Menlo Park, CAVoter Guide 2026 · not a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Menlo Park City Council Election 2026

3 of 5

council seats up

3 contests

6 candidates

Updated Oct 5, 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 2 · 1 seat

City Council District 4 · 1 seat

Voters elect one councilmember per district; only residents of Districts 1, 2 and 4 vote in this election, one seat each.

1 note on these statements

Councilmembers Betsy Nash (District 4) and Cecilia Taylor (District 1) are not seeking reelection; Drew Combs is the only incumbent on the ballot. The Mercury News · Sep 27, 2026

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Jeff SchmidtCouncilmember, District 3; term ends December 20282sourcedJennifer WiseCouncilmember, District 5; term ends December 20282sourced

Start here

Match quiz4 questions · answers stay on your phoneSeat the CouncilPick winners, see the councilWhat council decidesDowntown parking lots (Measure P), 80 Willow Road high-rise proposal, Street safety and transportation fundingKey datesDeadlines and vote centers

Get your Menlo Park ballot cheat-sheet

Candidates, positions and dates in one email, sent now.

One email now. We only email again if you ask. No ads, never sold.

Next date

Vote-by-mail ballots mailed; early voting opens

Mon, Oct 5, 2026

TodayAll key dates

What the next council decides

Downtown parking lots (Measure P)

Where it standsMeasure P, placed on the ballot by petition, would require voter approval before the city sells, leases or otherwise changes downtown parking plazas.

What's on the tableIf voters approve it, the council could not sell, lease or reduce parking on eight downtown plazas without a public vote; if not, it keeps authority over the lots.

80 Willow Road high-rise proposal

Where it standsThe city is in a dispute with developer N17 over a builder's remedy proposal at the former Sunset Magazine campus, and the state Attorney General sent the city a notice.

What's on the tableThe council will decide how the city handles the 80 Willow application and its response to the Attorney General's notice.

  • On July 29, 2026 the Attorney General's office sent the city written notice stating the city violated AB 2011 and the Housing Accountability Act in processing the project. City of Menlo Park · Aug 3, 2026
  • Menlo Park is in a dispute with developer N17 over a builder's remedy proposal for mixed-use high-rise buildings on the site. The Mercury News · Sep 27, 2026

Street safety and transportation funding

Where it standsThe council adopted a Slow Streets Program 3-1 in April 2026 and approved more money for Middle Avenue Caltrain crossing design 3-1.

What's on the tableThe next council will decide how Slow Streets and the Middle Avenue crossing are funded and carried out.

Budget and business license tax

Where it standsCandidates describe city finances as strained, and one proposes changing the business license tax paid by large employers.

What's on the tableThe council sets the city budget and could place a revised business license tax before voters.

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. How should Menlo Park voters decide Measure P, requiring voter approval before downtown parking lots are sold or leased?

  2. 2. Do you support the Slow Streets Program the council adopted in April 2026?

  3. 3. Should the city keep funding design of the Middle Avenue Caltrain crossing?

  4. 4. Should large employers pay more through the city's business license tax?

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): Jeff Schmidt, Jennifer Wise3 on this ballot

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

  • Councilmembers are elected by district to four-year overlapping terms. City of Menlo Park
  • The Mayor and Vice Mayor serve one-year terms and are selected annually by the City Council at a meeting in December. City of Menlo Park
  • The Nov. 3, 2026 election fills three City Council seats, one each in Districts 1, 2 and 4. City of Menlo Park

Every claim here links to its source and was checked against it before publishing. How this guide works →

Take your ballot with you

Who is on your ballot, where each candidate stands, and the dates that matter, in one email you can carry to the polls. Sent right now.

One email now. We only email again if you ask. No ads, never sold.

See something wrong? Report an error

Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.