Perez far behind Picha in early tally

Incumbent Rick Perez is trialing challenger Rudy Picha by a large margin for the Hollister District 1 City Council seat, according to preliminary election results.

With 26.34% of votes cast, Perez has received 370 votes compared to Picha’s 922

“I will say that I am surprised. I thought that we were going to be a little bit more neck and neck. I think my messaging was pretty good,” Picha said in a phone call on Tuesday night.