Skip to main content

City of Clayton · Statewide General Election

Clayton City Council

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 would hold one of Clayton's five at-large City Council seats on a council-manager government with an appointed City Manager: city ordinances, the budget, and land use for a city of about 11,000 residents at the base of Mount Diablo. Two seats are up this cycle, each a 4-year term expiring 2030 -- voters may vote for up to two candidates, and the top two vote-getters win, with no ranked-choice voting or June primary documented for Clayton. Clayton's Mayor is not directly elected: the City Council selects one of its own members to serve a one-year term as Mayor, so this seat is for City Council, not Mayor.

Incumbent Kim Trupiano faces three challengers -- Amy Callaghan, Charlie Schmidt, and Maria Shulman -- for two at-large seats on Clayton's City Council. Mayor Jeff Wan, who holds the other expiring seat, did not file for reelection.

This person would hold one of Clayton's five at-large City Council seats on a council-manager government with an appointed City Manager: city ordinances, the budget, and land use for a city of about 11,000 residents at the base of Mount Diablo. Two seats are up this cycle, each a 4-year term expiring 2030 -- voters may vote for up to two candidates, and the top two vote-getters win, with no ranked-choice voting or June primary documented for Clayton. Clayton's Mayor is not directly elected: the City Council selects one of its own members to serve a one-year term as Mayor, so this seat is for City Council, not Mayor -- Jeff Wan holds the title now; Trupiano held it as of mid-2025.

Mayor Jeff Wan, the other incumbent whose term expires this cycle, did not file for reelection -- why the county flags this contest as having gone into a non-incumbent filing extension -- but all four candidates had already qualified by July 31, a week before the regular deadline, so the extension drew no additional filers; this is a genuine, contested race, not headed for direct appointment like this county's Martinez and Oakley seats this cycle. Separately, a June 2025 Civil Grand Jury report accused the council of "gross dysfunction" and near-financial-ruin; the council, including then-Mayor Trupiano, rejected nearly all of its findings, while resident group Clayton Watch petitioned to formally amend the report -- both sides' positions are reported here, not adjudicated.

Kim Trupiano

The incumbent, seeking reelection; her filed ballot designation is "Incumbent." She served as Clayton's Mayor as of mid-2025 under the council's annual-rotation system. Her own campaign site ("Leadership with Results") cites securing state certification of Clayton's Sixth Housing Element after a three-year approval process, proposing a 1% sales-tax measure and a Landscape Maintenance District renewal to address rising service costs, championing Main Street resurfacing, and launching the Clayton 311 (SeeClickFix) resident-issue-reporting tool.

Strengths

a full council term including a stint as Mayor, giving voters an actual record -- the Housing Element certification and Clayton 311 launch -- to weigh, not just a designation.

Trade-offs

her council faced (and rejected) a Civil Grand Jury report alleging "gross dysfunction" and near-financial-ruin, and this dataset could not independently verify either side.

Keep in mind

no confirmed 2026 campaign-finance figures are on file here -- the county's own record shows a $0.00 filing fee and no Cal-Access committee was found in this pass.

Amy Callaghan

A first-time candidate; her filed ballot designation is "Real Estate Manager." Her own campaign site ("Fresh Voice, Solid Choice") describes her as a Senior Commercial Property Manager with 30-plus years of experience in large property and facility budgets, holding a real estate license since 1998 and a Real Property Administrator certification. A Clayton resident since 2002, she says she began attending City Council meetings to track a sidewalk-improvement project and now advocates for infrastructure maintenance, fiscal review, and government transparency.

Strengths

three decades of commercial-property and budget-management experience, and a specific, traceable path into local politics (tracking a sidewalk project) that grounds her stated priorities.

Trade-offs

no prior elected or appointed city role, and this dataset found no independent news coverage of her candidacy beyond her own campaign site and the county's filing record.

Keep in mind

no financial figures are asserted for her campaign -- the county's own record shows a $0.00 filing fee and no Cal-Access committee was found in this pass.

