Which candidates are leading in SLO County’s council races?

Election night 2026 delivered a mix of decisive victories and nail-biters across San Luis Obispo County's city races, with voters in seven cities casting ballots for mayors and council members — including a historic change in how San Luis Obispo itself elects its council.

The biggest story of the night, as CalCoastNews reported, is the changing of the guard in three cities. The incumbent mayors of Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles and Pismo Beach all chose not to seek reelection, opening up competitive races to lead those cities for the first time in years.

Pismo Beach: Newton wins decisively

Pismo Beach Councilman Scott Newton claimed the mayor's seat with a commanding lead, taking 1,801 votes — 67.61% — over former Oceano Community Services District director Cynthia Replogle, who drew 726 votes (27.25%), and Air Force veteran and personal trainer Shelby Bowen, with 137 votes (5.14%).

Newton's win marks a quick ascent for the councilman, who will now helm a city grappling with the ongoing pressures of tourism-driven revenue, downtown revitalization and coastal development debates familiar to anyone who follows Pismo politics.

The city's council race remains tighter, with four candidates competing for two seats. Manuel Olivas leads with 1,423 votes (33.19%), followed narrowly by Stacy Inman at 1,412 votes (32.93%). Gianni Scangarello (732 votes, 17.07%) and Clare Malone Prichard (721 votes, 16.81%) trail, though the 11-vote gap between Olivas and Inman means late-arriving mail ballots could shuffle the order.

Paso Robles: A mayor's race too close to call

The Paso Robles mayoral contest is the county's closest race. After in-person ballots were counted, Dr. Faith Frankel held a 133-vote lead over Bill Britton — 2,822 votes (45.11%) to 2,689 votes (42.98%). Chris Rogalla sits third with 745 votes (11.91%).

With the margin that narrow, the race remains too close to call until the county elections office finishes processing vote-by-mail and provisional ballots in the coming days. Under California law, county registrars have up to 30 days to certify final results, and post-election ballot drops routinely reshape tight finishes.

Paso Robles voters also settled two district council races. In District 1, Kris Beal won handily with 935 votes (73.05%) to Linda George's 345 (26.95%). The District 2 race was tighter: Mike Massey leads with 621 votes (36.44%), ahead of Chris Bausch at 546 (32.04%) and Robert Simoni at 537 (31.51%) — a contest where remaining ballots could still determine the winner.

Arroyo Grande and the South County

In Arroyo Grande, Glenn Martin appears headed to the mayor's office with 2,929 votes (59.71%) to Sean Schuur's 1,976 votes (40.29%) — a lead CalCoastNews characterized as likely to hold.

Grover Beach Mayor Kassi Dee fended off a challenge from Planning Commissioner David Swift, leading 1,340 votes (53.95%) to 1,144 votes (46.05%).

Grover Beach's by-district council races produced clearer outcomes: Shilo Terek won District 1 with 355 votes (54.95%) over Kelvin Coveduck's 291 (45.05%), and Jules Tuggle took District 2 with 377 votes (59.28%) to Allen Thompson's 259 (40.72%).

In Atascadero, where four candidates ran for two council seats, incumbents appear to have survived. Mike Avila leads with 3,575 votes, and Susan Funk follows at 3,471 — though the tallies reported by CalCoastNews list both at 33.20%, reflecting rounding in early returns. Emily Baranek trails with 2,486 votes (23.08%) and Ian Denchasy has 1,237 (11.49%).

San Luis Obispo's first single-vote election

For San Luis Obispo residents, the city council race carried extra significance: it was the first election held under the city's new single-vote method, meaning each voter picked one candidate instead of two.

The early tally shows Michelle Shoresman leading with 3,104 votes (38.59%), followed by Emily Francis at 2,828 votes (35.16%) and Brett Cross at 2,112 votes (26.26%), with the top two vote-getters winning seats. The shift to one-vote balloting changed the strategic math for candidates and voters alike, and observers will be watching whether the final certified results confirm the election-night ordering.

What happens next

These numbers are unofficial. The San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder's Office will continue counting mail ballots postmarked by Election Day, provisional ballots, and any ballots requiring signature verification. Historically, later drops in county elections have shifted margins of a few percentage points — enough to matter in the Paso Robles mayoral race and possibly the Pismo Beach and Atascadero council contests.

For residents, the outcomes will shape policy on the issues that dominated this cycle across the 805: housing growth and district elections, tourism management in beach towns, and downtown recovery. New mayors in Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles and Pismo Beach will take office at a moment when each city faces consequential decisions about development, infrastructure and budgets.

The county elections office updates results on a rolling basis until certification. Updated tallies are expected in the coming days, and 805.life will track the closest races — particularly Paso Robles, where 133 votes currently separate the two leading mayoral candidates — until final results are certified.

Results cited from [CalCoastNews election night coverage](https://calcoastnews.com/2026/11/which-candidates-are-leading-in-slo-countys-council-race/) and are unofficial pending certification.