# Alameda City Council Compare records and positions simply between Amos White, Marcie Johnson, Thushan Amarasiriwardena, and 3 more for Alameda City Council at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person would hold one of two at-large seats up this cycle on Alameda's 5-member City Council (the Mayor plus four Councilmembers). They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use, under a council-manager government with an appointed City Manager. The term is four years. Decided by plurality vote, not ranked-choice -- unlike Berkeley, San Leandro, or Oakland, Alameda County's three ranked-choice charter cities. - Jurisdiction: City of Alameda - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Seats: 2 - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/alameda-city-council - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: September 1, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 89 out of 100 (Strong), across 7 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Amos White** — Environmental Nonprofit Executive - **Marcie Johnson** — Social Worker - **Thushan Amarasiriwardena** — Software Product Manager - **Tyler Savage** — Technology Partner Manager - **Steve Slauson** — Small Business Owner - **Maria L. Bondonno** — Public Service Attorney A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. Six candidates are running for two open Alameda City Council seats: Thushan Amarasiriwardena, Maria L. Bondonno, Marcie Johnson, Tyler Savage, Steve Slauson, and Amos White. This person would hold one of two at large seats up this cycle on Alameda's 5-member City Council. The council is the Mayor plus four Councilmembers. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. The city runs council-manager style, with an appointed City Manager. The term is four years. The seat goes to whoever gets the most votes, not by ranked choice. Berkeley, San Leandro, and Oakland are Alameda County's three ranked choice charter cities. Voters may pick up to two, and the top two win. Both seats are open, not just one. The two Councilmembers whose terms expire this cycle are Tony Daysog and Tracy Jensen. Each is running for Mayor instead of reelection. See the Mayor's race for more. No incumbent is seeking reelection here. So none of the six candidates below holds this seat now. Two other people pursued this race but are not on the ballot. Scott Means ended his campaign on June 29, 2026, before the county's filing deadline. He had been connected to an anonymous social media account posting racist, sexist, transphobic, and homophobic content. He also resigned his seats on two city boards. Zac Bowling pulled nomination papers but did not qualify for the ballot. Neither appears in the county's certified candidate list. ## Thushan Amarasiriwardena Thushan Amarasiriwardena finished third in Alameda's 2024 Council race. He is a multimedia journalist and digital/AI product manager who has worked for the Boston Globe, Google, and the U.S. Digital Service under the Biden administration, and holds a bachelor's degree from North Carolina State University. His ballot designation is Software Product Manager. He is a former Alameda Post board member who resigned earlier in 2026, a fact the Post itself disclosed when reporting on his candidacy. At the Aug. 22 forum, he argued that adding housing in commercial districts would create more customers for local businesses and backed strengthening the vacancy tax on long-empty storefronts. On housing, he said rising costs are driving families out of Alameda and called for accelerating construction. He supports Measure L, citing Bay Farm flooding and slow emergency response times, and was among the more skeptical candidates on Flock cameras, calling the current system "mass surveillance" and arguing any public-safety technology should stay under local control. **Strengths:** A near miss in the 2024 Council race. He also brings federal digital product work at the U.S. Digital Service, which is uncommon in a local pool. **Trade-offs:** He resigned from the Alameda Post's board earlier in 2026. The Post disclosed that, but no source here explains it further. **Keep in mind:** Only an initial Form 410 is on file for his 2026 committee, filed July 2026. There is no Form 460, so no fundraising total exists. ## Maria L. Bondonno Maria L. Bondonno has practiced as a general-practice attorney for 37 years; her ballot designation is Public Service Attorney. The Alameda Post, which profiled every other candidate in this race in some depth, reported it had "no further information about this candidate at this time" beyond a listing as a board member of an LLC (Perfume for Latinas) whose website is inactive. At the Aug. 22 forum, she framed affordability around homeownership and housing costs, said the city should encourage landlords to negotiate with small businesses and first-time entrepreneurs rather than let big-box retailers dominate, and supported requiring below-market-rate units in new developments. She supports Measure L, citing flood protection and earthquake retrofits. On Flock cameras, she opposes the current system on mass-surveillance grounds but said she would reconsider it with effective auditing and privacy protections. **Strengths:** A long, specific credential, at 37 years as a licensed attorney. She also has a clearly recorded position on all five forum issues. **Trade-offs:** The thinnest independent record in this race. Even Alameda's