Escondido District 2: DiMartino Leads Garcia by 221 Votes as County Count Continues

ESCONDIDO, Calif. — November 4, 2026. The race for Escondido City Council District 2 remains one of the closer municipal contests in San Diego County. Challenger Anthony DiMartino has 4,484 votes (51.3%) against incumbent Joe Garcia’s 4,263 (48.7%), a margin of 221 votes in the latest available unofficial tally listed by The Ballot Book’s San Diego County election-results tracker.

What the vote totals mean

DiMartino leads the two-candidate contest, but the figures are an unofficial count, not a declaration that either candidate has been elected. Eligible ballots can continue to be added or reviewed after Election Day, and residents should check later updates before drawing conclusions about a close margin.

Other Escondido contests

The same reported snapshot shows Mayor Dane M. White ahead with 13,590 votes to Elias Velazquez’s 11,535; in Council District 1, Vanessa Valenzuela has 2,165 votes to Tanner Horsley’s 1,345. California58 has separately covered the mayoral contest.

When the result becomes official

According to the City of Escondido’s election information, its 2026 election certification is scheduled for December 3. The San Diego County Registrar of Voters is the primary source for official ballot processing and subsequent returns.

Source and date note: Candidate vote totals above are the unofficial countywide results snapshot available on November 4, 2026 via The Ballot Book. Certification remains pending. Residents should check the county and city election offices for changes.

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