Elections

SLO County releases more vote results. Where races stand with 5,000 ballots left

Primary election results began to solidify in San Luis Obispo County with just over 5,000 ballots left to count as of Friday afternoon.

Jimmy Paulding and Jim Dantona both were on their way to victory with leads of at least seven points or more, all but securing wins in their individual SLO County supervisor races.

Meanwhile, a tax to buy an old Los Osos elementary school was also continuing to pass, after the latest release of primary election vote results on Friday.

As of Friday, the San Luis Obispo County elections office had processed 96,091 ballots. An estimated 5,057 unprocessed ballots still need to be counted, according to the county’s ballot report.

Final races are expected to be clinched by Monday — the deadline for when a majority of leftover ballots are processed. According to a new state law, counties are required to have the bulk of all tabulation done by June 15, though provisional ballots and those needing signature cures will continue to be counted past that date.

The deadline for county elections officials to certify election results is July 2.

Temporary election workers Fochelle Friedman, left, Jesus Hurtado and Midori Feldman inspect mail-in ballots for damage or stray marks that would stall machine counting during the 2026 primary vote count on June 10, 2026.
Temporary election workers Fochelle Friedman, left, Jesus Hurtado and Midori Feldman inspect mail-in ballots for damage or stray marks that would stall machine counting during the 2026 primary vote count on June 10, 2026. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com

Jim Dantona keeps lead in SLO County District 2 supervisor race

Dantona now leads the race for District 2 San Luis Obispo County supervisor by more than 1,100 votes following the Friday results update.

As of 3:05 p.m., with 16,826 ballots counted, Dantona led the race with 53.5% of the vote over Michael Erin Woody, who was trailing with 46.5% of the vote.

Woody had first surged ahead with 102 more votes than Dantona after the first report on Election Night. After all poll ballots were counted early Wednesday morning, Woody had widened his lead to 240 votes.

But the last six vote releases have completely flipped that first narrative.

By June 4, Dantona had surged ahead in the race by 210 votes, and on Monday, that margin grew to a 501-vote advantage. By Wednesday, Dantona had 1,076 more votes than Woody.

As of Friday, the two candidates were separated by 1,176 votes.

The candidate who wins more than 50% of the vote captures the seat and will replace Supervisor Bruce Gibson, who announced last May that he would not seek reelection in 2026.

Michael Erin Woody, left, and Jim Dantona are competing for the San Luis Obispo County District 2 supervisor race in the 2026 election.
Michael Erin Woody, left, and Jim Dantona are competing for the San Luis Obispo County District 2 supervisor race in the 2026 election. Joan Lynch jlynch@thetribunenews.com

Jimmy Paulding maintains lead in District 4 supervisor race

Paulding lost 182 votes of his lead over challenger Adam Verdin, but he was still winning with a lead of more than 1,400 votes in the race for District 4 SLO County supervisor.

As of 3:05 p.m. Friday, with 19,963 ballots counted, Paulding led the race with 53.4% of the vote over Verdin, who trailed by nearly 7 points with 46.6%.

Paulding initially jumped ahead with 505 more votes than Verdin after the first report on Election Night. After all poll ballots were counted early Wednesday morning, the race had narrowed slightly, with Paulding leading by 386 votes.

After Monday’s results update, Paulding’s lead grew to 1,115 votes. By Wednesday, Paulding has 1,656 more votes than Verdin.

After Friday’s count, Paulding had 1,415 more votes than his opponent.

The candidate who gets more than 50% of the vote wins the seat.

District 4 Supervisor Jimmy Paulding, left, and challenger Adam Verdin talk to supporters at their campaign parties as votes came in on Election Night, June 2, 2026.
District 4 Supervisor Jimmy Paulding, left, and challenger Adam Verdin talk to supporters at their campaign parties as votes came in on Election Night, June 2, 2026. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com

Los Osos ballot measure passing by nearly 500 votes

A Los Osos ballot measure that would create a tax to buy an old elementary school and transform it into a public park was passing by nearly 500 votes after the latest release of vote totals Friday.

As of 3:05 p.m., “yes” votes for Measure B-26 were ahead with 53.8% of the vote, while “no” votes were trailing at 46.2% after 6,142 votes had been counted.

The measure had trailed at first, before the “yes” votes moved ahead in the count update released on Monday. On Wednesday, the margin had grown to 420 votes.

After the most recent Friday release, the measure was passing by 464 votes.

The initiative would create a $15-per-month parcel tax to fund the purchase of the property of the former Sunnyside Elementary School site and turn it into a community park.

The San Luis Coastal Unified School District is selling the Sunnyside School site, and a group of citizens proposed Measure B-26 to create a parcel tax to fundraise to buy the property and make it a community park with sports fields. The Central Coast Waldorf School, seen here on May 20, 2026, would continue to lease the site.
The San Luis Coastal Unified School District is selling the Sunnyside School site, and a group of citizens proposed Measure B-26 to create a parcel tax to fundraise to buy the property and make it a community park with sports fields. The Central Coast Waldorf School, seen here on May 20, 2026, would continue to lease the site. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com

This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 11:39 AM.

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Hannah Poukish
The Tribune
Hannah Poukish covers San Luis Obispo County as The Tribune’s government reporter. She previously reported and produced stories for The Sacramento Bee, CNN, Spectrum News and The Mercury News in San Jose. She graduated from Stanford University with a master’s degree in journalism. 
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