After five years as a Lompoc City Council member, it looks like Jeremy Ball will serve his town as mayor.
“It’s just really great that a lot of people have put their trust in a new direction,” Ball told the Sun.
He had 61 percent of votes counted as of Nov. 10. Sitting Mayor Jim Mosby had accumulated 38.3 percent. The margin was 2,018 votes.
Running on a “laser focused” goal to make Lompoc “a little bit more attractive,” Ball said his campaign resonated with voters without necessarily being politically charged. He thinks residents want to take more pride in their city.
“I think a lot of people share that understanding that Lompoc has so much potential but at the same time just watching nothing happen,” Ball said. “I think a lot of people just want to see what happens if we shoot for the stars and get halfway there. What might that look like? So, I think a lot of people are jazzed about just trying to clean up the place.”
In one campaign Instagram post that drummed up attention, Ball filmed himself in the car talking about the city’s neglected properties.
“I was just driving around town, just lamenting the fact that after so many years of watching the same properties look the same, some of the same blocks have no redevelopment or no updates. I think that really struck a chord with a lot of people,” Ball explained.
In 2020, the same two candidates faced off for the 4th District City Council seat, a race that Ball won. Four years later Mosby emerged on top in the mayoral race against then-incumbent Jenelle Osborne.
Mosby, who had earned 3,410 votes as of Nov. 10, said his leadership style on the council is different than Ball’s.
“If people can’t see a difference within this town in the last two years or are happy with what’s going to go on if I’m not there, then that’s the will of the people,” Mosby told the Sun before the election.
Assuming he takes office, Ball said he has some “aggressive plans,” but they depend on who takes control of two other City Council seats.
Unofficial results on Nov. 10 showed Sharlameigne Segovia and Victor Vega in a close race for the 2nd District position and Sarah Anne Read with a cushioned lead against Nick Gonzales in the 3rd District.
“We have Sharlameigne Segovia. She’s only 25 votes behind Victor Vega, and they’re still counting,” Ball said on Nov. 9, before updated results put Segovia 12 votes ahead of Vega.
“There’s a chance that we might be able to pick up not only my seat, but Sarah Anne Read, who just won, and also Sharlameigne,” Ball added. “That would give us a little bit more opportunity to be specifically aggressive in some areas. If not, if Victor Vega wins, I think he’s a great person too. He’ll be just fine to work with, but we may have to temper a few of the things that we had in mind.”
While he’s looking forward to getting to work, the 4th District City Council member said he can do very little without help from others.
“I’m just excited for Lompoc,” Ball said, “but the pressure’s on.”
This article appears in November 12 – November 19, 2026.
