Sneddon Lead Widens to 579 Votes in the Latest Mayoral Count
Kristen Sneddon held 16,202 votes to Eric Friedman's 15,623 in the county update released Thursday, with all 47 city precincts reporting and an estimated 98 percent of ballots counted countywide. The results remain unofficial.
Kristen Sneddon's lead in the Santa Barbara mayoral race widened to 579 votes in the latest count from the Santa Barbara County Elections Office, released Thursday, November 12. Sneddon held 16,202 votes, or 46.23 percent, to 15,623 votes, or 44.58 percent, for Eric Friedman.
The update showed all 47 city precincts reporting and 35,048 total votes in the mayoral race, with an estimated 98 percent of ballots counted countywide. Wendy Sims-Moten held 2,241 votes, or 6.4 percent, Matt Kilrain held 848 votes, or 2.4 percent, and write-in votes totaled 134, or 0.4 percent.
The margin has grown since the county update of Tuesday, November 10, when Sneddon moved ahead of Friedman by 296 votes after trailing through election night. Friedman led the preliminary counts on November 3 before the later counts reversed the order.
The results are unofficial until the county completes its canvass and certifies the election. County election updates have been posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the count, and the remaining uncounted ballots are now a small share of the total cast in the city race.
The new mayor is sworn in on Tuesday, Jan. 5, at the inaugural City Council meeting of 2027. Among the first matters waiting for the new council are decisions on the two referendum petitions now in signature review, covering the rent ordinance and the State Street master plan ordinance, where the council must choose between repeal and placing the measures on a special election ballot.
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