Santa Ana Mayor Race Narrows as Progressive Candidates Gain Ground

Valerie Amezcua held the lead in the Santa Ana mayoral race with 45.57% of the vote as of the latest count, trailing a narrow margin behind her main challenger. Dan Shimell followed with 40.62% of the vote in the contest that concluded Tuesday.

Orange County registered more than 1.9 million voters for the election. By Wednesday, officials had processed over 900,000 ballots. The count showed that 78% of those ballots were cast by mail, while 20.3% were cast in person.

Amezcua, who has served as mayor for four years, faced scrutiny over her administration's response to immigration enforcement and alleged ties to the city police department. Her opponents, attorneys Dan Shimell and Dwayne Shipp, positioned themselves as advocates for the community during a period of increased federal immigration raids.

In the District 4 council race, newcomer Sandra De Anda led incumbent Phil Bacerra with 53.64% of the vote against 46.36%. De Anda, an immigration rights advocate, credited community leaders and unions for her campaign strategy. She stated in a social media post that her community deserved better than indifference and silence.

In the District 68 State Assembly race, Santa Ana Councilman David Penaloza led Councilwoman Jessie López with 51% of the vote to 48%. In the District 6 race, Chispa executive director Isuri Ramos led attorney Giovanni Chávez by more than 400 votes, holding approximately 53% to 46%.

Voice of OC reported that if current trends hold, De Anda, Ramos, and Benjamin Vázquez of District 2 would form a progressive majority on the city council. This outcome would leave Amezcua as the only elected official on the council with a conservative leaning. Vázquez is running for the District 2 seat.

Amezcua posted a final message on election night thanking residents for their support. She said she has served the community for a long time and hopes to continue working together to improve Santa Ana. The next major step in the process is the certification of results by county officials.