ELECTION COVERAGE

The slow pouring out of Tuesday voting results showed little change from the initial, shocking results across Newport-Mesa.

In Costa Mesa, Mayor Allan Mansoor and parks commissioner Wendy Leece hold early leads with absentee votes in and the first precincts reporting. Mansoor has 28.5% of the vote and Leece 25.5%. For the most recent results click here. For an election photo gallery click here.

Newport Beach’s slow-growth Measure X trails with a whopping 62.8% saying no to further restrictions on development. The number was a slight increase in opposition with the first nine of 82 precincts reporting compared to absentee ballot returns.

The city’s general plan update, Measure V, is narrowly ahead with a 54% yes vote.

Mansoor and Leece have run on their support for the city’s plan to enforce immigration laws. Planning commissioner Bruce Garlich trails Leece at 21% of the vote. Former Councilman Mike Scheafer has 17%. Six of 70 precincts are in.

Garlich was at City Councilwoman Katrina Foley’s house watching election results. When the absentee ballot figures rolled in, Foley said, “Whoa, it doesn’t look good.”

But Garlich and Foley said they would not lose hope so early and were eager to see returns for today’s voting.

Mirna Buciaga has 4.6% of the vote and Chris Bunyan has 2.7%.

In the Newport Beach City Council races with nine of 82 precincts and absentee ballots in, challenger Nancy Gardner has the early lead over incumbent Dick Nichols in the Corona del Mar district, No. 6, at 54% to 46%.

In the city’s most crowded field, District 1, Michael Henn leads in the race to replace termed-out incumbent Tod Ridgeway. Henn has 45.8%, Jack Wu has 29.6%, Brenda Martin has 15.5%, and Marcia Dossey has 9%. Those numbers are virtually largely unchanged from the first absentee reports.

Incumbent City Councilwoman Leslie Daigle is leading her challenger, Barbara Venezia -- who quit the race a month ago -- by a narrow 51% to 49% margin.

One race that seems over after the initial returns is the Balboa Island race between incumbent Ed Selich and Robert Schoonmaker. Selich has 71% of the vote.

Another incumbent, Keith Curry, holds a strong early lead over his challenger, Dolores Otting. Curry has 57.6% of the vote, a slight drop since the beginning of the night.

Mayor Don Webb is running unopposed for reelection.

In the Newport-Mesa Unified School District races, the first 15 precincts in show one incumbent continuing to lead and one trailing narrowly. Trustee Judy Franco has a comfortable lead with 44.6% of the vote. Her closest opponent is Loretta Zimmerman, with 30.7%. Challenger Karen Yelsey leads incumbent Serene Stokes 52% to 48%. Michael Collier leads Kimberly Clark, 56% to 44%, in a battle of two newcomers.

ONGOING COVERAGE

Check the Pilot’s website throughout the night for continuing coverage of Newport-Mesa’s elections.