In a contest between political newcomers and out-of-office veteran politicians, San Bernardino residents appear to be going with the newcomers for two City Council seats, according to early unofficial election results.
As of 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, with only mail-in ballots counted, Kim Knaus was leading Henry Nickel in Ward 5 and Treasure Ortiz led Jim Penman in Ward 7.
LIVE ELECTION RESULTS: See a chart of the latest vote counts
- Knaus is chief operating officer of Youth Action Project.
- Nickel served two terms on the council before losing his reelection bid by 600 votes in 2020.
- Ortiz teaches public administration at Cal State San Bernardino.
- Penman served 26 years as San Bernardino’s elected city attorney before he was recalled in 2013, about a year after the city declared bankruptcy.
Neither ward has an incumbent in the race this November. Councilmembers Ben Reynoso and Damon Alexander, who represent wards 5 and 7, respectively, lost their seats in the March 5 primary.
The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters expects to post its next updated vote count at 10 p.m. Tuesday.