Rancho Palos Verdes Council: Brach Leads Funiciello by 184 Votes for Third Seat

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. — November 4, 2026. An updated count in Rancho Palos Verdes’ six-candidate City Council election shows Matthew Brach 184 votes ahead of Tina Funiciello in the competition for the third of three open seats. The gap is narrow enough to warrant careful attention to additional ballots, and no certified result has been issued.

Three seats and six candidates

The NBC Los Angeles live results list John Cruikshank first with 7,762 votes (25.95%), followed by David Chura with 6,031 (20.17%). Matthew Brach is third at 4,795 (16.03%); Tina Funiciello follows with 4,611 (15.42%). Jessica Vlaco has 3,537 (11.83%) and Michele Carbone has 3,170 (10.60%).

With three seats on the ballot, the Brach–Funiciello margin is particularly important: it is the difference between third and fourth place at the time of this update. An earlier Wednesday morning report put the gap at 156 votes, illustrating why timestamped totals matter.

Why the new council matters locally

The city’s official 2026 election page confirms three council seats were up for election, with no incumbents seeking reelection. Incoming councilmembers will face decisions about municipal services, infrastructure, city finances and the continuing Portuguese Bend landslide emergency. This report does not infer any candidate’s policy from the vote count.

Voters also weighed in on Measure RS, a separate proposal involving hotel taxes, which California58 has already covered.

Unofficial returns, with another update pending

The Los Angeles County Registrar has scheduled another release for Thursday, November 5, at 9 a.m. Pacific. The newsroom will distinguish those later results from this November 4 snapshot.

Sources: NBC Los Angeles live returns; City of Rancho Palos Verdes official election information; Patch election-count reporting; Los Angeles County Registrar.

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