own local paper found little beyond her ballot title. **Keep in mind:** No 2026 committee was found for her at all in the county's NetFile portal. That gap matches the Post's own finding rather than contradicting it. ## Marcie Johnson Marcie Johnson (also known as Marcie Soslau Johnson) previously worked for the City of Alameda as a Social Services manager on the Alameda Collaborative for Children, Youth and their Families, and most recently served as executive director of the Friends of the Alameda Free Library. She holds a Master of Social Work from Temple University. Her ballot designation is Social Worker. At the Aug. 22 forum, she proposed restoring a city "concierge" program to help businesses navigate permitting, and on housing cited her own direct experience on Dignity Village (a 47-unit interim supportive-housing development) and converting four vacant city-owned Alameda Point homes into emergency supportive housing. She supports Measure L, promising a transparent spending process. She was the most supportive Council candidate on Flock cameras, saying her understanding is that Alameda's network is closed and citing its use identifying suspects in a recent South Shore shooting, while still calling for concrete privacy boundaries. **Strengths:** Direct, hands on city experience on the kind of supportive housing projects the city says it needs more of. **Trade-offs:** Her support for the current Flock system puts her at odds with most other candidates on this ballot. **Keep in mind:** Only an initial Form 410 is on file for her 2026 committee, filed July 31, 2026. There is no Form 460, so no fundraising total exists. ## Tyler Savage Tyler Savage works in tech as a partner manager, currently at a firm called groundcover and previously at GitLab, after earlier work in business and sales operations at VMware. He holds a bachelor's degree from UC Davis and a master's in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University, and coaches youth baseball and basketball locally. His ballot designation is Technology Partner Manager. At the Aug. 22 forum, he called for stronger enforcement of rules against vacant and blighted storefronts, backed the city's existing below-market-rate housing requirements, and supported Measure L, citing Bay Farm lagoons and seawalls. On Flock cameras he gave no firm yes-or-no position: he said he is "not a fan of mass surveillance," but recounted a burglary at his own home where police knew the vehicle and time of the crime, yet Flock cameras did not solve the case. **Strengths:** A graduate policy management degree from Carnegie Mellon. He also grounds his Flock camera doubts in a first hand story. **Trade-offs:** No clear yes or no position on Flock cameras. That is this cycle's most debated companion issue to Measure L. **Keep in mind:** Only an initial Form 410 is on file for his 2026 committee, filed July 10, 2026. There is no Form 460, so no fundraising total exists. ## Steve Slauson Steve Slauson (also filed as Stephen Slauson) was born and raised in Alameda and holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California. He has run for office before -- previous bids for City Council, State Assembly District 18, and the U.S. House's 12th District -- and has completed contracts for the Alameda Unified School District, Alameda Municipal Power, and the City of Alameda. His ballot designation is Small Business Owner. He is a registered Republican, the only candidate in either Alameda race identified as such by the Alameda Post, and did not attend the Aug. 22 City of Alameda Democratic Club forum -- so, unlike the other five Council candidates, no forum-recorded positions exist for him in this dataset's sources. **Strengths:** The only candidate in either Alameda race with past state and federal campaigns. He has also done contract work for three local public agencies. **Trade-offs:** He missed the one candidate forum sourced here. That leaves a real gap in his recorded positions next to every other profiled candidate. **Keep in mind:** No 2026 committee was found for him at all. His most recent NetFile filing on record is a 2021 State Assembly campaign, not a 2026 Council one. ## Amos White Amos White founded 100K Trees for Humanity, an environmental nonprofit, and serves on the Alameda County Agricultural Advisory Committee and the California Urban Forest Advisory Committee; he is also a civil-rights activist affiliated with ACLU People Power. His ballot designation is Environmental Nonprofit Executive. This is not his first Council bid -- he previously ran in 2020. At the Aug. 22 forum, he called for enforcing the city's vacancy tax and engaging landlords on vacant storefronts, advocated workforce and affordable housing and more accessory dwelling units, and supported Measure L, pointing to Alameda's vulnerability as an island and shoreline erosion along South Shore. He was the most emphatic Council candidate opposed to Flock cameras, calling to "block Flock" and cancel the city's contract outright. **Strengths:** A specific environmental and civil liberties record. He founded a tree planting nonprofit and is tied to ACLU People Power, which lines up with his stated positions. **Trade-offs:** A second Council run after an unsuccessful 2020 bid. No source here addresses what has changed since. **Keep in mind:** No 2026 committee was found for him. His most recent NetFile filing is a 2024 amendment to his dormant 2020 committee, not a new