# East Palo Alto City Council

Compare records and positions simply between Holifa Windom, Sam Jimenez, Ruben Abrica, and 4 more for East Palo Alto City Council at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person would hold one of two at-large seats up this cycle. The seats are on East Palo Alto's City Council. The council has five members. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. East Palo Alto has about 30,000 residents on the San Francisco Bay. The term is four years. Each December, the council chooses one of its own members to serve as Mayor. That person also serves as Vice Mayor. Voters do not elect either office directly.

- Jurisdiction: City of East Palo Alto
- Election: November 3, 2026 California general election
- Seats: 2
- Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements.
- Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/east-palo-alto-council
- Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/
- Sources last retrieved: September 1, 2026
- Source-objectivity score: 77 out of 100 (Mixed), across 9 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology

## On the ballot

- **Holifa Windom** — Businesswoman
- **Sam Jimenez** — Plumbing Business Owner
- **Ruben Abrica** — Substitute Teacher · Incumbent
- **Deborah Lewis-Virges** — Pastor / Community Advocate
- **Gail Wilk Dixon** — Legal Investigator
- **Ofelia Bello** — Nonprofit Executive Director
- **Michael Mashack** — Planning Commissioner

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

Two of East Palo Alto's five at-large City Council seats are on the November 3 ballot. Vice Mayor Ruben Abrica is seeking another term; Councilmember Martha Barragan is not running again, leaving her seat open. Seven candidates are competing for the two seats: Abrica, businesswoman Holifa Windom, legal investigator Gail Wilk Dixon, plumbing-business owner Sam Jimenez, nonprofit director Ofelia Bello, pastor and community advocate Deborah Lewis-Virges, and Planning Commissioner Michael Mashack.

Whoever wins joins a five-member council that sets the budget, land-use and zoning decisions, and city ordinances for a roughly 30,000-resident city on the San Francisco Bay, bordered by Palo Alto and Menlo Park. All five seats are elected at-large -- citywide, not by geographic district -- to staggered 4-year terms. The council doesn't elect its own Mayor or Vice Mayor directly: each December, members choose one of their own to hold each title for the coming year, presiding over meetings but casting only one vote like every other member. The city's current Mayor, Webster Lincoln, and Councilmembers Mark Dinan and Carlos Romero each hold one of the three seats not up this cycle.

Because two seats are open, voters can back one candidate or two; the two highest vote-getters win outright, with no runoff. Abrica is the only sitting officeholder in the field and the race's clearest continuity candidate -- they were part of the movement that incorporated East Palo Alto as a city in 1983 and became its first Latino Mayor in 2006. The other six are all newcomers to city office, though three (Bello, Lewis-Virges, and Mashack) currently serve on East Palo Alto boards or commissions short of the City Council itself.

## Ruben Abrica

Ruben Abrica is East Palo Alto's sitting Vice Mayor, appointed to that role by their council colleagues in December 2025; their ballot designation, 'Substitute Teacher,' describes their day job rather than their current office. They arrived in East Palo Alto in 1979, helped lead the movement to incorporate the city in 1983, and served on its first-ever City Council from 1983 to 1988. They returned to the council in later years and became the city's first Latino Mayor in 2006. Their statement points to a recent council vote they pushed for -- removing abandoned and dismantled cars from streets and offering free parking permits after neighborhood consultation -- and to Community Safety gatherings they initiated with the police chief, fire district, and local schools during their time as Mayor. Their platform emphasizes transparent, responsive government; community benefits, jobs, and affordable-housing opportunities from any new development; community-based policing; and infrastructure upgrades including water pipes, a new library, and a senior center.

**Strengths:** The only candidate with City Council experience. They helped incorporate the city in 1983 and served on its first council. They have also served a term as Mayor and now holds the Vice Mayor post.

**Trade-offs:** Their ballot designation, Substitute Teacher, does not signal that they are the sitting Vice Mayor. That is confirmed elsewhere, not on the ballot.

**Keep in mind:** Four decades of on-and-off service means a long record. No outside evaluation of it was found beyond their own campaign materials and statement.

## Holifa Windom

Holifa Windom is a businesswoman, born and raised in East Palo Alto to Tongan immigrant parents; they describe themselves as a wartime veteran with degrees in political science and business management. Their statement frames their priority as "getting the basics right first": fixing the city's aging water infrastructure and securing flood defenses before expanding housing or development. From there, they say they'll work to prevent displacement and protect housing stability, support local small businesses, calm traffic on neighborhood streets, and invest in youth and parks.

**Strengths:** A lifelong East Palo Alto resident with military service and a business management background. They run on a sequenced, infrastructure-first platform.

**Trade-offs:** No prior city commission or elected experience. Their listed campaign website carried only a placeholder page, and no outside profile was found.

**Keep in mind:** Their basics-first argument puts water and flood infrastructure before new housing. Other candidates do not stake out that sequencing either way.

