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City of Baldwin Park · Statewide General Election

Baldwin Park City Council

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

This person holds one of two at-large seats up this cycle on Baldwin Park's 5-member City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use. A 4-year term.

Three candidates qualified for two of Baldwin Park's five at-large City Council seats on the November 3 ballot, per the city clerk's certified list: incumbents Alejandra Avila and Jean M. Ayala are both seeking re-election, against one challenger, Jeanette Cardoza.

The two winners each serve a four-year term on Baldwin Park's five-member, at-large City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land-use decisions citywide. Baldwin Park doesn't directly elect a mayor — the five councilmembers choose a Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem from among themselves each year, on a rotating basis set by a 2022 ballot measure.

Two of the three candidates already hold the seats up this cycle, so the choice is less about council experience than whether voters want to keep the current representation or bring in Cardoza, the field's only candidate who has never served on the council.

Alejandra Avila

She has served on Baldwin Park's City Council since 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. The council later selected her as Mayor under its rotating system; city and community accounts describe her as Baldwin Park's first Latina mayor. No specific 2026 platform could be confirmed beyond her candidacy filing and past coverage of her tenure.

Strengths

Two terms on the council already (elected 2018, re-elected 2022), plus experience serving as Mayor under the city's rotating system.

Trade-offs

No specific 2026 platform or list of priorities could be confirmed from available reporting — a real gap for a two-term incumbent.

Keep in mind

She's one of two sitting councilmembers seeking re-election in this three-candidate field, running under the ballot designation "Councilmember."

Jean M. Ayala

She won a Baldwin Park City Council seat in the 2022 election, in a five-candidate field for two seats, and works as a teacher. The council later selected her as Mayor Pro Tem under its rotating system. No specific 2026 platform could be confirmed beyond her candidacy filing and past coverage of her tenure.

Strengths

One term on the council (elected 2022) and current service as Mayor Pro Tem under the city's rotating system, alongside her work as a teacher.

Trade-offs

No specific 2026 platform could be confirmed from available reporting — the same gap facing her council colleague on this ballot.

Keep in mind

Her ballot designation, "Teacher/Vice Mayor," uses Baldwin Park's informal term for Mayor Pro Tem, the title her council colleagues chose for her.

Jeanette Cardoza

She is a human resources professional and the only newcomer in this three-candidate field. No specific 2026 platform could be confirmed beyond her candidacy filing. The one thing to know: she's the sole alternative to two sitting councilmembers both seeking re-election.

Strengths

A human resources professional and the field's only newcomer, offering voters an alternative to two sitting incumbents.

Trade-offs

No service in elected or appointed city government, and no specific platform could be confirmed from available reporting.

Keep in mind

Her ballot designation, "HR Professional/Mother," is the only one of the three that doesn't reference current city office.

Source review: Strong (85/100) · 7 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context; advocacy or endorsement sources are treated as attributed perspective.

Review note: Councilmember Alejandra Avila (Facebook) and Jean M. Ayala, Baldwin Park City Council (Facebook) may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

Last updated August 31, 2026.