San Mateo District 5: Dana Yates Sahae Leads Mayor Adam Loraine by Just Five Votes

SAN MATEO, California — November 5, 2026. One of the Peninsula’s most closely divided municipal elections is in San Mateo City Council District 5. The county’s November 4, 2:06 a.m. results show Dana Yates Sahae with 1,670 candidate votes (39.49%) against incumbent Adam Loraine’s 1,665 (39.37%), a difference of five votes. Third candidate Dave Johnson has 894 votes (21.14%). No legal winner has been certified, and additional eligible ballots can change the order.

All three candidates in one district

The NBC Bay Area results show all three names and 4,229 candidate votes. Loraine is a sitting council member and current mayor; San Mateo has a council-selected mayor rather than a separate citywide mayoral election at this event. The city clerk’s election page identifies Districts 1, 3 and 5 as the November 3 council districts and lists Yates Sahae, Loraine and Johnson for District 5.

Why five votes is not a finished election

Neither the estimated percent of precincts reporting nor the early number of counted votes states how many mail or provisional ballots from District 5 are pending. Even a few additional valid selections could alter the ranking, but a countywide unprocessed-ballot estimate must not be assigned entirely to this council race. A source showing the lead by five votes is an election snapshot, not evidence of an irregularity and not an official recount.

The responsibilities of the council

City council members take part in local budgeting, development, housing, public works and municipal service decisions. Their powers are collective and defined by city law. A candidate’s vote total cannot reveal which issue persuaded each supporter or whether any future policy will be adopted.

Official results are still pending

The San Mateo County Elections office is continuing to review eligible mailed ballots, provisional votes and other canvass items. The county’s next reports may raise candidate or measure totals. An election-night expected-vote percentage is not the same thing as certification. California county canvasses are required to conclude by December 3, and statewide certification is scheduled for December 11, 2026. Readers can consult San Mateo County Elections for the current election report.

California58 Local Elections Desk, published November 5, 2026. Vote tallies reflect the dated early-November-4 report carried by NBC Bay Area and other cited official local election sources. All figures remain unofficial.

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