Tustin Council District 3: Ray Schnell Leads Thomas Reed 2,828–1,876

TUSTIN, Calif. — November 5, 2026. Tustin residents are watching two different municipal contests: a close citywide election for mayor and a separate council election in District 3. In the latter, Ray Schnell had 2,828 votes (60.12%) and Thomas Reed 1,876 (39.88%) in the Orange County November 4 count. The reported lead is 952 votes, but the county’s election canvass has not been completed.

Council District 3 has its own electorate

Not every Tustin registered voter participates in the same district-specific election. District 3’s 4,704 valid candidate selections are not the complete city turnout and cannot be used to calculate the outcome of the mayoral election. The proper constituency and ballot question matter as much as the raw reported vote total.

The mayoral contest is much closer

In the separate mayor’s race, Austin Lumbard had 8,284 votes and Letitia Clark 8,053 in the source’s latest available report — a 231-vote difference. Our updated Tustin mayoral story includes older timestamped batches and explains why a lead is not certification. The mayoral and district council voting populations overlap in part but use distinct electoral boundaries.

Why this local office matters

Tustin council decisions cover the city’s budgets, public works, recreation facilities, infrastructure investments, land use and municipal services. A councilmember cannot unilaterally implement a platform without the rest of the council and other applicable public authorities. Candidates’ statements should be separated from actual adopted city decisions.

Why these numbers remain preliminary

California’s county election offices continue reviewing qualifying mail ballots, provisional votes, conditional registrations and other necessary canvass items. An indicator saying that polling-place precincts have reported does not mean all valid ballots are counted. The Orange County Registrar has scheduled manual tabulation and risk-limiting audit work after Election Day. The county must complete its official results within California’s legal deadlines; statewide certification is due December 11. Vote totals in this story are the November 4 reporting snapshot accessed November 5, not a claim of a new November 5 tally.

For updated figures, consult the Orange County Registrar of Voters and NBC Los Angeles’ results table. Different source update times may show different totals. California58 reports candidate rankings and approved legal thresholds without endorsing an electoral choice or treating a news projection as certification.

California58 Elections Desk | November 5, 2026. Sources: Orange County election returns, local election and ballot documents linked above. Figures are uncertified and subject to change.

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