Incumbent Anaheim Councilwoman Gail Eastman is in a tight race for her council seat with challenger and city school district board member James Vanderbilt, early vote-by-mail returns show.
In Anaheim, the top two vote-getters will win council seats. As things stand now, incumbent Councilwoman Kris Murray is holding a first-place lead with 22.9 percent of the vote.
Eastman and Vanderbilt are competing closely for the second seat. Currently, Vanderbilt is holding a slight lead in second with 19.9 percent, while Eastman is in third place with 19.7 percent, according to the early returns.
Eastman and Murray are members of the council majority, while Vanderbilt is running a slate with incumbent Mayor Tom Tait. Tait’s opposition to massive tax subsidies for corporate interests has left him isolated from the council majority, which has the backing of Disneyland and other major businesses.
Meanwhile, Latino leader Jose F. Moreno is in fourth place with 12.9 percent of the vote.
Trailing after him in fifth place is Doug Pettibone, who was on the Tait slate but pulled out of the election, with 10.1 percent. Jerry O’Keefe is in sixth place with 7.7 percent. Donna Michelle Acevedo is in seventh place with 3.8 percent. And coming in eighth place is the other Jose Moreno with 3 percent.
Check back later for updates as more results come in.