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City of Imperial Beach · Statewide General Election

Mayor of Imperial Beach

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 presides over City Council meetings and represents Imperial Beach publicly, but votes as one of five members on the budget and city ordinances -- day-to-day city government runs through an appointed city manager. Imperial Beach's mayor is the only member of the council elected citywide rather than by district. A 4-year term.

Three candidates are running for Mayor of Imperial Beach: incumbent Mitch McKay faces Karl Bradley and sitting District 4 Councilmember Matthew Leyba-Gonzalez. Whichever candidate gets the most votes on November 3 wins outright; there's no runoff.

This person presides over City Council meetings and represents Imperial Beach publicly, but votes as one of five members on the budget and city ordinances -- day-to-day city government runs through an appointed city manager. Imperial Beach's mayor is the only member of the council elected citywide rather than by district. A 4-year term.

This race turns on style and approach as much as policy: McKay, a registered independent, has run a low-key, business-friendly mayoralty since his 2025 appointment. Bradley, a Democrat, is campaigning for a more assertive posture on the city's signature issue, the Tijuana River sewage crisis. Leyba-Gonzalez entered the race at the last minute as a labor-backed wildcard who could either consolidate Democratic-leaning votes behind him or split them with Bradley, handing McKay a plurality win.

Mitchell "Mitch" McKay

The incumbent. McKay was elected to the District 3 council seat in November 2022 and was in his third year in that role when his colleagues appointed him mayor by a 3-1 vote in August 2025, filling the vacancy left when Paloma Aguirre resigned to take a seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. A registered independent who Voice of San Diego says "often votes like" a Republican, McKay has run a comparatively low-key mayoralty focused on supporting local businesses and managing the city's response to the ongoing Tijuana River sewage crisis, rather than the more confrontational activism associated with his predecessor. He is now seeking his first full term as an elected mayor.

Strengths

Roughly a year of hands-on mayoral experience already, plus prior council service dating to 2022 -- more institutional familiarity with the office than either challenger.

Trade-offs

He has never won the mayor's office in a direct election himself; this is the first test of whether his appointed tenure has broad voter support.

Keep in mind

No CAL-ACCESS committee was found under his name in this pass -- see Financial info.

Karl Bradley

A Democrat and retired public-school construction manager/administrator, making his first bid for elected office after years as a civic volunteer in Imperial Beach. Bradley is campaigning on a return to more assertive, activist engagement with the Tijuana River sewage crisis than McKay's approach, positioning himself as the continuity candidate for the more confrontational posture Aguirre's mayoralty was known for. His campaign is endorsed by neither the county Democratic Party nor the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council, both of which backed Leyba-Gonzalez instead.

Strengths

Decades of experience managing public-agency construction projects, plus a long record as an Imperial Beach civic volunteer distinct from either opponent's council or union background.

Trade-offs

No prior elected office; as a first-time candidate for citywide office, he has no legislative voting record for voters to evaluate directly.

Keep in mind

He has an ACTIVE Cal-Access committee ("Bradley for IB Mayor 2026") for 2026 -- see Financial info.

Matthew Leyba-Gonzalez

The sitting District 4 councilmember, now in his second term, and a union business official. He filed to run for mayor just days before the August 2026 filing deadline, a last-minute entry Voice of San Diego says "upended what had appeared to be a stable two-way race." District 4, which he represents, is the city's district farthest from the coast and home to some of its lowest-income and most ethnically diverse residents. He is endorsed by both the San Diego County Democratic Party and the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council.

Strengths

Two terms of sitting council experience plus organized-labor backing gives him institutional and campaign infrastructure neither opponent has.

Trade-offs

A late filing means less time to introduce himself citywide, and Voice of San Diego frames him as a wildcard who could split the Democratic-leaning vote instead of consolidating it behind him.

Keep in mind

He has an ACTIVE Cal-Access committee for his 2026 mayoral run, on top of an existing ACTIVE committee from his 2024 council re-election -- see Financial info.

Source review: Strong (88/100) · 10 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context; advocacy or endorsement sources are treated as attributed perspective.

Review note: San Diego County Democratic Party -- Democratic Candidates in the 2026 General Election: Imperial Beach Mayor, Matthew Leyba-Gonzalez; City Council District 1, Jose Lopez Eguino; City Council District 3, O'mar Diallo and San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council -- 2026 Endorsements: Imperial Beach Mayor, Matthew Leyba-Gonzalez; City Council District 1, Jose Lopez; City Council District 3, O'mar Diallo may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

  • 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
  • imperialbeachca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Imperial Beach — Election Information page: candidates for the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election (Mayor; City Council Districts 1 and 3), each with filing dates, proposed ballot designation, and a "Qualified" status; also confirms a single direct November election with no primary or runoff and a local $250 contribution cap under Ordinance No. 2024-1242
  • imperialbeachca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Imperial Beach — Staff Directory: City Council roster naming Mitch D. McKay (Mayor), Jack Fisher (Mayor Pro Tempore, District 2), Mariko Nakawatase (Councilmember, District 3), Matthew Leyba-González (Councilmember, District 4), and Carol Seabury (Councilmember)
  • voiceofsandiego.org (opens in a new tab)Voice of San Diego (Jim Hinch) — "Last-Minute Changes Shake Up South County Races": Matthew Leyba-Gonzalez's last-minute entry into the Imperial Beach mayoral race against incumbent Mitch McKay and Karl Bradley; Carol Seabury's decision not to seek re-election to City Council District 1 and her endorsement of Steve Berry over Jose Lopez Eguino
  • imperialbeachnewsca.com (opens in a new tab)imperialbeachnewsca.com — "Appointed Mayor Mitch McKay Running For Office In ...": Mitch McKay was in his third year as an elected District 3 councilmember when the council appointed him mayor; retrieved as a search-engine snippet, the full article text was not reachable in this pass
  • sddemocrats.org (opens in a new tab)San Diego County Democratic Party — Democratic Candidates in the 2026 General Election
  • unionyes.org (opens in a new tab)San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council — 2026 Endorsements: Imperial Beach Mayor, Matthew Leyba-Gonzalez; City Council District 1, Jose Lopez; City Council District 3, O'mar Diallo
  • cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS — filer search: no results for "McKay" (also searched as "McKay for IB Mayor") -- no campaign committee registered with the state under his name
  • cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS — filer search: an ACTIVE "Bradley for IB Mayor 2026; Karl" committee
  • cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS — filer search: an ACTIVE "Leyba-Gonzalez 4 Imperial Beach Mayor 2026; Matthew" committee, alongside an ACTIVE committee carried from his 2024 City Council re-election and a terminated 2020 committee

Last updated August 31, 2026.