Review note: San Diego County Democratic Party -- Democratic Candidates in the 2026 General Election: Imperial Beach Mayor, Matthew Leyba-Gonzalez; City Council District 1, Jose Lopez Eguino; City Council District 3, O'mar Diallo may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- sdvote.com (opens in a new tab)County of San Diego Registrar of Voters — Candidate List, November 3, 2026 General Election
- chulavistaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Chula Vista, City Clerk — Elections (November 3, 2026 General Election candidates: Mayor, City Council Districts 1 and 2, City Attorney)
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State — CAL-ACCESS committee search (Chula Vista Mayor, Council Districts 1/2, and City Attorney candidates, 2026)
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — Carolina Chavez
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — Gregory Martinez
- sandiegouniontribune.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego Union-Tribune — Five candidates seek Chula Vista's District 1 council seat (2026-05-02)
- sddemocrats.org (opens in a new tab)San Diego County Democratic Party — Democratic Candidates in the 2026 General Election
- netfile.com (opens in a new tab)City of Chula Vista NetFile — public campaign-disclosure search
- vote411.org (opens in a new tab)League of Women Voters -- Vote411 voter guide, 'City of Chula Vista City Council Member, District 1' race (statewide All Races list): each candidate's self-submitted ballot designation and campaign contacts, plus answers to the League's questions -- If elected, what are your top three priorities?; What background, experience and/or education qualify you for this elected office?; What actions, if any, would you take to address the threats facing the City due to climate change, including actions to reduce the effects of climate change on public health?; Give at least one other example of how you would use your time in this office to position the City to meet a long-term challenge, while still responding to immediate crises.? Answers on file from Greg Martinez. Capture in data/nov-2026/sources/vote411/chula-vista-council-1.json.
Last updated October 7, 2026.
City of Chula Vista
Chula Vista City Council, District 1
This person holds your district's seat on Chula Vista's 5-member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside the directly elected Mayor. The term is four years.
Incumbent Carolina Chavez faces Greg Martinez, a CPA and small business owner. Chavez led June's five-candidate primary with 43.4% of the vote. Martinez had 23.9%. Neither one won a majority. Chula Vista's charter still sends the top two to a November runoff. So the race goes on.
This seat holds one of Chula Vista's four district seats on a council that also includes the directly elected Mayor: city ordinances, the budget, and land-use decisions. The term is four years.
Chavez, elected in 2022, separately ran for San Diego County Supervisor, District 1 in a 2025 special election, finishing fourth in that race's primary with 7.7% of the vote. Martinez has not previously run for or held elected office in Chula Vista.
Carolina Chavez
Carolina Chavez is the incumbent. She has been on the council since December 2022. She wants to focus on neighborhood safety and workforce housing. She also backs small business support and a proposed senior center for District 1. She ran for San Diego County Supervisor in a 2025 special election. She placed fourth in a field of seven.
Greg Martinez
Greg Martinez is a challenger. He is a certified public accountant and a small business owner. He runs as a self-funded fiscal watchdog. He has not run for office in Chula Vista before.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.