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City of Chula Vista · Statewide General Election

Chula Vista City Council, District 2

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 your district's seat on Chula Vista's 5-member City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside the directly elected Mayor. A 4-year term.

Incumbent Councilmember Jose Preciado faces Angelica S. Martinez, an educator, after Preciado led June's four-candidate primary with a plurality — 48.6% to Martinez's 27.2% — just short of a majority. Chula Vista's charter sends the top two from any 3-or-more-candidate primary to a November runoff regardless of the leader's share, so the race continues even though two other candidates were eliminated in June.

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. A 4-year term.

Preciado, elected in 2022 by fewer than 200 votes, is a San Diego State University educator endorsed by the local Democratic Party and several labor unions; Martinez, a first-time candidate, is endorsed by the county Republican Party and gun-rights groups.

Jose Preciado

The incumbent, on the council since December 2022 and an educator at San Diego State University. He previously served over a decade on a regional water district board (2008-2022), per Ballotpedia. His campaign cites 289 new affordable homes approved and the opening of Fire Station 12 during his term, and he supports a city policy barring ICE agents from city properties (per his campaign site).

Strengths

On the council since 2022 and an SDSU educator; his campaign cites 289 new affordable homes approved and a new fire station opened during his term.

Trade-offs

He won his 2022 election by fewer than 200 votes out of over 15,000 cast, the closest council race in the city that cycle.

Keep in mind

He and Martinez are the top two of four June primary candidates; his 48.6% share fell just short of an outright majority.

Angelica S. Martinez

A challenger and educator, endorsed by the San Diego County Republican Party, Reform California, and San Diego County Gun Owners. Her campaign's stated priorities are public safety, addressing homelessness, and keeping Chula Vista affordable for working families (per her campaign site). She unsuccessfully ran for the Sweetwater Union High School District board in 2024.

Strengths

An educator and mother of three running on public safety, homelessness and cost-of-living, endorsed by the county Republican Party and San Diego County Gun Owners.

Trade-offs

No elected government experience; a 2024 run for the Sweetwater Union High School District board ended in defeat to the incumbent.

Keep in mind

She placed second in June with 27.2%, over 21 points behind Preciado, ahead of two other challengers in the four-candidate field.

June 2 primary — how they advanced

Jose Preciado48.6% · 6,290 votes
Angelica S. Martinez27.2% · 3,523 votes
Russ Hall13.5% · 1,747 votes
Jesse Navarro10.6% · 1,375 votes
Source review: Very strong (90/100) · 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: 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.

Last updated August 31, 2026.