TaftNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Taft City Council Election 2026

3 of 5 council seats are on the ballot, with 5 candidates running. Updated Oct 20, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

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Nov 3Election Day

How to vote · 11 days left

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Election Day (Nov 3): the election office's notice

These links go to official state and county election sites. Hours and rules differ by state; your election office has the final word.

The candidates

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

Voters elect all five council members at large; three seats with four-year terms are on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot, and the top three vote-getters win.

Election Day · Nov 3

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Also on your Nov 3 ballot

We research city races only. For these races, go to the state's official guide or a nonpartisan one.

Official voter lookupState voter guideVote411 (League of Women Voters)

Districts come from 2020 Census blocks and the district maps for this election. Your address decides your districts.

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

What the next council decides

01City budget and Measure A4 sourced facts

Where it standsIn June 2026 the council adopted a balanced $9.5 million general fund budget for 2026-27.

What's on the tableThe next council oversees spending under this budget and adopts the 2027-28 budget.

02City fees and utility rates4 sourced facts

Where it standsIn June 2026 the council adopted an updated schedule of user and regulatory fees with a 3.16% inflation factor.

What's on the tableThe council sets city user fees and sewer and refuse charges.

03Center Street and downtown3 sourced facts

Where it standsCouncil candidates discussed how to bring Center Street back to life at a September 2026 Taft Republican Assembly interview.

What's on the tableThe council decides code enforcement, economic development contracts and city funding for the Chamber of Commerce.

04Zero-emission buses3 sourced facts

Where it standsIn June 2026 the council adopted the city's state-required Zero-Emission Bus Roll-Out Plan on a 3-2 vote.

What's on the tableThe council decides how Taft Area Transit replaces its buses under the state mandate.

05Public safety2 sourced facts

Where it standsPolice are the city's largest general fund expense, and Measure A sales tax money helps pay for police and fire.

What's on the tableThe council funds the police department and adopts city ordinances.

3 notes on these statements

Five candidates are on the ballot for three council seats; incumbent Carlos Chavira decided not to run again. Taft Midway Driller · Aug 17, 2026

Bob Leikam and Dennis Schertz did not attend the Taft Republican Assembly candidate interview in September 2026; Bob Leikam said he was never contacted by the group and would have attended if he had known. Taft Midway Driller · Sep 15, 2026

The June 2, 2026 minutes record the zero-emission bus plan vote as three ayes and two noes under the line "PASSED: 3-0"; this guide reports it as 3-2. Taft City Council minutes, June 2, 2026 · Jun 2, 2026

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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. Should the council have adopted the 2026-27 city budget as proposed?

  2. 2. Should city user and regulatory fees rise with inflation?

  3. 3. Should the city use codes and ordinances to push absentee owners of Center Street properties to renovate or sell?

  4. 4. Should Taft adopt the state-required zero-emission bus roll-out plan?

  5. 5. How should the city respond to transients who are drunk in public?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.On the recordHow the council voted5 council decisions, each member's vote side by side, with a link to the minutes.

Key dates

The seat math

2 stay (not up this year): Orchel Krier, Dave Noerr3 on this ballot

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

  • Taft is a general law city with a five-member City Council, and each council member is elected directly by the city's registered voters. City of Taft
  • Three council positions are up in the November 3, 2026 election, with terms ending November 2030. City of Taft
  • After the election the council reorganizes and selects the mayor and mayor pro tem. City of Taft

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