Tustin Mayoral Race Narrows to 24 Votes as Counting Continues

Tustin residents are still waiting for a definitive winner in their mayoral election. As of 5 p.m. on Thursday, former Mayor Letitia Clark leads incumbent Austin Lumbard by a margin of 24 votes. The contest has produced one of the tightest results in Orange County this year, with Clark at 50.1 percent and Lumbard at 49.9 percent of the total count.

Election officials have processed 18,012 ballots two days after the November 4 vote. The narrow gap means that remaining mail ballots or provisional votes could still shift the outcome. Neither candidate has conceded, and the city continues the manual and electronic recount process to finalize the numbers.

The race pits two figures with deep ties to local public safety against one another. Lumbard, who has served on the Orange County Fire Authority board since 2022, holds endorsements from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the Tustin Police Department, and the Orange County Firefighters. His campaign materials emphasize his experience on the fire authority board.

Clark, who served on the Tustin City Council from 2016 to 2024 and held the mayoralty in 2021, lists support from the Democratic Party of Orange County, the California Democratic Party, the Orange County Labor Federation, and WAVE on her website. Her campaign has focused on her legislative experience on the council.

The election occurs against a backdrop of new surveillance powers granted to the Tustin Police Department. City council members unanimously approved an agreement this week that allows officers to access camera feeds from schools in the Tustin Unified School District. The police department is scheduled to receive access to these feeds by the end of the year. The decision followed growing community concerns about the spread of automated license plate readers and other surveillance technologies across the county.