San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones held 60.74% of the vote in the race for San Diego County's District 5 supervisor seat, according to unofficial results from the county Registrar of Voters.

Jones, a Republican, had 86,038 votes to 55,608 for Kyle Krahel, a Democrat, as of Nov. 4. The seat is being vacated by termed-out Supervisor Jim Desmond.

The results are unofficial. The Registrar estimated about 540,000 ballots remained outstanding countywide, according to Fox 5 San Diego. The next ballot update was scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 5, and the county has until Dec. 3 to certify the election.

Both candidates advanced from the June primary. District 5 is the county's largest by area, covering North County cities including Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos and Vista, along with unincorporated communities such as Fallbrook, Valley Center and Borrego Springs, City News Service reported via Patch.

The outcome matters beyond District 5. County government is the main provider of services such as law enforcement and public health for unincorporated communities across San Diego County, including Rancho Santa Fe, which sits in neighboring District 3.

Where the candidates split

Jones told City News Service by email that as supervisor she "would demand measurable performance, cut waste and stop treating higher spending as the default solution." She said the county budget has grown more than 40% over the past six years and that she would insist on an efficiency review.

Jones said she opposes Measure A, which proposes changes to the county charter including expanded term limits for supervisors. She also opposes Measure B, a half-cent countywide sales tax to fund Tijuana River Valley sewage cleanup, child care and public safety.

"This $400 million tax increase is the wrong answer at the wrong time," Jones said.

Krahel, a deputy chief of staff to Rep. Mike Levin and a former county Democratic Party chair, said he supports most of Measure A's provisions but opposes the term-limit expansion. He supports Measure B but called a new tax "a last resort."

"Every dollar spent on overhead is a dollar not spent on a patient, a deputy or a road," Krahel told City News Service.

Both measures held narrow leads in early returns, with Measure A at 51.68% and Measure B at 51.62%, according to the Registrar's results.

Background

Jones has served as San Marcos mayor since December 2018 and previously sat on the City Council for 11 years. She has also served on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). Desmond, also a Republican, is running for the 48th Congressional District seat.

The Board of Supervisors is considered a nonpartisan governing body, though ideological divisions have surfaced since 2020, City News Service reported.

The next results update from the Registrar of Voters was scheduled for Nov. 5.