## Gail Wilk Dixon

Gail Wilk Dixon is a businesswoman who has owned and operated restaurants and run a tax practice; their statement describes 45 years of legal document preparation and training as a legal researcher and investigator with an emphasis in real estate, matching their ballot designation. Their statement's specific promises include bringing a mainstream supermarket to East Palo Alto ("after 43 years without one"), redeveloping the Whiskey Gulch commercial corridor, stronger rent protections, and more transparency in city contracting -- they name "no-bid contracts" specifically as something they'd end.

**Strengths:** Decades of small business ownership, in restaurants and a tax practice. They also have a real estate focused legal investigation background tied to their platform.

**Trade-offs:** No prior city commission or elected experience. No campaign website or outside news coverage was found beyond their official candidate statement.

**Keep in mind:** Their claims about no-bid contracts and hidden transparency are their own assertions. No city record or reporting was found to test them.

## Sam Jimenez

Sam Jimenez is a small plumbing-business owner and, by their own account, a decorated Green Beret veteran -- a lifelong East Palo Alto resident who grew up and was schooled in the city and now lives there as a husband, father, and homeowner, and the son of an immigrant from Michoacan, Mexico. Their platform welcomes what they call responsible investment and development that benefits existing residents -- local jobs, small-business support, and infrastructure improvements without displacing families -- alongside youth apprenticeships, career training, and mentorship as alternatives to a four-year-college path.

**Strengths:** A blue-collar small business background paired with military leadership as a Green Beret. They run on an explicit anti-displacement platform.

**Trade-offs:** No prior city commission or elected experience. Their campaign site restates their official statement without adding detail that can be checked.

**Keep in mind:** Their responsible investment framing does not specify what makes a development proposal responsible. That is similar to other candidates' general growth positions.

## Ofelia Bello

Ofelia Bello is a 33-year-old nonprofit executive director, born and raised in East Palo Alto and a first-generation college graduate with a master's degree in Urban Affairs and Public Policy. They currently lead Pahali Community Land Trust and previously led a grassroots social-, environmental-, and racial-justice nonprofit for six years. They served five years on East Palo Alto's Planning Commission, including as vice-chair, and were elected to the East Palo Alto Sanitary District board in 2022. Their statement centers on affordable housing, renters' rights, and equitable community development, framed as prioritizing "ordinary and working-class people" over corporate or individual interests.

**Strengths:** Five years on the Planning Commission, including as vice-chair. They also hold an elected Sanitary District seat and has housing policy experience.

**Trade-offs:** Their elected experience is on a special district board and an appointed commission, not the City Council. No independent reporting was found on their record.

**Keep in mind:** Of the six non-incumbents, they have the most government experience adjacent to this seat. Weigh that against Abrica's much longer council-specific record.

## Deborah Lewis-Virges

Deborah Lewis-Virges is a pastor and community advocate -- lead pastor of Saint Mark Church in East Palo Alto -- who says she has served the community for 17 years. She currently chairs the East Palo Alto Sanitary District board, previously chaired the city's Public Works and Transportation Commission, and serves on both the Community Safety Team and the Community Climate Change Team. Professionally, she describes more than two decades of executive-level marketing and management experience with Fortune 100 companies and 10 years as an entrepreneur. Her platform names affordable and inclusionary housing, responsible "right-fit" development, traffic and parking, and climate resilience and environmental disparities as priorities. Her campaign lists endorsements from three former East Palo Alto mayors -- Regina Wallace-Jones, Larry Moody, and Sharifia Wilson -- and sitting Councilmember Lisa Gauthier.

**Strengths:** She chairs an elected Sanitary District seat she currently holds and has chaired a city commission. Three former mayors and a councilmember endorse her.

**Trade-offs:** Like Bello, her experience is on a special district board and city commissions, not the City Council. Her corporate background rests on her own account.

**Keep in mind:** Her endorsers, former mayors and a sitting councilmember, signal establishment support. Whether that reads as a strength depends on your view of city hall.

## Michael Mashack

Michael Mashack is East Palo Alto's Planning Commissioner, from a family that has called the city home for more than sixty years; they grew up and raised their own children there. Their statement describes promoting "responsible growth" and policies protecting residents' interests during their Planning Commission service. Their platform names addressing housing needs while supporting homeownership and neighborhood stability, creating and supporting local businesses, improving public safety, and preparing youth for future opportunities -- what they call not choosing "between progress and preserving the community we love."

**Strengths:** A currently serving Planning Commissioner with direct land use decision experience. Their family history in the city spans generations.

**Trade-offs:** No campaign website or outside news coverage was found beyond their official statement. So their specific Planning Commission votes are not documented here.

**Keep in mind:** Their language balancing progress and preserving the community is broadly compatible with most other candidates' goals. Their commission seat is their clearest point of difference.

