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City of El Cajon · Statewide General Election

El Cajon City Council, District 1

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 holds your district's seat on El Cajon's 5-member City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside the citywide-elected mayor. A 4-year term.

Three candidates are running for El Cajon City Council, District 1, an open seat left by the retirement of longtime Councilmember Gary Kendrick: Chuck Kaye, Patrick Grillot, and Osama Bayati. Whichever candidate receives the most votes on November 3 wins the seat outright; there is no runoff.

This person holds District 1's seat on El Cajon's 5-member City Council, alongside the citywide-elected mayor: city ordinances, the budget, and land use. A 4-year term.

The seat opened up when Gary Kendrick, a longtime councilmember who began as a Republican before later re-registering as a Democrat, chose not to seek reelection. Of the three candidates running to replace him, Chuck Kaye is a Republican, Patrick Grillot is a Democrat, and Osama Bayati's party affiliation was not reported in the coverage found for this dataset.

Chuck Kaye

Chuck Kaye is a career law-enforcement officer; the county's own candidate list gives his ballot designation as "Retired Police Chief." A Republican, he's campaigning on public safety, lower taxes, and keeping El Cajon family-friendly.

Strengths

A law-enforcement career directly relevant to a council seat that votes on the city's police budget and public-safety policy.

Trade-offs

No specific policy proposals beyond his campaign's stated themes were found in the reporting located for this dataset -- a documented gap, not a claim his platform is thin.

Keep in mind

No CAL-ACCESS lookup for him was completed in this pass, and no cash-on-hand figure was found in news coverage -- see Financial info.

Patrick Grillot

Patrick Grillot's ballot designation is "Healthcare Manager/Parent." A Democrat, he has served on a city oversight committee for police and fire facility funding, and is campaigning on public safety, economic development, and homelessness.

Strengths

Direct experience on a city oversight committee tied to public-safety facility funding, one of the same budget areas this seat votes on.

Trade-offs

No independent news profile beyond the party-and-platform summary found in the reporting located for this dataset -- a documented gap, not a claim about the depth of his actual involvement.

Keep in mind

No CAL-ACCESS lookup for him was completed in this pass, and no cash-on-hand figure was found in news coverage -- see Financial info.

Osama Bayati

Osama Bayati's ballot designation is "Civic Affairs Director." His party affiliation was not reported in the coverage found for this dataset. He's campaigning to support young people and small businesses, impose term limits on city officeholders, and oppose what he calls the "unnecessary expansion" of Flock Safety license-plate-reader cameras in the city.

Strengths

The most specific, checkable policy position in this race -- opposition to expanding a named surveillance technology -- rather than only general themes.

Trade-offs

No party affiliation and no independent news profile beyond the platform summary found in the reporting located for this dataset -- documented gaps, not claims about his actual positions or backing.

Keep in mind

No CAL-ACCESS lookup for him was completed in this pass, and no cash-on-hand figure was found in news coverage -- see Financial info.

Source review: Very strong (93/100) · 2 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with a narrow source base.

  • sdvote.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego County Registrar of Voters -- Candidate List, November 3, 2026 General Election (current through the 8/24/2026 2:44pm snapshot): confirms Mayor, City Council Districts 1 and 3, City Clerk, and City Treasurer as Carlsbad's five November 2026 races, and Mayor plus City Council Districts 1 and 3 as Poway's three November 2026 races, each Vote for 1
  • yahoo.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego Union-Tribune (reporter Hannah Elsmore) -- "Socialist challenges conservative incumbent Mayor Bill Wells in El Cajon, three vie for open council seat": profiles both El Cajon mayoral candidates (Bill Wells, Alexander Kraft) and all three District 1 council candidates (Chuck Kaye, Patrick Grillot, Osama Bayati), including party, occupation, platform, and June 30, 2026 cash-on-hand figures for the mayoral race; the original SDUT page was not independently reachable in this pass, so it's cited via its Aug. 26, 2026 Yahoo News syndication, which attributes the underlying reporting to the Union-Tribune throughout

Last updated August 31, 2026.