By Jennipher Vasquez
Clarissa Cervantes was in the lead for Ward 2 in the Riverside City Council elections as of June 9 by more than double the votes counted for Joe Paredes.
Ward 2, 4 and 6 election results will be updated on June 10 at 6 p.m. as ballots continue to be processed.
Cervantes hosted a watch party of the June 8 election at Lift Coffee Roasters in Riverside, where Cervantes’ sister, Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, was also present.
“I am humbled by the support that I have been receiving across every corner,” Cervantes said. “This is a surreal experience to know that the residents and the voters of this community trust me and would like to see me as their next city council member.”
Cervantes said she is ready to take on the homelessness crisis, COVID-19 pandemic recovery and creating affordable housing.
Assemblymember Cervantes thanked those in attendance of the watch party and praised her sister for the tireless work she has done to serve her community.
“Every person that Clarissa has interacted with, from a very young age, she’s interacted with folks and has truly cared about the stories that people share with her,” the assemblymember said. “And she carries those stories with her, she carries those stories on her shoulders and I have to remind her, ‘Clarissa we can’t solve every issue out there.’”
She also thanked her sister for serving as inspiration to her due to her drive for helping community members and putting the power back in their hands.
Candidate Aram Ayra, currently with 11.59% of the votes, thanked his campaign team for their hard work leading up to election day in a statement on June 8.
“I’m proud of the movement we’ve built in the short span of six months, advocating to make Riverside a city that works for the people and not special interests,” Ayra said. “While we feel strong about our election prospects, we will continue to fight for the interests of Riversiders no matter what the outcome.”
Ward 4 candidate Chuck Conder, who is in the lead by 687 votes as of June 9, is also hopeful the effort executed into his campaign will result in his favor.
“I’ve run the best campaign I could’ve, I worked as hard as I could and it’s in God’s hands now,” Conder said. “If I’m lucky enough I’ll continue to serve the people of Riverside and if not, I’m sure that God will reveal to me what he wants me to do next.”
If Cervantes does not receive at least a 50% majority lead a runoff election will take place Nov. 2.
The remaining mail-in ballots are still being processed, though only approximately six% of the ballots issued by Riverside County have been received.
Visit voteinfo.net for more information on the Riverside General Municipal Election.
Leo Cabral contributed to this story.
