Review note: California Republican Assembly -- "November 2026 General Election Endorsements" (updated 8/26/2026, PDF fetched and read directly): names "Coalinga City Council, District 2 Incumbent - Jeremy Lowder," "...District 3 Incumbent - Nathan Vosburg," and "...District 5 Incumbent - Abel Arroyo" -- a partisan club's own endorsement list, independently corroborating incumbency for three of the four but not evidence of anything else about the candidates. may have more bias because it is an editorial endorsement source compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- coalinga.com (opens in a new tab)City of Coalinga -- "City Council Elections" page: states the four elected City positions open for nomination this cycle -- Council Districts 1, 2 (a short 2-year term), 3, and 5 -- and the July 13-Aug. 7, 2026 filing period (extendable to Aug. 12 for an unfiled incumbent)
- coalinga.com (opens in a new tab)City of Coalinga -- "Council Districts" page: confirms Coalinga moved from an at-large system to five geographic Council districts in 2018, each electing one Councilmember, with boundary lines last redrawn in April 2022
- coalinga.com (opens in a new tab)City of Coalinga -- "City Council" page: names the sitting Council -- Nathan Vosburg (Mayor, District 3), Roger Schindler (Mayor Pro-Tem, District 1), Jeremy Lowder (District 2), Jose Manny Ramirez (District 4, not up this cycle), and Abel Arroyo (District 5) -- plus an appointed City Clerk (Shannon Jensen) and City Treasurer (Dawn Kahikina), neither an elected office
- www2.fresnocountyca.gov (opens in a new tab)Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters -- CFMR009 "Candidate List" for the Nov. 3, 2026 Consolidated Statewide General Election (printed 8/12/2026 5:37:13PM, post-filing-deadline): lists Coalinga's four City Council district contests (5008, 5011, 5012, 5017), each Vote For 1 with exactly one qualified candidate -- Roger Schindler (District 1, "Incumbent"), Jeremy Lowder (District 2, "Appointed Incumbent"), Nathan Vosburg (District 3, "Business Owner"), and Abel Arroyo (District 5, "Appointed Incumbent")
- www2.fresnocountyca.gov (opens in a new tab)Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters -- CFMR001 "Contest/Candidate Proof List," filtered to Contests on Ballot, for the Nov. 3, 2026 election (printed 8/18/2026 8:39:55AM): independently confirms the same four Coalinga City Council district contests, each flagged ON BALLOT despite having only one qualified candidate apiece -- not cancelled under Elections Code Section 10229 -- and separately lists each seat's incumbent-of-record, including "Appointed to Vacancy" for Lowder (District 2) and Arroyo (District 5) and "Elected" for Schindler (District 1) and Vosburg (District 3)
- en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia's Coalinga, California article: population 17,590 (2020 census), incorporated April 3, 1906
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Government Code Section 36801 (via the Legislature's own leginfo site): the default rule for a city without a charter provision otherwise -- after each general municipal election, "the city council shall... choose one of its number as mayor, and one of its number as mayor pro tempore"
- coalinga.novusagenda.com (opens in a new tab)City of Coalinga -- Special City Council meeting minutes, November 13, 2025 (fetched and read directly as a PDF): lists Vosburg presiding as Mayor and Horn as the then-Mayor Pro-Tem; records Mayor Pro-Tem Jim Horn's District 2 seat as vacated and three candidates (Jeremy Lowder, Ron Lander, James Horn II) addressing the Council; Councilmen Hedgecock, Schindler, and Ramirez each nominated Lowder, and the Council "approved the appointment of Jeremy Lowder to serve as the District 2 City Council representative" by a 5/0 roll-call vote
- coalinga.novusagenda.com (opens in a new tab)City of Coalinga -- Special City Council meeting minutes, January 8, 2026 (fetched and read directly as a PDF): refers throughout to "Mayor Pro-Tem Schindler," confirming the Council had reassigned that title to Roger Schindler; recognizes outgoing Councilman Lonnie Hedgecock's service and records his District 5 seat as vacated, with three candidates (Ron Ramsey, Pedro Garcia, Abel Arroyo) addressing the Council; Hedgecock, Lowder, and Mayor Pro-Tem Schindler each nominated Arroyo, and the Council "approved the appointment of Abel Arroyo to serve as the District 5 City Council representative" by a 4/0 roll-call vote (Ramirez absent)
- newsbreak.com (opens in a new tab)Your Central Valley (KSEE24/KGPE) -- "Coalinga wants someone new for its empty council seat" (Dec. 10, 2025; read via a syndicated NewsBreak republication after the original yourcentralvalley.com domain blocked a direct fetch): reports the city's public call for District 5 applicants ahead of the Jan. 8, 2026 appointment, with an application deadline of Dec. 30, 2025 and residency requirements
- cragop.org (opens in a new tab)California Republican Assembly -- "November 2026 General Election Endorsements" (updated 8/26/2026, PDF fetched and read directly): names "Coalinga City Council, District 2 Incumbent - Jeremy Lowder," "...District 3 Incumbent - Nathan Vosburg," and "...District 5 Incumbent - Abel Arroyo" -- a partisan club's own endorsement list, independently corroborating incumbency for three of the four but not evidence of anything else about the candidates
Last updated September 1, 2026.
City of Coalinga
Coalinga City Council, District 5
This person would hold one of Coalinga's five district-elected City Council seats. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Coalinga is a Fresno County city of about 17,600 residents. The term is four years. This cycle's District 2 seat has a shorter, two-year term. Coalinga's Council picks a Mayor and a Mayor Pro Tem after each election. It picks them from its own members. Voters do not choose either office directly. Coalinga has no elected City Clerk or City Treasurer.
Only one candidate qualified for this seat. Incumbent Abel Arroyo appears unopposed. This contest is settled, so your vote here does not change the outcome.
This person holds Coalinga's District 5 seat on a five-member, district-elected City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this Fresno County city of about 17,600 residents. The term is four years. The Council selects a Mayor and a Mayor Pro Tem from among its own members after each election rather than voters choosing either office directly, and Coalinga has no elected City Clerk or City Treasurer.
With no opponent, the useful question is not who to choose but what's known about the officeholder and what to watch next. An unopposed return means accountability for this seat over the next four years runs through public records and the next election rather than through this ballot.
Abel Arroyo
Abel Arroyo is the incumbent, unopposed for a full term. He first joined the Council by appointment. His filed ballot designation is "Appointed Incumbent." A local news outlet reported the city's public call for District 5 applicants. That came after Councilman Lonnie Hedgecock's seat came open. Applications were due by December 30, 2025. City Council minutes from the January 8, 2026 meeting name three people who addressed the Council. They were Ron Ramsey, Pedro Garcia, and Arroyo. Three sitting Councilmembers, Hedgecock, Lowder, and Mayor Pro Tem Schindler, nominated Arroyo. The Council approved his appointment by a 4 to 0 vote, with Ramirez absent. The California Republican Assembly's 2026 endorsement list names him "Coalinga City Council, District 5 Incumbent." No independent detail about his occupation or background was found. The only records are the meeting minutes and the county's filing.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.