BERKELEY — As early Election results roll in Tuesday, only one candidate was clearly leading the pack out of the gate in the bid for the Berkeley City Council.

Mark Humbert appeared to be coasting to victory in the open District 8 race to represent much of southeast Berkeley, including UC Berkeley’s Clark Kerr campus.

If initial results hold steady, the attorney and veteran city commissioner will fill the shoes of Councilmember Lori Droste, who decided not to run for a third term. In early returns Tuesday, a sizable gap separated Humbert from the other candidates for District 8 — nonprofit founder Peter Bruce DuMont, rent board commissioner Mari Mendonca and Jay Wu, an insurance agent.

Incumbent Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani and Elisa Mikiten, an architect and planning commissioner, were neck and neck for the District 1 seat, which represents northwest Berkeley’s residential neighborhoods, transit stations, commercial corridors and marina. Tamar Michai Freeman, a holistic health and disability advocate, was trailing in last place.

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Early voting tallies suggested Berkeley residents had rallied behind tacking on extra costs for property owners of habitable units that sit empty for more than half a year, but may be more wary of supporting increased annual property taxes for citywide developments.

Measure L — a $650 million general obligation bond to raise funding for housing, infrastructure and climate projects — had the support of more than half of voters in early returns. At least two-thirds of electors need to voting for the proposal for it to pass.

Over the 48-month life of the bond, the median increase to homeowners’ property taxes would be $40.91 for each $100,000 of a home’s assessed value, according to city documents.

Voter support for Measure M, which would levy a tax between $3,000 and $6,000 for vacant homes not being rented out by large corporate landlords, was supported by 60 percent of votes in early returns. Exemptions would be carved out for housing units controlled by nonprofits, local government agencies, small Property Owners who live on-site, or families that have just one single-family house and a single accessory dwelling unit.

If the measure passes with a simple majority of residents voting “yes,” about 700 units would be subject to the tax in its first year — beginning in January 2024 — while upward of 1,000 units would be taxed within two years.

Measure N, a non-binding question asking for voters’ approval to build up to 3,000 units of affordable housing, had the support of 70% of voters in early returns.