Tustin, CAVoter Guide 2026 · not a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Tustin Mayor & City Council Election 2026

2 of 5

council seats up

2 contests

4 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.

Mayor · 1 seat

City Council District 3 · 1 seat

Every Tustin voter picks one candidate for mayor; voters in District 3 also pick one council member for their district. The top vote-getter in each contest wins.

1 note on these statements

Letitia Clark served as mayor and councilmember from 2016 to 2024. Letitia Clark

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Lee FinkAttorney at a litigation firm, elected to the Tustin City Council in November 2024. He is a Tustin native.4sourcedRyan GallagherCivil engineer and owner of an engineering firm, elected to the Tustin City Council in 2020. He previously served on the Planning Commission.3sourcedJohn NielsenFormer Tustin mayor first elected to the council in 2008 and re-elected in November 2024 to represent District 2.2sourced

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

Start here

Match quiz2 questions · answers stay on your phoneSeat the CouncilPick winners, see the councilWhat council decidesSouth Hangar and Tustin Legacy core, Downtown density, height and parking rules, Senior living at Tustin LegacyKey datesDeadlines and vote centers

Get your Tustin 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 available

Mon, Oct 5, 2026

TodayAll key dates

What the next council decides

South Hangar and Tustin Legacy core

Where it standsIn June 2026 the council directed staff to open a competitive offering process for the South Hangar and to develop contingency options if no viable reuse emerges.

What's on the tableThe next council will weigh any proposals for the South Hangar and the remaining Tustin Legacy land around the two Navy hangars.

  • The June 2026 direction included contingency options, such as talks with the Navy about deconstruction and funding, if no viable reuse proposal is identified. Tustin City Council minutes, June 2, 2026 · Jun 2, 2026
  • The city says 500 acres of land at Tustin Legacy are still available for development. City of Tustin
  • The city says the South Hangar still requires ongoing annual investment for basic safety, maintenance and deterioration. City of Tustin
  • A 2017 structural analysis by Page & Turnbull outlined the investment needed, and the city did not move forward with those improvements at the time. City of Tustin

Downtown density, height and parking rules

Where it standsIn August 2026 the council voted 4-1 to direct staff to keep preparing code and specific plan amendments on density bonus, height, mixed use and parking.

What's on the tableThe next council will consider any amendments after a public hearing process and a Planning Commission recommendation.

Senior living at Tustin Legacy

Where it standsIn September 2026 the council voted 5-0 to approve entitlements for Clearwater at Tustin Legacy, a senior living project on a 6.14-acre city-owned site.

What's on the tableThe next council will take up the sale of the city-owned site through a Disposition and Development Agreement that was not part of the September request.

City budget and pension payments

Where it standsIn June 2026 the council voted 5-0 to adopt the 2026-27 budget, which projects a General Fund reserve of $22 million.

What's on the tableThe next council will oversee the budget under the city's 10-Year Fiscal Sustainability Strategy and its pension funding approach.

Public safety pensions

Where it standsAssembly Bill 1383, which would have let cities boost public safety pensions and lower the retirement age, was vetoed by the governor.

What's on the tableThe next council will negotiate with police and other employee groups on pay and retirement benefits under the labor agreements it approves.

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 Tustin keep its budget balanced?

  2. 2. Should cities be allowed to offer public safety workers higher pensions and earlier retirement?

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

3 stay (not up this year): Lee Fink, Ryan Gallagher, John Nielsen2 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 →

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.