Chula Vista, CAVoter Guide 2026 · not a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Chula Vista Mayor & City Council Election 2026

3 of 5

council seats up

3 contests

6 candidates

Updated Oct 2, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Mayor · 1 seat

City Council District 1 · 1 seat

City Council District 2 · 1 seat

All Chula Vista voters pick one candidate for mayor. Voters in District 1 or District 2 also pick one candidate for their district's council seat. Each race is a two-candidate runoff.

5 notes on these statements

The San Diego County Republican Party endorsed John McCann, Greg Martinez and Angelica Martinez. KPBS · Sep 30, 2026

The San Diego County Democratic Party endorsed Francisco Tamayo, Carolina Chavez and Jose Preciado. KPBS · Sep 30, 2026

Tamayo has been endorsed by all four of McCann's Democratic colleagues on the City Council. KPBS · Jun 2, 2026

A LIUNA-sponsored committee spent $158,811 supporting Tamayo, $48,131 backing Chavez and $28,142 on Preciado this year. San Diego Union-Tribune · Aug 8, 2026

City Attorney Marco Verdugo is also on the ballot, unopposed. City of Chula Vista

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Cesar FernandezDeputy Mayor; District 4 councilmember9sourcedMichael InzunzaCouncilmember, District 3; elected November 202410sourced

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

Start here

Match quiz5 questions · answers stay on your phoneSeat the CouncilPick winners, see the councilWhat council decidesCouncil pay and the city charter, Affordable housing funding, Homeless encampmentsKey datesDeadlines and vote centers

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Next date

Ballots start going out

Mon, Oct 5, 2026

TodayAll key dates

What the next council decides

Council pay and the city charter

Where it standsIn July 2026 the council kept a union-drafted charter overhaul off the November ballot and sent it to the Charter Review Commission, minus the pay raises.

What's on the tableWhether any of the package, such as term limits, binding arbitration or an ethics commission, comes back to voters, possibly in 2028.

Affordable housing funding

Where it standsIn June 2026 the council approved up to $4 million for Park Hill, an affordable apartment project on church land, with density cut to 62 units.

What's on the tableWhere future affordable-housing money goes, and how much weight neighborhood objections get.

Homeless encampments

Where it standsThe city bans camping near schools, parks and transit stops, and in September 2026 signed a deal to clear encampments along I-5.

What's on the tableHow hard to enforce the camping rules, and how much to spend on shelter and services.

A second police station

Where it standsA $393,815 study of police facilities, including a possible eastern substation, is due to the council by November 2026.

What's on the tableWhether to build and pay for a police substation east of I-805.

Immigration enforcement at city facilities

Where it standsThe Safe Neighbor Ordinance, adopted in March 2026, sets rules for federal law enforcement access to city facilities and requires reports every six months.

What's on the tableWhether to keep, change or repeal the ordinance as the twice-yearly reports come in.

Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. Councilmembers are paid about $64,600 a year for part-time seats. A union-drafted charter measure would have raised that to $110,000. Should council pay go up?

  2. 2. The city committed up to $4 million to Park Hill, an affordable apartment project on church land in a single-family neighborhood. Should the city fund projects like this?

  3. 3. How should Chula Vista handle homeless encampments on public land, including along I-5?

  4. 4. Chula Vista has one police station, west of I-805. Should the city build a police substation in eastern Chula Vista?

  5. 5. The Safe Neighbor Ordinance, adopted in 2026, sets rules for federal law enforcement access to city facilities, aimed at immigration enforcement. Should the city keep it?

Seat the Council →

Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

The seat math

2 stay (not up this year): Cesar Fernandez, Michael Inzunza3 on this ballot

5 council seats. The council decides by a 3-vote majority.

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