From left, Joe Clarke, Tory Del Favero and TJ Welch were leading in early election results for Capitola City Council. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local file)

Capitola >> Tory Del Favero, TJ Welch and Joe Clarke are leading the Capitola City Council race  as of 8:15 p.m. Tuesday. The top three vote-getters win seats.

Cami Corvin and Peter Wilk trailed. 

Vote tallies will continue to be updated throughout the night and in the coming days. Final election results must be certified by Dec. 3.

In Santa Cruz Local’s voter guide, all five candidates offered similar visions in their approaches to state housing mandates, the proposed project of the rail trail and pedestrian safety issues. All candidates were aligned in their priorities in building a safer means of transportation for pedestrians and bicyclists, specifically through the proposed pedestrian and bicycle path on the rail trail. 

The biggest difference was found in Welch’s and Clarke’s positions, who differed from the three other candidates when it came to state housing mandates, and emphasized that they wanted to slow down building new housing throughout the town. 

Del Favero, Welch and Corvin were all aligned on their support for improving road safety for pedestrians and cyclists, especially throughout the Captiola Village. The three candidates also had similar views on how to address state housing mandates, with all three ensuring that their priority was to keep Capitola’s architectural charm. 

The Capitola City Council is a five-member, at-large elected body that serves four-year terms, and is responsible for creating city laws and sets the city’s budget. 

Some of the biggest issues on the minds of community members this election cycle included the redevelopment of the Capitola Mall, cliff erosion and community engagement.

Read more about early election results:

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