Vote counts rolling in. Here's where major races, ballot issues stand in Palm Springs ⋆ The Palm Springs Post

*Voters stand in line at Palm Springs Public Library Tuesday afternoon, waiting to cast their ballots.*

Riverside County has released the first of what will be several ballot count reports, showing who has early momentum in races for the Palm Springs City Council, seats that represent the city in the State Legislature, and multiple ballot measures that will affect our area.

In the most-watched race in the city — the District 4 contest for Palm Springs City Council — Naomi Soto holds an early lead over four other candidates. With one of four precincts in District 4 reporting as of 9:50 p.m., she is ahead 30% to 28% over Joe Jackson. David Rios is third with 21%, while Ernest Ceceña and Anna Nevenich have 13% and 8%, respectively.

David Ready, a former city manager, is running unopposed in the District 5 race and will win easily.

In races involving two current members of the City Council hoping to hold higher office in Sacramento, councilmembers Christy Holstege and Lisa Middleton initially trailed their opponents in the State Assembly District 47 and State Senate District 19 races, but Holstege is now slightly ahead of her opponent and Middleton is tied with hers.

As of 10 p.m., Holstege leads incumbent State Assemblymember Greg Wallis 53% to 47% in AD47, with 43% of precincts partially reporting. Middleton and State Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh both have roughly 50% of the vote in SD19, with 25% of precincts partially reporting. Holstege narrowly lost to Wallis in the same race in 2022. Middleton and Ochoa Bogh are vying for the seat in a newly-created Senate district.

Former mayor and councilmember Geoff Kors (left) and current Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein (center) stand with Councilmember Lisa Middleton during an election night gathering at the Thompson Hotel. Middleton is vying for a seat in the State Senate. (Photo: Maggie Miles)

City voters were also being asked to remove the 2037 sunset date on a 1% sales tax increase originally approved in 2011 — Measure J. So far, voters appear to be in favor of the ballot measure seeking that approval by a margin of 72% to 28% with five of 19 city precincts counted as of 9 p.m.

Measure AA asked voters to decide whether to eventually sell the city’s hospital — Desert Regional Medical Center — to Tenet Healthcare. That measure is also passing handily — 71% to 29% in initial results.

Seats on the Desert Healthcare and Desert Community College boards of directors are also being decided, as is the fate of a Palm Springs Unified School District bond.

In those contests, the school bond is passing, 76% to 24%, Ron Oden leads in his effort to retain the seat that represents most of Palm Springs on the college’s board of directors, and Greg Rodriguez is leading two opponents in an effort to win a seat on the Desert Healthcare Board of Directors.

*Patrons at Hunters in The Arenas District watch coverage of the 2024 General Election Tuesday evening. (Photo: Maggie Miles)*

In a contest with national implications, Democrat Will Rollins currently holds a 52% to 48% lead over incumbent GOP Rep. Ken Calvert for a seat in the US House of Representatives. The District 41 race is a rematch of their 2022 contest

The latest Riverside County data shows it had counted 34% of the nearly 1.4 million ballots that were issued. Political Data Inc. reported that 65% of the 29,300 ballots mailed out in the city were returned.

A complete tally of the votes often takes weeks. The county has 30 days to certify election results and on Dec. 6 must send one complete copy of the general election returns to the California Secretary of State in an electronic format.

Editor’s note: This story is developing and will updated throughout the evening as new vote totals are released. To track all the city races (and those throughout the county), head to this website. You can follow the State Assembly District 47 race here and the Senate District 19 race here.