OROVILLE — The latest election update Wednesday in Butte County shows extended leads in two tight races for city council candidates Dale Bennett in Chico and Chuck Reynolds in Oroville.
What was once a single-digit difference for Chico’s District 3 seat has now turned into a clearer lead for the district’s incumbent: 94 votes, or 3,457 for Bennett and 3,363 for challenger Monica McDaniel. The margin was 74 votes in the previous update; Before then, it was seven.
In Oroville’s District C, former Mayor Chuck Reynolds currently has a 19-vote edge out of 1,110 cast in the three-way race. Reynolds has 401 votes, leading against Ricky Gabriel Jr. at 382 votes and Linda Draper at 327 votes.
Butte County Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters Keaton Denlay said a handful of ballots countywide remain to be counted, with cured ballots and signatures due from voters by Sunday. The Elections Office will review results Monday and post certified election results as soon as possible Tuesday in accordance with state law, he said. California Assembly Bill 3184 changed certification requirements for this election.
“We are abiding by that law,” he said. “As much as we may not like it, we do have to wait to make (the results) final.”
Other races
Chico’s City Council appears headed toward a 4-3 conservative majority, with Bennett joining Mike O’Brien from District 1 and holdover councilors Kasey Reynolds and Tom van Overbeek. O’Brien maintains nearly a 10% lead over opponent Mike Johnson at 3,937 votes to 3,277.
Meanwhile, updated election results show continued leads for Chico liberals Katie Hawley and Bryce Goldstein, who will join Addison Winslow in the minority. Hawley has more than a two-to-one margin in District 5, leading 2,256-1,109 against Melissa Lopez-Mora; and Goldstein has a 17% buffer in District 7, leading 3,359-2,376 over incumbent Deepika Tandon.
Oroville’s incumbents appear likely to return for another term, with District D incumbent Scott Thompson currently ahead by 200 votes (730 against Bryan Williams’ 530) and District E incumbent Janet Goodson ahead by 44 votes against Levi Kniss (395-351).
A tight race in the Butte County Board of Education Trustee Area 5 shows an 82-vote lead for Julian Diaz (4,433 votes) over Brenda Joyce McLaughlin (4,351 votes).