Smith widens lead over Riggins as Malibu council ballot count continues

By The Malibu Times · Sat Nov 07 2026

Stewart remains first; latest returns put Smith 63 votes ahead for second seat

Challenger Danny Smith widened his advantage over incumbent Marianne Riggins in the race for Malibu’s second City Council seat, while incumbent Doug Stewart remained in first place following the latest ballot-counting update. Smith led Riggins by 63 votes in returns released by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk at 10:59 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. His advantage increased from 37 votes in the county’s Wednesday update.

Stewart had 1,909 votes, or 32.44%, followed by Smith with 1,847 votes, or 31.39%. Riggins had 1,784 votes, or 30.32%, while A. Sam Dibaei had 344 votes, or 5.85%. Two council seats are on the ballot.

Stewart’s lead over Smith stood at 62 votes, keeping the three leading candidates within 125 votes of one another.

Since Wednesday’s update, Stewart added 259 votes, Smith gained 290 and Riggins added 264. Dibaei gained 62 votes.

The standings remain unofficial as election officials continue processing eligible ballots. The narrow margin between Smith and Riggins leaves the second seat unsettled.

Qualified write-in candidate Jason Herz was not separately listed in the returns reviewed for this report.

The eventual council members will help guide Malibu through continuing decisions involving wildfire recovery, rebuilding, emergency preparedness, Pacific Coast Highway safety and city spending.

Goldsmith maintains state Senate advantage

Democrat Brian Goldsmith remained ahead of fellow Democrat John M. Erickson in the race for the 24th State Senate District, which includes Malibu.

Goldsmith had 180,113 votes, or 56.08%, compared with Erickson’s 141,068 votes, or 43.92%, in Friday’s county update. His lead stood at 39,045 votes.

The candidates are seeking to succeed state Sen. Ben Allen, who is leaving the Legislature because of term limits and running for insurance commissioner.

Klein Lopez leads Assembly returns

Democrat Deborah Klein Lopez continued to lead Republican Ted Nordblum in districtwide returns for the 42nd Assembly District.

Klein Lopez had 96,731 votes, or 56.3%, while Nordblum had 75,135 votes, or 43.7%, according to the secretary of state’s 11 p.m. Friday update.

Those figures include returns from both Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Klein Lopez’s advantage stood at 21,596 votes.

Sherman ahead in congressional race

Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman maintained a substantial lead over Republican Larry Thompson in California’s 32nd Congressional District.

Sherman had 160,976 votes, or 67.4%, compared with Thompson’s 77,979 votes, or 32.6%, in the secretary of state’s 11 p.m. Friday update.

The districtwide figures include both Los Angeles and Ventura county returns. The winner will represent Malibu in Congress, where federal disaster assistance and recovery funding remain issues for the community.

Kim expands statewide insurance lead

Democrat Jane Kim increased her statewide lead over fellow Democrat Ben Allen in the race for California insurance commissioner.

Kim had 4,526,383 votes, or 53.1%, compared with Allen’s 3,991,284 votes, or 46.9%, according to the secretary of state’s 11 p.m. Friday update.

Her advantage stood at 535,099 votes, up from 298,443 votes in the Wednesday evening statewide update.

The race carries particular significance for Malibu homeowners facing limited coverage options, rising premiums and wildfire claims. The commissioner oversees the state’s insurance market and will face continuing pressure to address the availability and affordability of coverage.

Becerra holds substantial governor’s race lead

Democrat Xavier Becerra had 6,483,228 votes statewide, or 65.3%, compared with Republican Steve Hilton’s 3,451,000 votes, or 34.7%, in the secretary of state’s 11 p.m. Friday update.

Becerra’s advantage exceeded 3 million votes.

The governor oversees state agencies, directs state resources during emergencies, proposes the state budget and signs or vetoes legislation — responsibilities that affect Malibu’s recovery, infrastructure and public safety priorities.

Luna remains ahead for sheriff

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna maintained a substantial advantage over former Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

Luna had 1,799,384 votes, or 69.88%, compared with Villanueva’s 775,650 votes, or 30.12%, in Friday’s county returns.

Malibu contracts with the Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement services.

School board standings unchanged

Alicia Mignano, Robbie Staenberg, Laurie Lieberman and Stacy Rouse continued to hold the four leading positions in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District school board election.

Mignano had 24,607 votes, or 24.31%, followed by Staenberg with 22,726 votes, or 22.45%; Lieberman with 21,815 votes, or 21.55%; and Rouse with 21,115 votes, or 20.86%.

Harry Leshner had 10,963 votes, or 10.83%. Voters are choosing four board members.

County measures remain ahead

Measure A had 1,542,196 yes votes, or 62.74%, compared with 915,907 no votes, or 37.26%.

The measure would establish binding arbitration for specified county public safety labor disputes and prohibit strikes by additional covered employees.

Measure E had 1,812,928 yes votes, or 74.57%, compared with 618,170 no votes, or 25.43%. It addresses county ethics oversight and provisions concerning community investment and alternatives to incarceration.

Editor’s note: This report was updated Saturday, Nov. 7, using Los Angeles County returns released at 10:59 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, and statewide and districtwide returns updated by the California secretary of state at 11 p.m. Friday. All vote totals remain unofficial and are subject to change as additional eligible ballots are counted. Precincts reporting does not mean all ballots have been counted. Visit MalibuTimes.com for continued coverage.