Incumbent David Silva took the lead in the race Tuesday night to serve as Buellton‘s mayor, followed by Dave King, a former mayor, but a second contested battle remained too close to call.
The winning mayoral, District 1 and District 4 City Council members will be sworn into office in December.
They will join District 2 member Elysia Lewis and District 3 member John Sanchez.
Mayor
The mayoral race is a rematch between Silva and King.
The first batch of election results showed Silva with 63.3%, or 862 votes, compared with King’s 36.6%, or 498 votes.
The city’s 3,636 registered voters select the mayor.
Silva focused on tax-funded amenities such as the city’s Children’s Museum, library extensions and public safety.
King advocated for financial discipline, improved traffic control and recreational activities.
The mayoral race was a rematch of the 2024 contest when the pair last faced off for the job. Two years ago Silva unseated the then-incumbent mayor King for the role of wielding the gavel.
District 1
In District 1, special-education teacher Billy Silvola had 50.8%, or 279 votes, followed by retired sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Williams with 49.2%, or 270 votes.
There are 1,253 registered voters in that district.
Silvola focused on flood mitigation, traffic calming and revitalizing the Avenue of Flags.
Williams advocated for public safety and fiscal restraint.
They are facing off to replace current Councilman Hudson Hornick, who did not run for re-election.
District 4
Incumbent Carla Mead ran unopposed for a four-year term in the District 4 council seat, in which she has served for a year.
She had 91.5% of the vote (214 votes) late Tuesday night.
Mead was first voted into office during a special election in late 2025 after the council’s four members deadlocked regarding how to fill the seat. It has become vacant when Silva was elected as mayor in November 2024 while having two years remaining on his council term.
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.
