).
• Trustee Area 4: Jennifer Hamm leads John Rowins, 997 votes (52.47%) to 903 (47.53%).

The bigger story for the district, though, is Measure G-26, the school facilities bond. As of the latest count, the measure has 4,787 yes votes (44.86%) against 5,884 no votes (55.14%), with all 24 precincts reporting. Because it's a bond measure, G-26 needs 55% approval to pass — meaning it's not merely trailing, it's more than ten points underwater. For the measure to succeed, the remaining ballots would have to break dramatically differently from those counted so far.

The practical stakes are significant for local families: school bonds are a primary funding mechanism for facility repairs, modernization, and construction in California districts, and a failed bond typically means those projects are deferred or funded through other means. Whoever wins the three board seats will face the question of what comes next for the district's facilities needs if G-26 ultimately fails.

What happens next

The county clerk-recorder is expected to release its next update at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, according to the Daily News, with additional releases to follow as the estimated 60,000-plus outstanding ballots are verified and counted. California's post-election process includes verifying signatures on mail ballots, curing provisional ballots, and reconciling polling-place totals — a deliberately careful process that frequently shifts close margins in the days after election night.

For Paso Robles voters, the practical takeaway: hold off on considering any of these races decided. Frankel's mayoral lead, while growing, is small enough that late mail ballots — which in recent California elections have tended to arrive in large volumes after Election Day — could still change the outcome. The District 2 council race and the Measure G-26 bond question are similarly live.

All totals remain unofficial until the county certifies the election by Dec. 3. Updated results are posted on the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder's election results page as they're released, and we'll continue tracking the counts as they evolve.

This article is based on unofficial results reported by the Paso Robles Daily News as of 4:55 p.m. Nov. 5, 2026.