Clark, Liu hold narrow leads as Tustin and Irvine count ballots

Letitia Clark led incumbent Mayor Austin Lumbard by 221 votes in Tustin, while incumbent Councilmember Melinda Liu held a 142-vote advantage over John Park in Irvine’s District 1, according to Voice of OC. Both contests remained unsettled in Friday’s election update as mail-in ballots were still being counted.

The races come as Tustin prepares to give police access to certain school camera feeds and Irvine confronts a possible structural budget deficit. Irvine voters also were leaning toward changing how the city elects candidates, with a ranked choice voting measure ahead in the latest count.

Clark had about 50.6% of the vote to Lumbard’s 49.4%, with more than 18,000 ballots counted in Tustin, Voice of OC reported, citing the Orange County Registrar of Voters. Clark served on the City Council from 2016 to 2024 and was mayor in 2021.

The Tustin race follows approval of an agreement with Tustin Unified School District that will allow police to view certain school camera feeds by the end of the year. The agreement is intended to improve emergency response, according to Voice of OC.

In Irvine’s District 1, Liu had about 39.7% of the vote, followed by Park at 38.5% and former Mayor Sukhee Kang at 21.8%. More than 11,000 ballots had been counted. Park is an OC Food Bank board member.

Irvine could face a $37 million structural deficit in less than two years if spending does not slow, Voice of OC reported. City staff plan to cut spending by $27 million and raise revenue by $10 million, with measures including eliminating vacant positions, increasing fees and canceling certain city-sponsored events.

Measure D, which would bring ranked choice voting to Irvine beginning in 2028, had about 52.3% support in Friday’s 5 p.m. update. The city currently elects district representatives by plurality, meaning the candidate receiving the most votes wins. Preliminary estimates indicate that introducing the new system and educating voters could quadruple election costs, according to Voice of OC.

The registrar continued processing mail-in ballots and releasing updated totals. Friday’s narrow margins left both races unresolved.