While a number of elections in several states are still awaiting final results several days after Election Day, local and state races paint a clearer picture.

With 100 percent of voting precincts reporting (livevoterturnout.com/ENR/sandiegocaenr/16/en/Index_16.html), La Mesa’s mayoral, council and treasurer race numbers are in.

In the race for mayor, incumbent Mark Arapostathis looks to be staying in that position.

According to livevoterturnout.com as of Nov. 11, Arapostathis, a teacher, captured 54.12% of the vote (7,008 votes) to challenger Kristine Alessio’s 45.88% (5,942 votes). Alessio is a land-use attorney. Updated numbers a week later show Arapostathis with 11,264 votes (55.92% of the vote) to Alessio’s 8,879 votes (44.08%).

In the race for City council (two seats available, four people running), Realtor Laura Lothian (5,722 votes) captured 24.71% of the vote and Patricia Dillard garnered 23.80% of the vote (5,513 votes), respectively to lead the way as of Nov. 11. Updating a week later, it is Dillard with a slim lead at 8,509 votes (23.94% of the vote) to Lothian’s 8,320 votes (23.41%). Mejgan Afshan is right behind Lothian with 8,301 votes (23.36%). Dillard works for a mortgage company and Afshan is a co-founder of the civil rights organization Borderlands for Equity.

Two contestants ran for the office of treasurer, with Matt Strabone (6,334 votes) tallying 52.30% of the vote and William Exeter (5,776 votes) capturing 47.70%. As of Nov. 18, Strabone had recorded 10,064 votes (54.13%) to 8,529 votes for Exeter (45.87%).

In races for La Mesa-Spring Valley School District governing board member trustee area seats, Caitlin Tiffany, Rebecca McRae and Brianna Coston were the respective winners.

A pair of statewide props garnered a lot of attention.

Prop 26 (Allows new types of gambling) went down to defeat 64.80% to 35.20%, with Prop 27 (Allows online and mobile sports wagering) also failing 83.31% to 16.69%.

In the race for governor, incumbent Gavin Newsom was re-elected to office.

Newsom (349,445 votes) got 54.45% of the vote compared to challenger Brian Dahle’s (292,376 votes) tallying 45.55%.

Photo by Kendra Sitton

– Reach editor Dave Thomas at: [email protected].