Measure M behind in Menifee, Zimmerman leading in mayor race, Sobek, Karwin ahead in city council elections

Menifee voters appear poised to reject a ballot measure that would revoke a sales tax increase that was voted into place in 2016.

Measure M, repealing Measure DD, was failing with 13,673 ‘no’ votes and 7,863 ‘yes’ votes, and with about 78% of the vote tallied, as of 1 a.m.

Three candidates are vying for the Menifee mayor’s seat, and four more are competing for two Menifee City Council seats.

Incumbent Menifee Mayor Bill Zimmerman, who was appointed to his position after the death of former mayor Neil Winter in 2018, is hoping to be elected to a full four-year term.

Keith Davis, a businessman, and Ricky Estrada, an educator and baseball umpire, are both on the ballot trying to replace him.

Zimmerman remained in the lead Thursday evening with 13,311 votes. Estrada and Davis were trailing with 5,879 and 2,334 votes, respectively.

In Menifee City Council District 1, Councilman Greg August is not running for re-election. Attorney Bob Karwin and businessman Yamil Tomassini are both running to be his replacement.

Karwin remained leading Thursday evening, with 3,489 votes to Tomassini’s 2,433.

And in Menifee City Council District 3, incumbent Councilwoman Lesa Sobek, who first landed on the council after a special election in 2015 and was elected to a full four-year term in 2016, is hoping city residents will give her four more years on the city council. Running against her is Cecilia Truman, who did not have an occupation listed on the Riverside County Registrar of Voters’ list of qualified candidates.

As of Thursday evening, Sobek was leading significantly with 4,163 votes to Truman’s 1,019.

About 381,000 mail ballots and 25,000 provisional ballots remain to be counted countywide, the Riverside County Registrar of Voters' office said Thursday. The next updated results will be released at 6 p.m. Friday.