Folsom, CAVoter Guide 2026 · not a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Folsom City Council Election 2026

3 of 5

council seats up

3 contests

7 candidates

Updated Oct 4, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

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

City Council District 1 · 1 seat

City Council District 3 · 1 seat

City Council District 5 · 1 seat

Voters in Districts 1, 3 and 5 each elect one council member; Districts 2 and 4 have no council race this year.

3 notes on these statements

Seven candidates qualified for three seats: Mike Kozlowski, Paul Kerfeld and Chad Vander Veen in District 1; Sarah Aquino and Jagadish “Jag” Nagendra in District 3; and Anna Rohrbough and Justin Hurst in District 5. City of Folsom

Sarah Aquino and Barbara Leary said at the April 14, 2026 meeting that they will decline the additional council salary. Folsom City Council minutes, April 14, 2026 · Apr 14, 2026

Measures I, J and K are also on the City of Folsom ballot in November 2026. City of Folsom

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Barbara LearyCouncilmember, District 4; term ends November 20283sourcedJustin RaithelMayor; Councilmember, District 2; term ends November 20283sourced

Start here

Match quiz5 questions · answers stay on your phoneSeat the CouncilPick winners, see the councilWhat council decidesCity budget and a possible sales tax, Growth and infrastructure, Housing and affordabilityKey datesDeadlines and vote centers

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Next date

Ballots mailed to all registered voters

Mon, Oct 5, 2026

TodayAll key dates

What the next council decides

City budget and a possible sales tax

Where it standsThe council adopted a $308 million budget for 2026-27 with sales tax revenue projected flat. Voters defeated the 1% sales tax in Measure G in November 2024.

What's on the tableThe next council will set future budgets and decide whether to ask voters for new revenue.

Growth and infrastructure

Where it standsNew homes are being built south of Highway 50 under the Folsom Plan Area, while the council works to fund the Empire Ranch Road interchange.

What's on the tableThe next council will vote on development approvals and on how to fund roads and services.

Housing and affordability

Where it standsThe city bought a 6.69-acre site near Lakeside Church with housing funds, and has built fewer lower-income units than its state housing allocation calls for.

What's on the tableThe next council will decide how to use the Lakeside site and how to meet state housing requirements.

Council pay and the November charter measures

Where it standsThe council raised its pay for terms beginning December 2026, and voters will decide three local measures on the November ballot.

What's on the tableVoters decide Measures I, J and K, and the next council begins at the higher pay unless members decline it.

  • Ordinance 1366 sets council pay at up to $1,900 a month, up from $600, and applies to council members elected to new terms after the November 2026 election. Folsom Times · Apr 14, 2026

License plate readers

Where it standsFolsom is discontinuing Flock Safety license plate cameras but plans to keep using similar technology from other companies.

What's on the tableThe next council will oversee how license plate reader data is used and shared.

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. Folsom voters defeated the 1% sales tax in Measure G in 2024. Which comes closest to your view on asking voters for a new sales tax?

  2. 2. In 2026 the council voted 3-2 to raise council pay from $600 to as much as $1,900 a month starting in December. Which comes closest to your view?

  3. 3. Much of Folsom's new housing is going up south of Highway 50, on land already approved for development. Which comes closest to your view?

  4. 4. Which comes closest to your view on the kind of new housing Folsom should add?

  5. 5. Folsom is ending its Flock license plate cameras but will keep readers from other vendors. Which comes closest to your view?

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): Barbara Leary, Justin Raithel3 on this ballot

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

  • Folsom's five-member City Council is elected by district, and members serve four-year terms. City of Folsom
  • The council designates a mayor and vice mayor from among its members, who serve at the discretion of the council. City of Folsom
  • Terms are staggered: Districts 1, 3 and 5 are up in November 2026 and Districts 2 and 4 in November 2028. City of Folsom
  • Council members are limited to four consecutive 4-year terms, counting terms served from 2018 forward. City of Folsom

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