South El Monte Council: Kimberly Valencia Leads Manuel Acosta by 14 Votes in Updated Returns

SOUTH EL MONTE, Los Angeles County — November 5, 2026, unofficial election coverage. Kimberly Valencia and incumbent Manuel “Manny” Acosta are separated by just 14 candidate votes in the latest displayed ABC7 result for South El Monte’s City Council election.

Reported candidate totals

The available live results snapshot shows Kimberly Valencia with 1,844 candidate selections (about 39%) and Manuel Acosta with 1,830 (about 39%). Valencia leads Acosta by 14 in the displayed count. Rudy Bojorquez is the third candidate; the ABC7 abbreviated listing does not provide his exact total here.

What voters need to understand

The city’s election fills two at-large council seats, so the 14-vote difference is between the two leading candidates, not automatically the margin for winning the second seat. A full three-candidate count is needed to determine the margin between second and third. Both election-night standings and the order of candidates can change before certification.

Counting continues

The vote numbers in this article are a live ABC7 Los Angeles results-page snapshot accessed November 5. A live media widget may update between visits and does not expose the exact county posting timestamp for every contest. It is not a certified election result. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder schedules additional canvass updates and continues counting eligible mail, conditional-registration and provisional ballots. Check the newest county results for changes before treating a ranking as final.

Sources: ABC7 Los Angeles — 2026 local election results; Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder official results; South El Monte City Clerk — November 3 election. California58 statewide election results.

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