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City of Colton · Statewide General Election

Colton Mayor

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

Colton directly elects its Mayor citywide, separately from the City Council: presides at Council meetings and votes as a full member of the 5-person body (Mayor plus four district councilmembers), which sets city ordinances, the budget, and land use. A 4-year term; day-to-day operations run through an appointed City Manager.

Incumbent Mayor Frank J. Navarro faces a challenge from sitting District 4 councilmember John R. Echevarria on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Colton's directly elected Mayor. Whoever gets the most votes wins outright -- there is no primary or runoff. Echevarria's move up means his own council seat, District 4, is an open race this cycle too.

This person is Colton's directly elected, citywide Mayor: presides at City Council meetings and votes as a full member of the 5-person council that sets city ordinances, the budget, and land use. A 4-year term; day-to-day operations run through an appointed City Manager.

Navarro, Mayor since 2018 after six years on the council, is seeking a third term, citing his record on business development, financial oversight, and regional transportation partnerships. Echevarria, a councilmember since 2020 who also serves as a Police Lieutenant with the City of San Bernardino, is giving up his own District 4 seat to run for Mayor instead of seeking reelection to it.

Frank J. Navarro

Frank J. Navarro is Colton's incumbent Mayor, first elected to the City Council in 2012 representing District 3, appointed Mayor Pro Tempore in 2015, re-elected to the council in 2016, and elected Mayor in 2018. He holds seats on numerous regional bodies, including the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, OmniTrans, and the Southern California Association of Governments' Regional Council, per the city's own biography.

Strengths

Eight years as Mayor plus six years on the council before that -- more citywide executive experience than any other 2026 Colton candidate; seats on SBCTA, OmniTrans, SCAG, and LAFCO.

Trade-offs

No independent news coverage of his specific record in office was found in this pass; financial info could not be retrieved (see note below).

Keep in mind

Fourteen years total in Colton city government is a long tenure -- worth weighing against the continuity and institutional knowledge it represents.

John R. Echevarria

John R. Echevarria is Colton's sitting District 4 councilmember, first elected in 2020 (then representing District 5) and re-elected in 2022 to the renumbered District 4. He holds a Master's in Public Administration from California Baptist University and has spent his career in law enforcement, currently serving as a Police Lieutenant with the City of San Bernardino. His filed ballot designation is "Councilmember / Police Officer."

Strengths

Six years of council experience, including service as Mayor Pro Tempore and Planning Commissioner; a public-administration graduate degree and a law-enforcement career.

Trade-offs

No independent news coverage of his council record was found; financial info could not be retrieved (see note below); running for Mayor leaves his own District 4 seat open.

Keep in mind

His day job as a City of San Bernardino police lieutenant is a different department from Colton's own police force -- worth noting as context, not a conflict; none was found.

Source review: Very strong (90/100) · 7 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

  • uploads.rov.sbcounty.gov (opens in a new tab)San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters -- "Offices Up for Election, November 3, 2026, General Election": lists County Board of Education Areas A, B, and D (under the School category) as the county's only expiring-term seats this cycle -- no Board of Supervisors, row office, or Superior Court seat appears anywhere in the 11-page document
  • uploads.rov.sbcounty.gov (opens in a new tab)San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters -- statewide "Report_CandidateList.pdf" candidate-filing report linked from the county's own November 3, 2026 candidates page: within the San Bernardino County section, only Area B carries any candidates (Rita Fernandez-Loof, Miki R. Inbody, Kimberly L. Watson); Areas A and D, both confirmed expiring this cycle by the county's own Offices Up for Election document, have no candidates anywhere in the report and will not appear on the November ballot
  • coltonca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Colton -- City Clerk's "Election Information 2026" page: states "Offices Open for Election: Council Member -- District 3, Council Member -- District 4, Mayor -- City Wide," plus the nomination period (July 13 -- August 7, 2026) and candidate eligibility requirements.
  • coltonca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Colton -- "Candidate Filing Update (FINAL UPDATE)" for the week of August 7-12, 2026: names all seven qualified candidates across the city's three November 2026 offices with their nomination-paper pull/file/qualify dates -- John Echevarria and Frank J. Navarro for Mayor; Luis S. González and Eugene Valdez for District 3; Joseph Paulino, Adrianna Escarcega, and Lawrence "Larry" Rivas for District 4 -- in full agreement with the county's own candidate-filing report.
  • coltonca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Colton -- "City Council" page: names each sitting member by seat (Frank J. Navarro, Mayor; David J. Toro, District 1; Kelly J. Chastain, District 2; Luis S. González, District 3; John R. Echevarria, District 4) and each one's term-expiration date -- Mayor, District 3, and District 4 all expire December 2026 (this cycle); District 1 and District 2 expire December 2028 (not on this ballot).
  • coltonca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Colton -- Mayor Frank J. Navarro's own official bio page: first elected to the council in 2012 representing District 3; appointed Mayor Pro Tempore in 2015; re-elected to the council in 2016; elected Mayor in 2018; lists his regional-agency seats (Inland Valley Development Agency, LAFCO, SBCTA, OmniTrans, San Bernardino International Airport Authority, SCAG Regional Council District 6) and his stated priorities (business development, financial oversight, regional transportation partnerships).
  • coltonca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Colton -- District 4's own official bio page for Councilmember John R. Echevarria: first elected in 2020 representing then-District 5, re-elected in 2022 to the renumbered District 4; an Associate's degree in Administration of Justice (San Bernardino Valley College), a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice (Cal State San Bernardino), and a Master's in Public Administration (California Baptist University); began public service at 18 with the City of Upland, transferred at 23 to the City of San Bernardino, where he currently holds the rank of Police Lieutenant; a certified Spanish interpreter and former Colton Planning Commissioner and Mayor Pro Tempore.

Last updated August 31, 2026.