Charles J. Schmidt

A first-time candidate; his filed ballot designation is "Chemist." His own campaign site describes him as a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with 28 years of service in planning and operations, and a former University of Florida chemistry professor of more than a decade, with a background in food-safety and environmental projects. A 24-year Clayton resident, he currently serves as a Clayton Planning Commission appointee, on the Trails and Landscape Committee, and as a longtime senior advisor and 20-plus-year volunteer for the CBCA Clayton Oktoberfest.

Strengths

active current service on Clayton's Planning Commission and Trails and Landscape Committee gives voters a recent, checkable civic record alongside his stated military and academic background.

Trade-offs

no prior elected office, and this dataset found no independent news coverage of his candidacy beyond his own campaign site and the county's filing record.

Keep in mind

no financial figures are asserted for his campaign -- the county's own record shows a $0.00 filing fee and no Cal-Access committee was found in this pass, though his own site lists an FPPC filer number (#1494081).

Maria Shulman

A first-time candidate; her filed ballot designation is "Registered Nurse." Her own campaign site ("Preserving Clayton's Character, Planning for Clayton's Future") describes her as a nurse and healthcare leader with management and care-coordination experience. A Clayton resident of more than 17 years whose daughter was educated in Clayton schools, she chaired the Clayton Planning Commission in 2025 (Vice Chair in 2024, the same commission fellow candidate Charlie Schmidt sits on) and serves on the Clayton Community Library Foundation board.

Strengths

like Schmidt, a recent Planning Commission chairmanship gives voters a checkable civic record -- hers the most recent (2025) of any non-incumbent in the race.

Trade-offs

no prior elected office, and this dataset found no independent news coverage of her candidacy beyond her own campaign site and the county's filing record.

Keep in mind

no financial figures are asserted for her campaign -- the county's own record shows a $0.00 filing fee and no Cal-Access committee was found in this pass.

Source review: Strong (82/100) · 13 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: "Amy Callaghan for Clayton City Council" -- the candidate's own campaign site ("Fresh Voice, Solid Choice"): a Senior Commercial Property Manager and Real Property Administrator with a real estate license since 1998, a Clayton resident since 2002 who began attending Council meetings over a sidewalk-improvement project; platform emphasizes deferred infrastructure maintenance, fiscal review, and transparency., "Charlie Schmidt for Clayton City Council" -- the candidate's own campaign site: a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (28 years, planning and operations) and former University of Florida chemistry professor, a 24-year Clayton resident and current Clayton Planning Commission appointee, Trails and Landscape Committee member, and longtime CBCA Clayton Oktoberfest volunteer; FPPC #1494081., "Maria Shulman for Clayton City Council" -- the candidate's own campaign site ("Preserving Clayton's Character, Planning for Clayton's Future"): a nurse and healthcare leader, a 17-plus-year Clayton resident who chaired the Clayton Planning Commission in 2025 (Vice Chair in 2024) and serves on the Clayton Community Library Foundation board., and "Kim Trupiano for Clayton City Council 2026" -- the incumbent's own campaign site ("Leadership with Results"): details her record on the Sixth Housing Element's state certification, a proposed 1% sales-tax measure and Landscape Maintenance District renewal, Main Street resurfacing, and the Clayton 311 (SeeClickFix) resident-issue-reporting program; FPPC #1454147. may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

  • contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Positions Up for Election, November 3, 2026, General Election": lists the City of Clayton's only office this cycle as "2 Councilmembers" -- a single at-large, vote-for-2 contest, no separate City Clerk or City Treasurer line item
  • contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Contest/Candidate Proof List" (8-27-26_candidatelist_detail_final.pdf), the county's post-certification, ballot-order-proofing export: shows "5201 ClaytonCouncil" as a vote-for-2, 4-candidate, ON BALLOT contest flagged with the county's own "*" ("Denotes Office Goes Into Extension") marker; lists incumbents Jeff Wan and Kim Joan Trupiano as the two sitting officeholders but only Trupiano among the qualified candidates (ballot designation "Incumbent," qualified 7/28/2026), alongside Amy Callaghan ("Real Estate Manager," 7/21/2026), Charles J. Schmidt ("Chemist," 7/30/2026), and Maria Shulman ("Registered Nurse," 7/31/2026), each with a $0.00 filing fee and no committee or payment method recorded
  • contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Candidate List" (8-14-26_candidatelist_summary_final.pdf), the county's complete qualified-candidate roster: independently confirms the same "ClaytonCouncil Vote for 2" contest and the same four qualified candidates with matching qualification dates
  • claytonca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Clayton -- "City Council" page: names the 5-member at-large council -- Jeff Wan (Mayor), Richard Enea (Vice Mayor), Kim Trupiano, Jim Diaz, and Holly Tillman -- and states "the Mayor is selected annually by the City Council from among its members" (not directly elected), with members serving four-year overlapping terms
  • claytonca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Clayton -- City Clerk's own "Elections Information" page: confirms the Nov. 3, 2026 election fills two City Council seats (4-year terms expiring 2030), states the regular nomination period (July 13 - Aug. 7, 2026) and the state-law extension provision for a non-refiling incumbent (through Aug. 12, non-incumbents only), and lists all four qualified candidates -- Amy Callaghan (filed 7/21), Kim Trupiano, incumbent (filed 7/27), Charles "Charlie" J. Schmidt (filed 7/30), Maria Shulman (filed 7/31) -- each with contact info and a candidate statement on file
  • claytonca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Clayton -- "City Treasurer" page: states "The City Council of the City of Clayton appoints a City Treasurer" -- an appointed staff position, not an elected office, consistent with the county's "Positions Up for Election" document listing no separate Clayton Treasurer line item
  • en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia's Clayton, California article -- gives a 2020 census population of 11,070 (11,585 per a differently-sourced figure elsewhere on the same page) and names Kim Trupiano as a Clayton Mayor, consistent with the city's own annual mayoral-rotation structure
  • diablogazette.com (opens in a new tab)Diablo Gazette -- "Clayton Council Responds to Grand Jury Report" (July 1, 2025): reports the Clayton City Council voted 4-1 at its June 24, 2025 meeting to reject most Civil Grand Jury recommendations as containing "inaccuracies, misinformation, and perceived bias," and names then-Mayor Trupiano, then-Vice-Mayor Wan, and Councilmember Diaz as having given interviews with rebutting evidence
  • diablogazette.com (opens in a new tab)Diablo Gazette -- "Clayton Watch Fighting to Amend Civil Grand Jury Report on City of Clayton" (Nov. 3, 2025): reports the underlying Civil Grand Jury Report 2505, "Clayton: Small City, Big Concerns," characterized council governance as "gross dysfunction" and the city as operating "at near financial ruin," and that resident group Clayton Watch petitioned to formally amend the report, warning it could otherwise "be weaponized in future political campaigns to misinform voters"
  • kimforclayton.com (opens in a new tab)"Kim Trupiano for Clayton City Council 2026" -- the incumbent's own campaign site ("Leadership with Results"): details her record on the Sixth Housing Element's state certification, a proposed 1% sales-tax measure and Landscape Maintenance District renewal, Main Street resurfacing, and the Clayton 311 (SeeClickFix) resident-issue-reporting program; FPPC #1454147
  • amy4clayton.com (opens in a new tab)"Amy Callaghan for Clayton City Council" -- the candidate's own campaign site ("Fresh Voice, Solid Choice"): a Senior Commercial Property Manager and Real Property Administrator with a real estate license since 1998, a Clayton resident since 2002 who began attending Council meetings over a sidewalk-improvement project; platform emphasizes deferred infrastructure maintenance, fiscal review, and transparency
  • charlie4clayton.com (opens in a new tab)"Charlie Schmidt for Clayton City Council" -- the candidate's own campaign site: a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (28 years, planning and operations) and former University of Florida chemistry professor, a 24-year Clayton resident and current Clayton Planning Commission appointee, Trails and Landscape Committee member, and longtime CBCA Clayton Oktoberfest volunteer; FPPC #1494081
  • mariaforclayton.com (opens in a new tab)"Maria Shulman for Clayton City Council" -- the candidate's own campaign site ("Preserving Clayton's Character, Planning for Clayton's Future"): a nurse and healthcare leader, a 17-plus-year Clayton resident who chaired the Clayton Planning Commission in 2025 (Vice Chair in 2024) and serves on the Clayton Community Library Foundation board

Last updated September 1, 2026.