Frankel maintains lead in Paso Robles mayor’s race in latest results

Paso Robles voters still don't have final answers in this year's mayoral race, but the newest batch of ballots has nudged the contest slightly further in one direction. According to unofficial results released Friday, Nov. 6, by the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder, Faith Frankel holds a growing lead over Bill Britton in the race for Paso Robles mayor, while the school district's Measure G-26 bond continues to trail well below the threshold needed for passage.

The update — which, as the Paso Robles Daily News reported, includes all precincts in the county — is not the last word. Thousands of ballots remain uncounted, and county officials have until Dec. 3 to certify the results. The next update was expected by 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Mayor's race: Frankel's lead grows

In the three-way contest to lead Paso Robles, Frankel leads with 3,245 votes, or 45.60%, according to the unofficial tally. Britton, who currently serves on the City Council, follows with 3,027 votes (42.54%), and Chris Rogalla has 844 votes (11.86%).

The margin matters. Frankel's advantage over Britton widened from 155 votes in the previous update to 218 votes — a shift that, while modest, moves in her direction as late vote-by-mail and provisional ballots are processed. Because no candidate is near a majority in the three-way field, every batch of newly counted ballots has the potential to reshape the outcome.

Turnout in the city so far sits at 41.08%, with 7,742 of Paso Robles' 18,847 registered voters counted across all 11 city precincts.

City Council: District 2 remains a nail-biter

While the mayor's race has drawn the most attention, the tightest contest on the Paso Robles ballot is the open District 2 City Council seat — where just 83 votes separate first place from last.

Michael Massey leads with 709 votes (36.14%), followed by Robert Simoni with 627 (31.96%) and Chris Bausch with 626 (31.91%), according to the unofficial count. Simoni holds a one-vote edge over Bausch for second place, meaning the race for both the seat and the runner-up position could hinge on the remaining ballots.

In District 1, incumbent Councilmember Kris Beal holds a commanding lead over challenger Linda C. George, 1,078 votes (73.28%) to 393 (26.72%).

District-based council elections remain a relatively recent feature of Paso Robles civic life, and the District 2 outcome will help determine the council's direction on issues that have dominated local debate in recent years, from downtown parking and hotel development to water policy and growth on the city's edges.

School board and Measure G-26

Three seats on the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees are also on the ballot, and all three races remain unresolved:

• Trustee Area 1: Thomas Apkarian leads Jim Cogan, 1,084 votes (55.33%) to 875 (44.67%).
• Trustee Area 2: Randy Kwiatkowski leads Brian Maxted, 450 votes (61.56%) to 281 (38.44%).
• Trustee Area 4: Jennifer Hamm leads John Rowins, 1,094 votes (52.22%) to 1,001 (47.78%).

The bigger question for the school district is Measure G-26, a bond measure that would require 55% approval to pass. It's currently failing by a wide margin: 5,331 yes votes (45.14%) to 6,478 no votes (54.86%), with all 24 precincts reporting. If the measure ultimately fails, district officials would need to look elsewhere for facility funding — or return to voters in a future election. Bond measures historically gain ground as late mail ballots are counted, but closing a nearly 10-point gap would be a steep climb.

What happens next

Countywide, turnout stands at 43.79%, with 80,149 of 183,042 registered voters counted so far — including 72,521 vote-by-mail ballots and 7,628 cast at polling places.

But a significant share of the electorate is still in limbo. The county's unprocessed ballots report estimates roughly 54,407 ballots remain to be tallied: about 47,250 vote-by-mail ballots received on or before Election Day, 2,783 mail ballots received after Election Day, and 2,709 provisional ballots. How many of those come from Paso Robles voters — and which candidates they favor — is the open question that will decide the mayor's race and the District 2 contest.

The county said it expects to post its next update by 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. Certification is due by Dec. 3, meaning final, official results could still be weeks away.

For Paso Robles residents, the practical takeaway is patience. Candidates currently leading are not winners yet, and candidates trailing are not out. Until certification, all totals remain unofficial — and in a mayor's race separated by 218 votes and a council race separated by 83, the remaining ballots will do the talking.

Updated results can be tracked on the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder's election results page.