## Review notes

- Ruben Abrica for EPA City Council 2026 -- his own campaign site: his 1979 arrival in East Palo Alto, role helping lead the city's 1983 incorporation and first City Council (1983-1988), becoming the city's first Latino Mayor in 2006, current Vice Mayor status, platform priorities, and an FPPC filer ID (#1492768) in its ActBlue donation flow., Sam Jimenez for East Palo Alto City Council -- his own campaign site: restates his official statement's biography (lifelong EPA resident, son of an immigrant from Michoacan, small plumbing business owner, Green Beret veteran) and platform without material addition., and Deborah Lewis-Virges for East Palo Alto City Council -- her own campaign site: education, 20-plus years of Fortune 100 marketing/management experience, city commission service, and a list of endorsers including three former EPA mayors (Regina Wallace-Jones, Larry Moody, Sharifia Wilson) and sitting Councilmember Lisa Gauthier. may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

## Sources

1. [San Mateo County ACRE -- Roster of Candidates, Qualified Candidates Only, November 3, 2026 General Election (CFMR009), dated 2026-08-25: the county's own certified candidate list, naming all seven qualified 'City of East Palo Alto Member, City Council' candidates (Holifa Windom, Gail Wilk Dixon, Ruben Abrica, Sam Jimenez, Ofelia Bello, Deborah Lewis-Virges, Michael Mashack), each's filed occupation/ballot designation, and 'On Ballot: Yes, Vote for 2'](https://smcacre.gov/system/files/2026-08/52_candidateroster0825.pdf)
2. [City of East Palo Alto -- 'City Elections' page (cityofepa.org/clerk/page/city-elections-0): confirms the at-large City Council election system, two 4-year-term seats up Nov. 3, 2026, the same seven qualified candidates as the county roster, links to each candidate's official statement PDF, and notes Measures O and CC also appear on this city's ballot](https://www.ci.east-palo-alto.ca.us/clerk/page/city-elections-0)
3. [City of East Palo Alto -- 'Councilmembers' page (cityofepa.org/citycouncil/page/councilmembers): the current 5-member roster and term-end dates (Mayor Webster Lincoln and Councilmembers Mark Dinan/Carlos Romero, terms end 2028; Vice Mayor Ruben Abrica and Councilmember Martha Barragan, terms end 2026), confirming which two seats are up this cycle and that Barragan -- not among the seven qualified candidates -- is not seeking reelection; also confirms the Mayor/Vice Mayor are chosen by the council each December, not elected separately](https://www.ci.east-palo-alto.ca.us/citycouncil/page/councilmembers)
4. [Wikipedia -- "East Palo Alto, California": used narrowly for the city's July 1, 1983 incorporation (a 13-vote margin) and population/demographic context, not for anything volatile like the current council roster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Palo_Alto,_California)
5. [City of East Palo Alto City Clerk -- official 2026 candidate statements for all seven qualified City Council candidates, individually hosted as PDFs on the city's own 'City Elections' page and read directly (not OCR'd): each candidate's own first-person statement of biography and platform, filed under penalty of the state's candidate-statement rules](https://www.cityofepa.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/city_clerk/page/8901/2026_statement.pdf)
6. [Ruben Abrica for EPA City Council 2026 -- his own campaign site: his 1979 arrival in East Palo Alto, role helping lead the city's 1983 incorporation and first City Council (1983-1988), becoming the city's first Latino Mayor in 2006, current Vice Mayor status, platform priorities, and an FPPC filer ID (#1492768) in its ActBlue donation flow](https://www.rubenforepa.com)
7. [Sam Jimenez for East Palo Alto City Council -- his own campaign site: restates his official statement's biography (lifelong EPA resident, son of an immigrant from Michoacan, small plumbing business owner, Green Beret veteran) and platform without material addition; no FPPC filer ID or dollar figure found](https://www.sam4epa.com)
8. [Deborah Lewis-Virges for East Palo Alto City Council -- her own campaign site: education, 20-plus years of Fortune 100 marketing/management experience, city commission service, and a list of endorsers including three former EPA mayors (Regina Wallace-Jones, Larry Moody, Sharifia Wilson) and sitting Councilmember Lisa Gauthier; no FPPC filer ID found](https://votelewisvirges.weebly.com)
9. [This dataset's own documented record of an unsuccessful attempt to retrieve campaign-finance filings for all seven East Palo Alto City Council candidates: the city's public NetFile portal (agency id EPA) redirects to a client-rendered single-page app that returned only a bare 'Public Portal' header to a plain fetch -- the same recurring failure mode documented elsewhere in this dataset for other cities' NetFile portals. Documents the absence of a reachable financial-disclosure source for these seven candidates, not any of their actual finances.](https://netfile.com/public/EPA/campaign)

## The rest of the ballot

East Palo Alto City Council is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/

## How to cite this page

Vote or Else, "East Palo Alto City Council — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/east-palo-alto-council (sources last retrieved September 1, 2026).

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