Malibu Election Results: Close City Council Race, School Board Leaders Emerge

MALIBU, CA — A tight race for two Malibu City Council seats was taking shape Tuesday night, with just 63 votes separating the candidates in second and third place, while four candidates emerged as early leaders in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education race.

In the City Council race, incumbent Doug Stewart led with 1,312 votes, or 33%, followed by challenger Danny Smith with 1,249 votes, or 31.4%, according to results released at 10:04 p.m. Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office.

Incumbent Marianne Riggins was close behind with 1,186 votes, or 29.8%, while challenger A. Sam Dibaei had 233 votes, or 5.9%.

With two seats up for grabs and thousands of ballots still to be counted countywide, the results could shift in the coming days.

Meanwhile, five candidates were competing for four seats on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education.

Incumbent Alicia Mignano led the field with 15,923 votes, or 24.3%, followed by challenger Robbie Staenberg with 14,733 votes, or 22.5%.

The results remain preliminary, with ballot counting expected to continue in the coming days. County election officials are scheduled to release their first post-Election Night update Wednesday between 4 and 5 p.m.

Malibu voters also weighed in on countywide contests, including the race for Los Angeles County sheriff and two county ballot measures.

See the latest election results below for Malibu's City Council and school board races, along with countywide contests and ballot measures.

Scroll down for real-time LA County election results.

Click here to track your ballot and make sure it is counted.

Malibu City Council

Four candidates are vying for two seats on the City Council. Incumbents Marianne Riggins and Doug Stewart faced a challenge from Danny Smith and A. Sam Dibaei.

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

Four candidates are running for five seats on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education.

Incumbents Laurie Lieberman, Stacy Rouse and Alicia Mignano faced a challenge from Harry Leshner and Robbie Staenberg.

Incumbent Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein did not seek reelection.

Can't see the widgets? Click here for all county election results. Be sure to refresh this page for the latest.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Race

There is one countywide race.

Incumbent Sheriff Robert Luna is facing former sheriff Alex Villanueva, whom Luna defeated in 2022.

Los Angeles County Ballot Questions

Voters considered two county-level ballot questions.

Measure A would prohibit strikes by district attorney investigators, medical examiners, and lifeguards and other employees in the county fire, sheriff’s and medical examiner’s departments, while establishing a binding arbitration process for resolving labor disputes with public safety employee unions.

Measure E would increase the independence of the upcoming county Ethics Commission and Office of Ethics Compliance. It would grant ethics officials the power to investigate misconduct by county officials, candidates, lobbyists and contractors; issue subpoenas and fine violators up to $15,000 per offense.

Gubernatorial Race

The governor’s race was somewhat anticlimactic following a chaotic primary with a crowded field of candidates roiled when the frontrunner was forced to step down amid sexual assault allegations. Since then, Becerra maintained a steady lead over Hilton in the polls.

In the final days of the election, a new SurveyUSA poll showed Becerra with a 22-point lead.

Click here for real-time results in the California Governor’s races.

Congressional Races

All 52 of California’s Congressional seats were on the ballot.

Congressional races across California were under intense scrutiny following voter approval of Proposition 50, a partisan redistricting measure expected to reshape the state’s political map. Thanks to the redistricting, only a handful of districts were truly competitive. Democrats hoped to flip as many as five Republican House seats in a bid to overturn the GOP’s slim House majority.

Democrats think they can flip as many as five seats, with four seeming very much in reach, according to the polls. Both parties are spending like control of the House is on the line.

Click here for real-time results in California’s Congressional races.

Propositions

There were 14 statewide propositions on the ballot this week. Arguably, the most hot-button ballot initiatives involve taxation. Proposition 40 is the highly discussed billionaire tax, while Propositions 41 and 42 aim to counter the measure. Proposition 3 also addresses taxes on the state's highest earners.

Click here for real-time results for all of California’s ballot measures.