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City of Brisbane · Statewide General Election

Brisbane City Council

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 Brisbane's five City Council seats: land-use decisions for San Bruno Mountain's base and the long-contested Baylands redevelopment site, the city budget, and oversight of an appointed city manager, in one of San Mateo County's smallest cities (population roughly 4,700). A 4-year term. The council doesn't elect a Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem directly -- members appoint two of their own to those posts each December for one-year terms, presiding over meetings but casting only one vote like every other member.

Five candidates are running for two open seats on Brisbane's City Council on November 3: incumbent Mayor Pro Tempore Madison Davis is the only sitting councilmember seeking reelection, against four challengers -- Julie Sims, Charles Spencer, Chaya-Bella David, and Christopher Hornick -- for the seat Councilmember Terry O'Connell, whose term also expires this year, is not seeking to keep.

Brisbane's council is five members, all elected citywide rather than by district, on staggered 4-year terms; the other three seats aren't up this cycle. The council appoints one of its own as Mayor and another as Mayor Pro Tem each December, so voters elect a councilmember, not a mayor directly. Whoever wins holds the seat for four years, setting the budget, zoning, and city ordinances for one of San Mateo County's smallest cities -- roughly 4,700 people wedged between San Bruno Mountain and the bay, whose government has spent years weighing what to do with the Baylands, a former industrial and landfill site along Highway 101 that has drawn competing redevelopment proposals for more than a decade.

Davis, first elected in 2015 and reelected twice since, is campaigning as continuity on a council she has already served two terms on. Sims, a former Parks & Recreation commissioner, is running on managed growth and protecting open space -- including from large developments such as data centers -- and has been endorsed by sitting Councilmember Frank Kern and Mayor Coleen Mackin. Spencer is campaigning on business revitalization and closer scrutiny of city finances. David, a 20-year-old first-time candidate, is running on community engagement without a detailed policy platform. Hornick has not published a campaign platform found by this dataset. With two seats and five names on the ballot, this is a plurality race decided in one round.

Julie Sims

Julie Sims is a career coach and communications executive who spent five years on Brisbane's Parks & Recreation Commission and earlier worked for state Senator Quentin Kopp. She is running on protecting open space -- including San Bruno Mountain and the Baylands -- from large developments such as data centers, responsible growth and infrastructure planning, investing in parks, and fiscal transparency. Sitting Councilmember Frank Kern and Mayor Coleen Mackin are among roughly 15 endorsers listed on her campaign site.

Strengths

Five years on Brisbane's Parks & Recreation Commission and endorsements from two sitting councilmembers, including the current Mayor.

Trade-offs

Has not held elected office; her platform and endorsement list come from her own campaign site, not independently verified against city records.

Keep in mind

No news coverage or independent profile of her candidacy was found this session -- everything here comes from her own campaign site and the county's certified roster, not outside reporting.

Charles Spencer

Charles Spencer, whose filed ballot designation is 'Small Business Owner,' is running on beautifying Bayshore Boulevard and addressing illegal dumping in Guadalupe Canyon, revitalizing Brisbane Village and Visitacion Avenue for local businesses, and closer scrutiny of city finances -- citing the city's history of late annual audits and a bond-rating report from S&P Global. His campaign site lists no endorsements.

Strengths

A specific fiscal critique -- the city's history of late annual audits -- that points to a checkable process issue rather than a general complaint.

Trade-offs

His campaign site states no occupation beyond the roster's 'Small Business Owner' designation and lists no endorsements.

Keep in mind

No news coverage or independent profile of his candidacy was found this session -- everything here comes from his own campaign site and the county's certified roster, not outside reporting.

Madison Davis

Madison Davis is the incumbent Mayor Pro Tempore, first elected to the council in November 2015 and reelected in 2019 and 2022; her current term expires this December. The city's own directory page credits her with service on the Brisbane Baylands Community Advisory Group and the North County Fire Authority board, plus subcommittees on beautification, facilities, emergency preparedness, housing, and public art. Her filed ballot designation is 'Incumbent.'

Strengths

Eleven years on the council, including service on the city's own Baylands advisory group -- direct experience with the site most central to Brisbane's next decade.

Trade-offs

No campaign website or independent reporting on her 2026 run was found; her record here comes only from the city's own directory listing.

Keep in mind

The only sitting councilmember on this year's ballot -- Councilmember Terry O'Connell, whose term also expires in December 2026, did not file for reelection, leaving the second seat open.

Chaya-Bella David

Chaya-Bella David is a 20-year-old first-time candidate and community volunteer who received the Brisbane Community Foundation's first-ever Youth Volunteer of the Year award. Her campaign site states no detailed policy positions, instead asking residents to share their vision for the city; she promotes her campaign chiefly through Instagram.

Strengths

A distinct generational perspective -- she would be by far the youngest person on the council -- and a documented record of local youth volunteering.