one. ## Sources 1. [Alameda County Registrar of Voters -- own JSON API behind its "Candidate List" web app (electionId 260 = General Election - 11/03/2026, Official): the racelist/260/600 endpoint names all 46 City-category races countywide, including the exact two City of Alameda races -- Mayor (raceId 89) and Members of City Council (raceId 90) -- with their raceIds and vote-for-1/vote-for-2 seat counts.](https://www.alamedacountyca.gov/rov_app/racelist/260/600) 2. [Alameda County Registrar of Voters -- the same candidatelist app's per-race candidate-detail view (POST to /rov_app/candidatelist/ with electionId=260, categoryId=600, and raceId 89 or 90, raceStatus/candidateStatus left blank), queried directly for both City of Alameda races: returns each candidate's exact filed ballot designation, filing agency, and incumbent flag -- Tony Daysog (Councilmember/Urban Planner), Tracy Jensen (Councilmember/Nonprofit Director), and Malia Vella (Businesswoman/Educator) for Mayor; Thushan Amarasiriwardena (Software Product Manager), Maria L. Bondonno (Public Service Attorney), Marcie Johnson (Social Worker), Tyler Savage (Technology Partner Manager), Steve Slauson (Small Business Owner), and Amos White (Environmental Nonprofit Executive) for Council -- the same nine-candidate roster independently confirmed by the Alameda Post's own reporting.](https://www.alamedacountyca.gov/rov_app/candidatelist/) 3. [The Alameda Post -- "UPDATED: Alameda's November Ballot Lineup Taking Shape" (published Aug. 7, 2026; updated Aug. 12, 2026 after the nomination period closed), read in full with a named byline (Editor and Publisher Adam Gillitt): quotes City Charter Section 2-14's two-consecutive-term limit and states Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft is ineligible to run again; profiles all three Mayoral candidates (Daysog, Jensen, Vella) and all six qualified Council candidates (Amarasiriwardena, Bondonno, Johnson, Savage, Slauson, White) with biographical detail; states the nomination period was extended from Aug. 7 to Aug. 12 because incumbent Councilmember Tracy Jensen had not filed to retain her seat; and confirms Zac Bowling pulled papers but did not qualify for the Council ballot.](https://alamedapost.com/news/alamedas-november-ballot-lineup-taking-shape/) 4. [The Alameda Post -- "Alameda Candidates Outline Differences on Affordability, Housing, Infrastructure, Public Safety" (published Aug. 31, 2026), read in full with a named byline (contributing writer Karin K. Jensen): reports on an Aug. 22, 2026 City of Alameda Democratic Club candidate forum attended by all three Mayoral candidates and five of six Council candidates (Steve Slauson, identified as the field's only non-Democrat, did not attend), with each candidate's own stated position on affordability, vacant storefronts, housing, the $300 million Measure L infrastructure bond, and Flock Safety license-plate cameras, plus a candidate-by-candidate summary table. An editor's note discloses that Amarasiriwardena is a former Alameda Post board member who resigned earlier in 2026.](https://alamedapost.com/news/alameda-candidates-outline-differences-on-affordability-housing-infrastructure-public-safety/) 5. [The County of Alameda's own NetFile-hosted public campaign-finance portal (agency code COA, confirmed via NetFile's own public agency directory -- the City of Alameda has no NetFile portal of its own), queried directly via its own QuickNameSearch and filings/byCandidate JSON API for all nine 2026 City of Alameda candidates. No candidate has an FPPC Form 460 on file as of this retrieval: Daysog, Jensen, Amarasiriwardena, Johnson, and Savage have each filed only an initial Form 410 (Statement of Organization) for a 2026 committee; Vella, Bondonno, Slauson, and White have no 2026 committee on file under this search at all. A uniform, documented absence, not a search failure or a claim any candidate is non-compliant -- consistent with committees organized after the Jan.-June 2026 semi-annual reporting period closed having no Form 460 due until the pre-election filing in October.](https://netfile.com/public/COA/campaign) 6. [Wikipedia's Alameda, California article -- states the 5-member City Council (Mayor plus four members) is elected entirely at-large, not by district; 2020 census population (78,280); council-manager government with an appointed City Manager.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda,_California) 7. [The Alameda Post (op-ed section) -- "First Dropout of the 2026 Campaign Caused by Anonymous Social Media Posts" (published July 1, 2026), bylined by the Post's Editor and Publisher Adam Gillitt: reports that Council candidate Scott Means withdrew his campaign on June 29, 2026 -- before the county's filing deadline -- and resigned two city board seats, after being connected to an anonymous social media account posting racist, sexist, transphobic, and homophobic content. Cited here only for that factual timeline, not for the piece's closing editorial commentary; Means never appears on the county's certified candidate list.](https://alamedapost.com/op-ed/first-dropout-of-the-2026-campaign-caused-by-anonymous-social-media-posts/) ## The rest of the ballot Alameda City Council is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Alameda City Council — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/alameda-city-council (sources last retrieved September 1, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.