Michael Moats has conceded to Gloria Soto in the race for Santa Maria City Council.
The official election results from Santa Barbara County are still pending, but Moats confirmed to KSBY on Monday that he had conceded.
Moats said he congratulated Soto and told her she had run a good campaign, and he wished her the best in the upcoming years.
Despite conceding, Moats will still continue on the City Council for two more years to fulfill his four-year term, which he was elected to in 2016.
City leaders say Moats was elected the year before Santa Maria started using district elections. He will still serve in an at-large seat covering the entire city, rather than a particular district.
Soto will be the youngest woman ever elected to the City Council and the sixth woman in the city’s history elected to the council.
The race was incredibly close, at times separated by just dozens of votes. The latest results from the county show Soto in the lead by 289 votes.