Trade-offs

Has not held elected or appointed office; her campaign site states no specific policy platform beyond inviting resident input.

Keep in mind

No news coverage or independent profile of her candidacy was found this session -- everything here comes from her own campaign site and the county's certified roster, not outside reporting.

Christopher Hornick

Christopher Hornick filed a ballot designation of 'Businessman / Entrepreneur.' No campaign website, social-media account, or independent news coverage of his candidacy was found this session; the county's certified roster lists only an email address and phone number as his contact information.

Strengths

Qualified for the ballot alongside four other candidates for two open seats, per the county's certified roster.

Trade-offs

No campaign platform, biography, or public statement was found anywhere this dataset could reach.

Keep in mind

A documented gap, not a negative finding: this dataset made a genuine, multi-source search and found nothing beyond the roster's bare listing of his name, occupation, and contact information.

Source review: Mixed (77/100) · 8 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: Chaya-Bella David for Brisbane City Council -- her own campaign site: self-describes as a 20-year-old first-time candidate and recipient of the Brisbane Community Foundation's first-ever Youth Volunteer of the Year award, states no detailed policy platform, and asks residents to share their priorities via email or Instagram., Julie Sims for Brisbane City Council -- her own campaign site: her career-coaching and communications background, prior work for state Senator Quentin Kopp, five years on the Parks & Recreation Commission, stated platform (open-space protection, responsible growth, parks investment, fiscal transparency), and a list of roughly 15 endorsers including Kopp, Mayor Coleen Mackin, and Councilmember Frank Kern., and Charles Spencer for Brisbane City Council -- his own campaign site: a four-part platform (beautifying Bayshore Boulevard and Guadalupe Canyon, supporting local businesses in Brisbane Village and on Visitacion Avenue, family-focused infrastructure and public-safety priorities, and scrutiny of the city's late annual audits, citing an S&P Global bond-rating report); no occupation beyond the roster's designation and no endorsements are listed. may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

  • smcacre.gov (opens in a new tab)San Mateo County ACRE (Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder-Elections) -- Roster of Candidates, Qualified Candidates Only, November 3, 2026 General Election (CFMR009), dated 2026-08-25: names 'City of Brisbane Member, City Council' as 'On Ballot: Yes, Vote for 2,' its five qualified candidates, filing/qualification dates, and each candidate's filed ballot designation, with Madison Davis flagged 'Incumbent'
  • brisbaneca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Brisbane -- '2026 Municipal Election Information' page: confirms two City Council seats (four-year terms) are on the November 3 ballot, names the same five qualified candidates as the county roster, gives the regular and extended (non-incumbent) filing windows, and states that the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem 'are appointed by the City Council for a one-year term in December' rather than elected directly
  • brisbaneca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Brisbane -- official City Council roster page and individual staff-directory bio pages for all five sitting members: confirms a five-member, citywide-elected council on staggered four-year terms; gives Madison Davis's (elected 2015, 2019, 2022) and Terry O'Connell's (elected 2011, 2015, 2019, 2022) terms as each ending 'December 2026,' against 'December 2028' for Mayor Coleen Mackin, Frank Kern, and Cliff Lentz; and lists Davis's committee service, including the Brisbane Baylands Community Advisory Group
  • en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- 'Brisbane, California': used narrowly for the city's population figure (roughly 4,700 residents); its listed officeholders are treated as stale against the city's own current directory pages and not repeated here
  • simsforbrisbane.com (opens in a new tab)Julie Sims for Brisbane City Council -- her own campaign site: her career-coaching and communications background, prior work for state Senator Quentin Kopp, five years on the Parks & Recreation Commission, stated platform (open-space protection, responsible growth, parks investment, fiscal transparency), and a list of roughly 15 endorsers including Kopp, Mayor Coleen Mackin, and Councilmember Frank Kern
  • votecharlesspencer.com (opens in a new tab)Charles Spencer for Brisbane City Council -- his own campaign site: a four-part platform (beautifying Bayshore Boulevard and Guadalupe Canyon, supporting local businesses in Brisbane Village and on Visitacion Avenue, family-focused infrastructure and public-safety priorities, and scrutiny of the city's late annual audits, citing an S&P Global bond-rating report); no occupation beyond the roster's designation and no endorsements are listed
  • chayabella.com (opens in a new tab)Chaya-Bella David for Brisbane City Council -- her own campaign site: self-describes as a 20-year-old first-time candidate and recipient of the Brisbane Community Foundation's first-ever Youth Volunteer of the Year award, states no detailed policy platform, and asks residents to share their priorities via email or Instagram
  • cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- a negative-result campaign-finance search: a direct filer-search query for each of Brisbane's five 2026 City Council candidates returned only a blocked, unrenderable page in every attempt this session, the same recurring bot-detection failure mode documented elsewhere in this dataset. CAL-ACCESS also covers only state-level committees, not local city-council candidates

Last updated September 1, 2026.