Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua conceded her reelection bid to political newcomer Dan Shimell on the night of Monday, Nov. 9, even though the city's official vote count had not yet finished. The concession capped a race that saw Amezcua's early Election Night advantage evaporate and flip in Shimell's favor over the following days.
Amezcua made her concession “con profunda gratitud,” or with profound gratitude, according to Univision, which reported that the official count still had not concluded at the time she stepped aside. The outlet's tally that night showed Shimell with 29,013 votes to Amezcua's 25,803, with third-place finisher Dwayne Shipp at 8,359. Shimell himself cautioned that the race was not yet final, telling Univision that “quedan votos por contar, así que vamos a confiar en el proceso hasta que el conteo sea final” — there are still votes to count, so let's trust the process until the count is final.
The vote totals reported that same Monday varied slightly depending on the source. The Orange County Register put Shimell above 45% of the vote to Amezcua's almost 41%, while Voice of OC reported Shimell at about 46% and Amezcua at nearly 41%, with more than 63,100 votes counted in the mayoral race at that point. The Register also reported that county officials estimated 116,660 ballots remained to be counted that same Monday night.
A Lead That Flipped After Election Night
Amezcua's roughly 13-point lead on Election Night itself did not hold. As additional ballots were processed in the days that followed, that advantage disappeared and flipped in Shimell's favor, according to Voice of OC. By Saturday's count, the outlet reported Shimell ahead by 1,823 votes, with about 45% to Amezcua's roughly 42%, and Shipp — a city commissioner — holding around 13% of the 58,200 votes counted at that time.
Shimell is an attorney who moved to Santa Ana in 2020 and had never before run for local office, the same Voice of OC report notes. His campaign centered on accountability, affordability, and standing up to immigration enforcement. Money told its own story in the race: the outlet reported that the Santa Ana police union spent more than $110,000 supporting Amezcua's campaign, while Shimell received no independent-expenditure support at all.
Amezcua's Record and a Costly Settlement
Amezcua made history in 2022 as the first woman elected Santa Ana mayor, and she cruised to reelection in 2024 by about 15,000 votes, capturing roughly 60% of the vote at the time, per the same Voice of OC account. That earlier dominance stands in sharp contrast to this year's reversal.
Her second term was shadowed by a costly workplace dispute. The report states that the city agreed to pay former City Manager Kristine Ridge more than $600,000 to settle a claim alleging Amezcua created a hostile workplace environment for her, even though city-hired investigators concluded in 2024 that they could not sustain the allegations against Amezcua.
Separately, LAist's voter guide found that some Santa Ana residents felt Amezcua had never adequately answered questions about whether her response to ICE raids the previous summer was strong enough. That criticism reportedly grew heated enough that she faced calls to resign.
What Happens Before Certification
Orange County's results are scheduled to be certified on or before Dec. 3, according to the same LAist voter guide, meaning the figures reported so far remain unofficial snapshots of an ongoing count rather than a final tally. Both Univision's and Voice of OC's reporting make clear that ballots were still being processed even as Amezcua made her concession.
The mayoral contest was not the only close Santa Ana race being watched as ballots came in. In Ward 4, challenger Sandra de Anda held 57% of the vote over incumbent Phil Bacerra on Monday night, the Register reported, while in Ward 6, Isuri Ramos led challenger Giovanni Chavez with more than 58% of the vote the same night.
The current race also marks a reversal from two years ago, when Amezcua jumped out to a large early lead over challenger Benjamin Vazquez in the 2024 mayoral contest, according to the Register's coverage of that election. This year's numbers moved in the opposite direction as counting continued, ultimately prompting her concession to Shimell before the count was complete.
