Hoping to be the new representative for District 4 on the Santa Barbara City Council, Devon Wardlow jumped out to a solid lead over her opponents Tuesday night.

Wardlow was leading with 51.1% of the vote as of midnight, when the County Elections Office released its fourth updated count.

Monte Wilson was in second place with 25.4%.

Genevieve Taft-Vazquez and Jason Dominguez were in third and fourth place, respectively, with Taft-Vazquez receiving 14.4% and Dominguez earning 8.9% of the vote.

District 4 includes the Riviera, the Upper Eastside, Eucalyptus Hill and the Foothill neighborhoods.

Wardlow serves on the Santa Barbara Planning Commission, and she has spent her career working in politics and major tech companies. 

She grew up in Santa Barbara and moved back in 2017.

Wardlow spoke to Noozhawk on election night and thanked her supporters and mentors who helped with the campaign. 

“This was an intense experience, I learned a lot,” she said. 

“Thank you so much for the support and trust that I’ve earned, and I look forward to earning the trust of all District 4 voters.” 

She said a lot of people have emailed her questions and concerns during the campaign, and that will all be helpful when she starts on the council. “I have a whole list of things I can start to get working on.”

Wilson has held executive roles with major companies such as Adobe and Oracle and is part of many charitable organizations. His wife owns The Painted Cabernet at 1229 State St. 

Taft-Vazquez serves on the Neighborhood Advisory Council. Her career has focused on ethical sourcing and sustainability initiatives for major companies such as Coca-Cola.

She was born and raised in Santa Barbara and moved back a few years ago after leaving to start her career and family.

Dominguez is on his third run for City Council. He represented District 1 from 2016 to 2019 before losing his re-election bid to Alejandra Gutierrez by just a handful of votes. 

He has since become a father and a homeowner in District 4. 

This is a developing story. Early election results will be updated as more ballots are processed and counted. Semi-official election results are expected late Tuesday night. Final, certified results will be available by Dec. 3.