Election results: Heather Moreno widens lead in race for SLO County District 5 supervisor
Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno held a 670-vote lead over Mayor Pro Temp Susan Funk in the San Luis Obispo County District 5 supervisor race after the county Clerk-Recorder’s Office completed its Election Night count.
The current totals include mail-in ballots received before Election Day and ballots cast at polling places. Remaining are mail ballots received on Tuesday or postmarked by that date, along with provisional ballots.
“We have known all along that this race was going to be a marathon, not a sprint,” Moreno said at her Election Night watch party in Atascadero, emphasizing that the results could change as more ballots are counted. “We are optimistic, and we look forward to seeing every vote counted.”
A total of of 8,961 ballots have been counted in the race so far, pushing voter participation to almost 27%.
Heather Moreno jumps ahead in District 5 supervisor race
The third returns of the night showed Moreno ahead by 670 votes in her bid for District 5, much wider than her previous lead of only 17 votes.
According to the third round of results released Wednesday night, Moreno had 4,586 votes, or 53.9%, compared to 3,916 votes, or 46%, for Funk.
The two are competing to replace Supervisor Debbie Arnold, who announced plans to retire when her term ends in January.
The candidates each watched the returns come in at Election Night parties in Atascadero.
About 55 people gathered at Mountain Mike’s to support Moreno on election night, including U.S. House of Representatives candidate Jason Anderson and Atascadero City Councilmember Heather Newsom.
Jamie Jones, the owner of Kirk Consulting, said she hopes Moreno works to streamline the building permit process — something she accomplished while serving on the Atascadero City Council.
“I think she would bring important leadership to the board,” Jones said at the party.
If elected, Moreno said she will prioritize public safety, protecting the taxpayer, housing and homelessness.
“My desire is we really start working together,” she told The Tribune.
Meanwhile, about 60 people mingled less than 2 miles away among the arcade games at Wild Fields Brewhouse — all there to support Funk.
Cal Poly political science professor Michael Latner was among the crowd and said he thinks Funk is “the best candidate for the job,” as a policymaker and a coalition builder.
He noted that she succeeded at building consensus on the Atascadero City Council on important issues — even though many of her colleagues are Republicans.
“I think she’ll fit well into the board, not just as a new member but as a leader,” he added. “We need someone with policy expertise that gets back to governing.”
If elected, Funk said she plans to tackle housing, homelessness and sustainably managing the water supply.
“We have work to do to move forward — and move forward together,” Funk said. “It matters to make sure that every part of this community gets the representation it needs.”
Incumbents unchallenged in Districts 1 and 3
Supervisors Dawn Ortiz-Legg and John Peschong ran unopposed to keep their seats in their respective districts.
Ortiz-Legg represents District 3, while Peschong represents District 1.
So far, Ortiz-Legg has garnered 6,643 votes, or 95.2%. Write-in candidate Michelle Marie Morrow won 258 votes but does not present a challenge to the incumbent.
Meanwhile, Peschong has 6,060 votes, or 99.7%. The other votes were for unresolved write-in candidates.
This story was originally published March 5, 2024 at 8:10 PM.
