City of Azusa · Statewide General Election
Azusa City Council, District 3
Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.
This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.
On the ballot
- Vanessa Jones
- Edward J. Alvarez — Incumbent
This person holds your district's seat on Azusa's 5-member City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use. A 4-year term.
Two candidates are running for the District 3 seat on Azusa's City Council: incumbent Edward J. Alvarez, on the council since 2013 and currently serving as Mayor, against challenger Vanessa Jones. This is the first election held under the district lines Azusa redrew in 2024. Whoever gets the most votes wins outright — there is no primary or runoff.
The winner joins Azusa's 5-member City Council for a 4-year term — one of five votes on the city's budget, ordinances, and land-use decisions. Day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager, not any single council member.
Alvarez currently holds the Mayor title, but Azusa's council selects the Mayor from among its own members rather than electing the office directly — so this race decides his council seat, not who becomes mayor, which could rotate to a different councilmember regardless of this contest's outcome. Azusa's own election filings describe no candidate as ballot-eligible to claim "incumbent" status in District 3 this cycle, a consequence of the 2024 redistricting, not a sign Alvarez is new to the seat.
Vanessa Jones
A first-time candidate for Azusa City Council who qualified for the November ballot in District 3 (per the City Clerk's certified list). Her public campaign materials describe her personal motivation for running but do not detail specific policy positions as of this writing, and no independent news coverage of her candidacy was found.
Strengths
A first-time candidate willing to challenge a councilmember who has held this district's seat since 2013.
Trade-offs
No prior elected or appointed government experience, and no detailed policy platform found in public materials as of this writing.
Keep in mind
Her public record is limited to the certified candidate filing and her own campaign statements — there is little independent material yet to weigh against Alvarez's long council record.
Edward J. Alvarez
The sitting District 3 councilmember, on the council since 2013 and chosen by his colleagues as Mayor in January 2026. In office, he has signed the city's formal opposition to a federal EPA proposal and represents Azusa on regional transit and economic-development bodies (per city and council records).
Strengths
The longest-serving official on this ballot — on the council since 2013 and chosen by colleagues as Mayor in 2026 — with a record representing Azusa on regional transit and economic bodies.
Trade-offs
13 years in office is a long incumbency to weigh against a voter's appetite for a fresh council voice in District 3.
Keep in mind
He currently holds the ceremonial Mayor title, which the council reassigns among its own members regardless of this race's outcome — a vote here decides his council seat, not who becomes mayor.
Source review: Strong (88/100) · 5 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.
- azusaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Azusa — Certified List of Qualified Candidates, General Municipal Election, November 3, 2026
- azusaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Azusa — Election Information (nomination period, unofficial candidate list, districting note)
- azusaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Azusa — City Council (current members, districts, term-end dates)
- instagram.com (opens in a new tab)City of Azusa — letter of opposition to a federal EPA proposal, signed by Mayor Edward J. Alvarez
- azusaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Azusa — Campaign Statements (FPPC filing-officer page; committee status by officeholder, no dollar figures online)
Last updated August 31, 2026.