Ballot counting is still underway across Los Angeles County, but the picture in Carson's District 4 is coming into focus.

Challenger John Hollaway holds a lead over incumbent Councilmember Arleen Bocatija Rojas in the latest returns.

The newest county update, as published by NBC Los Angeles, shows Hollaway with 3,663 votes, or 51.59 percent, to 3,437 votes, or 48.41 percent, for Rojas.

That works out to a margin of 226 votes.

The race has been one of the closest in the South Bay this cycle.

The city's own results page, last refreshed November 8, showed Hollaway leading 3,603 to 3,383.

Rojas first won the District 4 seat in a 2021 special election.

What the District 4 seat covers

District 4 takes in much of southern Carson, and its council member is one of four district representatives who serve alongside the mayor.

District 2 and citywide offices

In District 2, Councilmember Jim Dear is cruising toward another term.

He leads challenger Derek Haskell Jr. with roughly 74 percent of the vote in the latest count.

City Clerk Khaleah K. Bradshaw and City Treasurer Monica Cooper ran unopposed.

Measure CU passing easily

Carson voters are also approving Measure CU, the city charter update, by about a three-to-one margin.

The newest returns show 22,844 yes votes, or 75.33 percent, against 7,480 no votes.

The measure needed only a simple majority to pass.

One of its biggest changes is the end of term limits for Carson's elected officers.

Under the current charter, council members can serve three four-year terms, for a total of 12 years.

According to the city, the update would instead leave it to voters at each election to decide who stays in office.

The measure also requires local campaign-donation disclosure rules to be at least as strict as state law.

It sets a majority vote of the City Council as the threshold for placing tax measures on the ballot, while keeping voter-approval requirements in place.

The city says the measure itself does not raise or create any tax.

Other pieces update the treasurer's duties and clean up charter language on city contracts and the sale of city property.

City officials have said the changes take effect once they are accepted and filed by the California Secretary of State, likely by the end of 2026.

What happens next

All of these results remain unofficial.

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk continues to process remaining ballots before certifying the election.

The Carson Courier will update readers when final, certified numbers are released.

Residents can follow the count on the county's results site at results.lavote.gov or on the city's election results page at carsonca.gov.

Sources: City of Carson, November 2026 Election Results (https://www.carsonca.gov/government/november_2026_election_results.php); City of Carson, City Charter Update (https://www.carsonca.gov/citycharterupdate); NBC Los Angeles, 2026 Los Angeles County election results (https://www.nbclosangeles.com/elections/los-angeles-county-election-results-2026-midterms/3962583/); Inquirer USA, 2021 report on Rojas's election (https://usa.inquirer.net/89368/fil-am-woman-takes-carson-california-city-council-seat).

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