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City of Hawaiian Gardens · Statewide General Election

Hawaiian Gardens City Council

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 one of three at-large seats up this cycle on Hawaiian Gardens' 5-member City Council, elected to staggered 4-year terms: city ordinances, the budget, and land use. The council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor and another as Mayor Pro Tem — the titles rotate annually rather than being separately elected — and day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager.

Five candidates are running for three at-large seats on Hawaiian Gardens' City Council: incumbents Dandy De Paula, Maria Teresa Del Rio and Luis Roa against challengers Luis Gonzalez and Jesus Mendoza. Vote for up to three — no primary.

Council seats carry 4-year terms, staggered so either two or three seats are up each cycle — this year it's three, matching all three incumbents in the field. Winners join two sitting councilmembers not up this cycle, Victor Farfan and Ernie Vargas, to make five votes on city ordinances, the budget, and land use; the council then selects one of its own to serve as Mayor and another as Mayor Pro Tem — titles that rotate annually rather than being separately elected — and day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager.

All three incumbents up this cycle are running together, which makes this less a referendum on any single councilmember and more a choice about whether the current council's composition stays intact or one of two political newcomers, neither with prior Hawaiian Gardens officeholding experience, takes a seat instead.

Dandy De Paula

Dandy De Paula is the incumbent Councilmember, seeking another 4-year term. Born in the Philippines, he moved to the U.S. in 2000 and spent twelve years as Program Director of a Hawaiian Gardens preschool, on top of two decades in local community outreach and church ministry. He's also an appointed commissioner on the LA County Human Relations Commission.

Strengths

Two decades of Hawaiian Gardens outreach work, twelve as a preschool Program Director, plus an appointed seat on the LA County Human Relations Commission.

Trade-offs

His own campaign and city bio describe his record in general community-service terms; no independent source details specific votes, ordinances, or council initiatives he's authored.

Keep in mind

A LinkedIn listing and a local video profile both describe him holding one of the council's two rotating annual leadership titles (Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem) in 2025 — this pass could not confirm which, or view the video itself, only the indexed listings.

Maria Teresa Del Rio

Maria Teresa Del Rio is the incumbent Mayor, a 30-year Hawaiian Gardens resident seeking another 4-year council term. She works as Project Manager of an outpatient program providing rehabilitation services for substance abuse and drug addiction, and holds a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice from Cal State Fullerton. Her parents, Luis and Irma Del Rio, have been active in the Hawaiian Gardens community for more than 20 years.

Strengths

Sitting Mayor with a full council term served, a Criminal Justice degree, and a career managing a substance-abuse rehabilitation program.

Trade-offs

Her own official bio describes her record only in general terms; no independent source details specific votes, ordinances, or initiatives she's authored on the council.

Keep in mind

A 30-year Hawaiian Gardens resident whose parents have been active in the community for more than two decades — deep roots, though not independent officeholding experience before her current term.

Luis Roa

Luis Roa is the incumbent Mayor Pro Tem, seeking another 4-year term. He's lived in Hawaiian Gardens since arriving as a toddler in the mid-1980s from the city's own Sister City of Venustiano Carranza, Michoacán, and holds a Master's in Public Administration from Cal State Long Beach. He spent nearly 15 years as the city's own Recreation Leader, plus stints as a paraprofessional educator, substitute teacher, benefits specialist and payroll technician.

Strengths

Mayor Pro Tem with a Master's in Public Administration, nearly 15 years as the city's own Recreation Leader, and roots in Hawaiian Gardens since childhood.

Trade-offs

His own city bio describes his record only in general terms; no independent source details specific votes, ordinances, or council initiatives he's authored.

Keep in mind

One of the longest-tenured residents in this field, having arrived in Hawaiian Gardens as a toddler in the mid-1980s from the city's own Sister City in Michoacán, Mexico.

Luis Gonzalez

Luis Gonzalez is a challenger running for a seat on the City Council. His ballot designation lists him as an Accounting Technician; no campaign statement, website, or independent news coverage was found describing his platform. He has no history in elected Hawaiian Gardens office.

Strengths

No independent source or campaign material was found describing strengths beyond his own filed ballot designation as an Accounting Technician.

Trade-offs

No campaign statement, website, or news coverage was found for his council bid; there is no independent record to weigh trade-offs against.

Keep in mind

No independent source could confirm his employer, prior public service, or platform; his qualification for the ballot is the only independently confirmed fact of his candidacy.

Jesus Mendoza

Jesus Mendoza is a challenger and repeat candidate, running again after an unsuccessful bid for one of Hawaiian Gardens' two open City Council seats in the November 2024 general election. His ballot designation lists him as a UPS Package Handler; the same email address on file with the city clerk in both 2024 and 2026 ties this filing to that earlier run, per Ballotpedia's 2024 candidate record. No campaign statement, website, or independent news coverage was found describing his 2026 platform.

Strengths

A repeat candidate with direct experience navigating a Hawaiian Gardens council campaign, having run once before in November 2024.

Trade-offs

He lost that 2024 bid for one of two open seats; no campaign statement, website, or news coverage was found describing his 2026 platform.

Keep in mind

No independent source could confirm his employer beyond his filed ballot designation as a UPS Package Handler, or any public-service record beyond his two council campaigns.

Source review: Strong (85/100) · 10 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

  • hgcity.org (opens in a new tab)City of Hawaiian Gardens — Candidates For November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election (City Clerk's Office; ballot designations, nomination/qualified dates, three City Council seats, names in Secretary of State random-alphabet ballot order)
  • hgcity.org (opens in a new tab)City of Hawaiian Gardens — City Council (member roster, council-manager government, at-large elections electing 2 or 3 of 5 seats each cycle, rotating Mayor/Mayor Pro Tem titles)
  • hgcity.org (opens in a new tab)City of Hawaiian Gardens — Mayor Maria Teresa Del Rio (official biography)
  • hgcity.org (opens in a new tab)City of Hawaiian Gardens — Mayor Pro Tem Luis Roa (official biography)
  • hgcity.org (opens in a new tab)City of Hawaiian Gardens — Councilmember Dandy De Paula (official biography)
  • hgcity.org (opens in a new tab)City of Hawaiian Gardens — Fair Political Practice Commission Disclosure page (offers only a Form 700 portal and Form 806 for 2026 — no campaign-finance filing index)
  • hgcity.org (opens in a new tab)City of Hawaiian Gardens — Candidate Campaign & Financial Filings (lists filing years 2020, 2022 and 2024 only; no 2026 filing year posted as of this retrieval)
  • theballotbook.com (opens in a new tab)The Ballot Book — City of Hawaiian Gardens 2026 candidates (unofficial, automated-monitoring aggregator; independently lists the same five City Council candidates and ballot designations as the city clerk's certified list)
  • ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — Jesus Mendoza (Hawaiian Gardens City Council At-large, California, candidate 2024): ran for one of two open seats in the November 5, 2024 general election against incumbents Victor Farfan and Ernie Vargas and challenger Jesse Alvarado; lists the same email address (aajmen2@gmail.com) as the city's 2026 candidate list
  • bing.com (opens in a new tab)Web search (Bing) surfacing a LinkedIn profile and a YouTube video profile both matching 'Dandy De Paula' — one of the council's two rotating annual leadership titles (Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem) in 2025; this pass could not open either directly, only the indexed listings

Last updated August 31, 2026.