San MarinoNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

San Marino City Council Election 2026

3 of 5 council seats are on the ballot, with 4 candidates running. Updated Oct 5, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

Find your match: 4-question quizSee who is on your ballot

No sign-in needed. Your answers stay on your phone.

22days to Nov 3

The candidates

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

Three of the five at-large seats on the San Marino City Council are on the November 3, 2026 ballot in one contest; voters may vote for no more than three candidates.

Last day to register to vote · Oct 19

Take your ballot with you

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

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

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

What the next council decides

01City budget and revenue2 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council adopted the fiscal year 2026-27 budget on May 29, 2026, after voters approved the Measure S sales tax in June.

What's on the tableHow to balance the budget and set spending priorities as the city faces projected annual shortfalls.

  • The City's Five-Year Financial Forecast projects a structural deficit ranging from a low of $2,132,275 to a high of $2,804,101 absent revenue from the City's longstanding UUT. City of San Marino
  • Measure S, a 1% sales and use tax to fund city services, was approved by 64.82% of voters on June 2, 2026. Ballotpedia
02Measure U: utility users tax renewal3 sourced facts

Where it standsMeasure U is on the November 3, 2026 ballot and asks voters to renew the city's utility users tax.

What's on the tableWhether the current tax is renewed before it expires, and how the council budgets the revenue.

  • Measure U would renew San Marino's longstanding Utility Users Tax (UUT) at 6% City of San Marino
  • The City Council unanimously approved the submission of a ballot measure for the November 3, 2026 General Election that would ask voters to renew the City's existing Utility Users Tax City of San Marino
  • The current Utility Users Tax is scheduled to expire on March 31, 2027. City of San Marino
03Public safety parcel tax2 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council re-established the public safety special tax levies for fiscal year 2026-27 in April 2026.

What's on the tableEach year's levy rate, and whether to seek renewal of the parcel tax.

04State housing requirements2 sourced facts

Where it standsThe city is implementing its 6th Cycle Housing Element and will face a 7th Cycle update.

What's on the tableHow and where the city meets state housing mandates while setting design and zoning standards.

05Huntington Drive and economic vitality2 sourced facts

Where it standsCity staff list zoning updates and a redesign of Huntington Drive medians among potential upcoming projects.

What's on the tableZoning code changes for commercial areas and the design of the Huntington Drive and Sierra Madre Boulevard greenbelt medians.

2 notes on these statements

Three council terms expire in November 2026: those of Mayor Tony Chou, Vice Mayor Calvin Lo and Council Member Gretchen Shepherd Romey. City of San Marino · May 26, 2026

Measure U, a renewal of the city's utility users tax, is also on the November 3, 2026 ballot. City of San Marino

No sign-in · answers stay on your phone

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 San Marino close its long-term budget gap?

  2. 2. Should San Marino keep levying its public safety parcel tax?

  3. 3. How should San Marino meet state housing requirements?

  4. 4. What should the city do about its commercial districts?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.New · How San Marino is runWho runs San Marino, and what it costsThe city manager earns $289,596. See council pay, whether the city is in the red, and where your property tax goes.

Key dates

The seat math

2 stay (not up this year): Hunter Chang, John Chou3 on this ballot

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

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

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.