Mission Viejo heads toward four new council members in early returns

Mission Viejo appeared headed for four new City Council members Wednesday, with Bob Ruesch the only incumbent ahead in preliminary returns, according to Voice of OC. All five council seats were on the ballot.

The potential turnover follows years of resistance to district-based elections and criticism over the council’s illegal extension of officeholders’ terms, Voice of OC reported. The election marked a return to a regular voting schedule for the Orange County city.

Voice of OC reported the preliminary figures from the OC Registrar of Voters as of 5 p.m. Wednesday. In District 1, Ruesch had about 66% of nearly 6,000 votes counted, while writer Kristen Wilcox had 34%.

In District 2, Saga Conroy led small business owner Peter Molinari, 54.6% to 45.4%, with nearly 7,000 votes tallied. Both were newcomers. Conroy serves on the city’s community services commission and works as community outreach director for Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner.

Bryan Zahn, a retired Mission Viejo supervisor, led incumbent Cynthia Vasquez in District 3. Zahn had more than 55.6% of about 5,000 votes counted, while Vasquez had nearly 44.4%.

District 4 also paired two newcomers. Human resources professional James Morrison had more than 51.4% of about 5,000 votes tallied, compared with community volunteer Laura Lacko’s 48.6%. In District 5, defense acquisition contractor and city community services commissioner Steven Thornton ran unopposed.

The city previously sought cumulative voting, which would let voters allocate multiple votes among candidates they preferred, according to Voice of OC. City leaders argued that dispersed community groups would limit the ability of district elections to help minority residents elect their preferred candidates. Then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla rejected cumulative voting because the Legislature had not authorized it.

Voice of OC reported that no general law city in California uses cumulative voting. The council lineup remained unsettled because Wednesday’s returns were preliminary, not final results.