Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026
South El Monte City Council Election 2026
2 of 5 council seats are on the ballot, with 3 candidates running. Updated Oct 5, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check
No sign-in needed. Your answers stay on your phone.
The candidates
Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.
City Council
Vote for up to 2Manuel AcostaIncumbentManuel Acosta is a South El Monte councilmember and a tenured professor of chemistry and biomanufacturing. He leads the biomanufacturing certificate and associate degree program at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.7sourced
Rudy BojorquezIncumbentRudy Bojorquez is a South El Monte councilmember and former Planning Commission chairman. He has 15 years of experience as a small business owner.6sourced
- Kimberly ValenciaKimberly Valencia is a lifelong South El Monte resident and a former UCLA substance abuse program worker. She worked at the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs from the start of her career until recently.4sourced
All South El Monte voters choose up to two of the three candidates for the two council seats.
Already on the council, not on the ballot
Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.
What the next council decides
01Elected mayor3 sourced facts
Where it standsMeasure RM on the November ballot asks voters whether to return to five elected council members with a mayor chosen from among them.
What's on the tableIf Measure RM passes, the council will choose the mayor from its own members after the current mayor's term ends in 2028.
- South El Monte's mayor is elected at-large by voters to a four-year term, alongside four at-large council members. City Attorney's Impartial Analysis of Measure RM
- If approved, the current mayor serves out her term and the office stops appearing on the ballot starting in November 2028. City Attorney's Impartial Analysis of Measure RM
- The council voted 3-2 on July 21, 2026, to place a measure on the ballot replacing the elected mayor with a mayor selected by the council. South El Monte Resolution No. 26-058 (July 21, 2026) · Jul 21, 2026
02Council term limits2 sourced facts
Where it standsMeasure CL would limit council members to four four-year terms in their lifetime if voters approve it.
What's on the tableVoters decide Measure CL; the council would then apply the limit to terms that begin on or after November 3, 2026.
- Measure CL asks whether council service should be limited to no more than four four-year terms in a lifetime, with partial terms not counting as a full term. City of South El Monte · Aug 13, 2026
- The council voted yes to place a City Council term limits measure on the ballot (passed 5-0, July 21, 2026). South El Monte Resolution No. 26-057 (July 21, 2026) · Jul 21, 2026
03Cannabis retail rules2 sourced facts
Where it standsThe council cut the cannabis buffer from neighboring jurisdictions to 350 feet and allowed commercial cannabis in the manufacturing zone in February 2026.
What's on the tableHow cannabis rules and permits are applied under Measure CM and the amended ordinance.
- Ordinance 1287 passed 3-2 on Feb. 17, 2026, changing the buffer from jurisdictional boundaries to 350 feet and keeping 1,000-foot buffers from other sensitive uses. South El Monte Ordinance No. 1287 (adopted Feb. 17, 2026) · Feb 17, 2026
- Voters approved Measure CM in November 2022, 1,336 yes to 1,156 no, permitting limited cannabis retail businesses. LA County Registrar-Recorder · Nov 8, 2022
04Arts district and development2 sourced facts
Where it standsIn early 2026 the council asked staff to study whether parts of the city could accommodate designated arts districts.
What's on the tableWhether to move from staff study to zoning changes or a formal arts district proposal.
- Councilmembers Rudy Bojorquez and Larry Rodriguez raised arts district zoning, and staff was asked to review locations and zoning options. The Mid Valley News · Feb 9, 2026
- The Mid Valley News reported that no formal proposal was introduced and no locations were identified. The Mid Valley News · Feb 9, 2026
05Public safety2 sourced facts
Where it standsCandidates describe public safety differently; the sources available are candidate statements, not council records.
What's on the tableHow the city staffs and organizes public safety and code enforcement.
- Kimberly Valencia says the council eliminated the city's public safety department and she wants to bring it back. Local News Pasadena
- Rudy Bojorquez's campaign site lists "Lowering crime through Public Safety" among reasons to vote for him. Re-Elect Rudy Bojorquez
2 notes on these statements
Manuel Acosta and Rudy Bojorquez hold the two seats on the ballot; their terms expire in November 2026. City of South El Monte · Dec 3, 2025
Two measures are also on the South El Monte ballot: Measure CL (term limits) and Measure RM (mayor chosen by the council). City of South El Monte · Aug 13, 2026
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. Should South El Monte keep electing its mayor directly?
2. Should council members face term limits?
3. Should the cannabis buffer from neighboring cities be cut to 350 feet?
4. Should the city bring back its own public safety division?
Key dates
- Last day to register to voteLA County Registrar-Recorder · May 22, 2026Oct 19, 2026
- Election Day (polls 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.)City of South El Monte · Jun 29, 2026Nov 3, 2026
The seat math
3 stay (not up this year): Hector Delgado, Gloria Olmos, Larry Rodriguez2 on this ballot
5 council seats. The council decides by a 3-vote majority.
- The council has an elected mayor and four council members, all elected at-large. City Attorney's Impartial Analysis of Measure RM
- Two council seats are up on Nov. 3, 2026, each for a full four-year term. City of South El Monte · Aug 13, 2026
- Gloria Olmos is listed as mayor, with her term expiring in November 2028. City of South El Monte · Dec 3, 2025
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.