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Coachella City Council

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City of Coachella

Coachella City Council

This person holds one of two at-large seats up this cycle on Coachella's 5-person City Council (Mayor plus 4 at-large councilmembers). They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use citywide. The term is four years.

Five candidates are running for two at-large seats on Coachella's City Council. The election is November 3, 2026. They are appointed incumbent Juan M. Martinez and MMA fighter Ambar De La Herran. The others are Parks and Recreation Commissioner Andrew Gallegos and recall organizer Vicente Aliseo Zamora. The last is financial aid specialist Yavonne Zapata. The two highest vote-getters win, with no primary or runoff.

The two winners each serve a 4-year term on Coachella's 5-person City Council (Mayor plus 4 at-large councilmembers). They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use citywide, with day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager. Both seats up this cycle are open in different ways: incumbent Stephanie Virgen did not file for reelection, and the second seat is a mid-term vacancy -- created when then-Councilmember Frank Figueroa moved up to Mayor -- that the city filled through a separate 11-applicant appointment process in May-June 2026, seating Juan M. Martinez for the balance of the term. Martinez is now one of the five candidates asking voters for a full term.

Two of the five candidates, Vicente Aliseo Zamora and (in the Mayor's race, above) Jesus Ahkin Gonzalez, co-lead an active effort to recall Councilmembers Denise Delgado and Yadira Perez -- neither of whom is on this ballot, since neither's council term is up this cycle -- over the council's initial approval, since rescinded after public opposition, of a utility agreement tied to a proposed data-center project. Zamora and Gonzalez have criticized that initial approval directly; the recall itself is a separate process from this general election.

Juan M. Martinez

Juan M. Martinez is a real estate broker. The Council appointed Martinez in June 2026. That filled the vacancy left when Frank Figueroa moved up to the Mayor's office. Martinez was one of 11 applicants for the seat. They are now seeking a full term.

Ambar De La Herran

Ambar De La Herran is a professional mixed martial arts fighter. They have competed in local and regional competitions.

Andrew Gallegos

Andrew Gallegos is a member of the city's Parks and Recreation Commission. They have volunteered for local nonprofit groups.

Vicente Aliseo Zamora

Vicente Aliseo Zamora co-hosts the "More than Politics CV" podcast. With Jesus Ahkin Gonzalez, Zamora co-leads an effort to recall two Councilmembers. They are Denise Delgado and Yadira Perez. They have criticized the council's initial approval of a proposed data center utility agreement. That approval has since been rescinded.

Yavonne Zapata

Yavonne Zapata is a financial aid specialist at College of the Desert. They were one of 11 applicants for the Council vacancy. The city filled that seat by appointment in June 2026, but did not choose them.

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A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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