Visalia Council: Esther Perez Leads Incumbent Steven Nelsen in District 5

VISALIA, Tulare County — November 4, 2026. Challenger Esther Perez leads incumbent Steven Nelsen in Visalia’s City Council District 5 following the November 3 election. Incumbent Emmanuel Hernandez Soto is also ahead in District 4. Both races remain part of an unofficial count.

District 5: four candidates

A November 4 review of Tulare County’s final election-night report lists Esther Perez with 1,392 votes, Steven Nelsen with 1,043, Jose Sosa Wences with 556 and Justin Stie with 115. Perez’s lead over Nelsen was 349 votes in the reported batch. Earlier reporting from Valley Voice also showed Perez ahead but with different preliminary percentages, reflecting an earlier tally.

District 4: Soto versus Kastle

The same later report listed Emmanuel Hernandez Soto with 1,767 votes and Nick Kastle with 1,088, a difference of 679 in District 4. The city also had a separate District 3 contest; its results cannot be inferred from Districts 4 and 5.

Why these local races matter

Visalia councilmembers decide matters affecting land use, streets, public utilities, municipal budgets and local services. The candidates run in separate geographic districts, so citywide percentages cannot be constructed by adding the candidate votes from different districts.

The official count continues

The Tulare County Registrar of Voters will continue the post-election canvass, including eligible mail and provisional ballots. These candidate totals are snapshots from overnight reporting, not certified winners. Readers should verify new timestamps before sharing updated percentages.

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