City of Chula Vista · Statewide General Election
Mayor of Chula Vista
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
- John McCann — Incumbent
- Francisco Tamayo
Chula Vista's directly elected chief executive: presides over City Council meetings and casts one of five votes on the city budget and ordinances, while an appointed city manager runs day-to-day operations. A 4-year term, limited to two consecutive terms — a mayor who terms out can run again after a 4-year break.
Incumbent Mayor John McCann faces Francisco Tamayo, a Chula Vista Elementary School District trustee, after McCann led June's three-way primary with a majority — 56.1% to Tamayo's 39.5%, with Yair Gersten taking the remaining 4.4%. Chula Vista's charter still sends the top two from any 3-or-more-candidate primary to a November runoff, regardless of the leader's primary share, so McCann's majority didn't end the race.
Chula Vista's mayor is a full-time, directly elected citywide office — one of five council votes on the budget and city ordinances, but the only member elected by the whole city rather than a district, and the one who presides over meetings and represents Chula Vista publicly. A 4-year term, limited to two consecutive terms; McCann, first elected in 2022, is seeking his second and final consecutive term under that limit.
McCann is a Republican and a San Diego County GOP central committee member; Tamayo, the challenger, serves as vice president of the Chula Vista Democratic Club. McCann separately ran for San Diego County Supervisor, District 1 in a 2025 special election, leading that April primary before losing the July runoff to Paloma Aguirre — a defeat that returned him to seek re-election as mayor rather than move up to the county board.
John McCann
The incumbent, first elected mayor in 2022 after defeating Ammar Campa-Najjar, and previously a two-term Chula Vista City Council member representing District 1. A Republican and San Diego County GOP central committee member (per his own campaign-finance filings), his campaign credits the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center — which he says added about 4,000 jobs — as a signature achievement (per his campaign site).
Strengths
Two council terms in District 1 before winning the mayoralty in 2022, plus a 2025 countywide campaign for County Supervisor that led its own April primary.
Trade-offs
That Supervisor bid ended in a July 2025 runoff loss, returning him to seek re-election as mayor rather than the county board he sought instead.
Keep in mind
He led June's three-way primary outright with a majority, but Chula Vista's charter still sends him to a November runoff because three candidates filed for the seat.
Francisco Tamayo
A challenger and Chula Vista Elementary School District trustee, on the board since 2014 (Area 1, then Area 4 since 2024) and an education administrator for Sweetwater Union High School District. He serves as vice president of the Chula Vista Democratic Club and a board member of the Chicano Democratic Association of San Diego. His campaign centers on housing affordability, public-safety response times, and lowering the cost of living for families (per his campaign site).
Strengths
A decade on the Chula Vista Elementary School District board, including chairing Area 4 since 2024, plus roles in the local Democratic Club and Chicano Democratic Association.
Trade-offs
No city-government experience: his elected record is entirely on the school board, not the City Council or any city commission.
Keep in mind
He trails McCann by 16.6 points from June's primary field of three; closing that gap in a lower-turnout general is the case his campaign has to make.
June 2 primary — how they advanced
Source review: Very strong (90/100) · 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: 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 — Mayoral election in Chula Vista, California (2026)
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — John McCann (California)
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — Francisco Tamayo
- voiceofsandiego.org (opens in a new tab)Voice of San Diego — Chula Vista's Mayor Is Suddenly Fighting on All Fronts to Keep His Job (2026-05-14)
- sddemocrats.org (opens in a new tab)San Diego County Democratic Party — Democratic Candidates in the 2026 General Election
Last updated August 31, 2026.