# Brisbane City Council Compare records and positions simply between Christopher Hornick, Chaya-Bella David, Madison Davis, and 2 more for Brisbane City Council at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds one of Brisbane's five City Council seats. They vote on land-use decisions for San Bruno Mountain's base. They also vote on the long-contested Baylands redevelopment site. They set the city budget and oversee an appointed city manager. Brisbane is one of San Mateo County's smallest cities, with about 4,700 people. The term is four years. The council does not elect a Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem directly. Each December, members appoint two of their own to those posts for one-year terms. Those members preside over meetings but cast only one vote, like everyone else. - Jurisdiction: City of Brisbane - 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/brisbane-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: 77 out of 100 (Mixed), across 8 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Christopher Hornick** — Businessman / Entrepreneur - **Chaya-Bella David** — Community Volunteer - **Madison Davis** — Incumbent - **Charles Spencer** — Small Business Owner - **Julie Sims** — Small Business Owner A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. 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. Davis faces four challengers. They are Julie Sims, Charles Spencer, Chaya-Bella David, and Christopher Hornick. Councilmember Terry O'Connell's term also expires this year. O'Connell is not seeking to keep that seat. 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 they have 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. They spent five years on Brisbane's Parks and Recreation Commission. They earlier worked for state Senator Quentin Kopp. They are running on protecting open space from large developments such as data centers. That open space includes San Bruno Mountain and the Baylands. They also run on 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 Sims's campaign site. **Strengths:** Five years on Brisbane's Parks and Recreation Commission. Sims also has endorsements from two sitting councilmembers, including the current Mayor. **Trade-offs:** They have not held elected office. Their platform and endorsement list come from their own campaign site. They are not verified against city records. **Keep in mind:** No news coverage or independent profile of their candidacy is available. Everything here comes from their own campaign site and the county's certified roster. None of it is outside reporting. ## Charles Spencer Charles Spencer's filed ballot designation is 'Small Business Owner.' They are running on beautifying Bayshore Boulevard and addressing illegal dumping in Guadalupe Canyon. They also want to revitalize Brisbane Village and Visitacion Avenue for local businesses. They call for closer scrutiny of city finances. They cite the city's history of late annual audits and a bond-rating report from S&P Global. Their campaign site lists no endorsements. **Strengths:** A specific fiscal critique, the city's history of late annual audits. It points to a checkable process issue rather than a general complaint. **Trade-offs:** Spencer's campaign site states no occupation beyond the roster's 'Small Business Owner' designation. It lists no endorsements. **Keep in mind:** No news coverage or independent profile of their candidacy is available. Everything here comes from their own campaign site and the county's certified roster. None of it is outside reporting. ## Madison Davis Madison Davis is the incumbent Mayor Pro Tempore. They were first elected to the council in November 2015. They were reelected in 2019 and 2022. Their current term expires this December. The city's own directory page credits them with service on the Brisbane Baylands Community Advisory Group. It also credits them with service on the North County Fire Authority board. They have sat on subcommittees for beautification, facilities, emergency preparedness, housing, and public art. Their filed ballot designation is 'Incumbent.' **Strengths:** Eleven years on the council. That includes service on the city's own Baylands advisory group. It is direct experience with the site most central to Brisbane's next decade. **Trade-offs:** No campaign website or independent reporting on Davis's 2026 run is available. Their record here comes only from the city's own directory listing. **Keep in mind:** They are the only sitting councilmember on this year's ballot. Councilmember Terry O'Connell's term also expires in December 2026. O'Connell 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. They received the Brisbane Community Foundation's first-ever Youth Volunteer of the Year award. Their campaign site states no detailed policy positions. It instead asks residents to share their vision for the city. They promote their campaign chiefly through Instagram. **Strengths:** A distinct generational perspective. David would be by far the youngest person on the council. They also have a documented record of local youth volunteering. **Trade-offs:** They have not held elected or appointed office. Their campaign site states no specific policy platform beyond inviting resident input. **Keep in mind:** No news coverage or independent profile of their candidacy is available. Everything here comes from their own campaign site and the county's certified roster. None of it is outside reporting. ## Christopher Hornick Christopher Hornick filed a ballot designation of 'Businessman / Entrepreneur.' No campaign website, social-media account, or independent news coverage of their candidacy is available. The county's certified roster lists only an email address and phone number as their contact information. **Strengths:** Hornick qualified for the ballot alongside four other candidates for two open seats. That comes from the county's certified roster. **Trade-offs:** No campaign platform, biography, or public statement is available for them. **Keep in mind:** This is a gap in the record, not a negative finding. A genuine multi-source search turned up nothing beyond the roster's bare listing. That listing has only their name, occupation, and contact information. ## Review notes - 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. ## Sources 1. [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'](https://smcacre.gov/system/files/2026-08/52_candidateroster0825.pdf) 2. [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](https://www.brisbaneca.gov/801/2026-Municipal-Election-Information) 3. [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](https://www.brisbaneca.gov/citycouncil) 4. [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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane,_California) 5. [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](https://simsforbrisbane.com) 6. [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](https://votecharlesspencer.com) 7. [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](https://chayabella.com) 8. [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](https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Misc/filerSearch.aspx) ## The rest of the ballot Brisbane 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, "Brisbane City Council — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/brisbane-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.