An Encinitas sales tax ballot measure is trailing, and the three candidates running for mayor and two City Council seats who opposed it are all leading in the initial Election Day returns.

Encinitas Mayor Tony Kranz is trailing challenger Bruce Ehlers, who is in his first term on the City Council, by a narrow margin.

The Encinitas mayor is a separately elected two-year position, while each of the four council members is elected to a four-year term.

In the District 1 City Council race, incumbent Allison Blackwell trails Luke Shaffer, a lacrosse coach at La Costa Canyon High School. Blackwell had been appointed to the seat, which represents Leucadia in the north coastal section of the city, that Kranz vacated when he became mayor.

In District 2, which covers Old Encinitas and the central coastal portion of the city, Destiny Preston trails Jim O’Hara. The winner will replace Kellie Hinze, who has served on the council since 2019 but announced she would not seek reelection.

Preston, an assistant deputy director of planning for the California Transportation Commission, moved to Encinitas in 2022 but has family ties in the city dating back about 30 years. O’Hara, an Encinitas resident of 25 years, is the owner of event management company Race San Diego LLC.

The three candidates who are trailing in the initial returns were all endorsed by the Democratic Party and have said they support Measure K, which a narrow majority of voters so far are rejecting. If approved, it is estimated to provide a little more than $15 million per year to be used for infrastructure repairs and services.

The ballot measure would also include the formation of an independent citizen oversight committee to monitor the use of the funds.