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Irwindale City Council

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City of Irwindale

Irwindale City Council

This person holds one of Irwindale's five at-large City Council seats. They vote on the city budget, land use, and city ordinances. Irwindale is one of the smallest incorporated cities in Los Angeles County. The term is four years. The council does not elect its mayor directly. Members choose one of their own to serve as mayor each year. That person also serves as mayor pro tem. That person leads meetings but casts only one vote, like every other member.

Three candidates are running for two open Irwindale City Council seats on November 3. Incumbent Mayor H. Manuel Ortiz is one of them. He is seeking another term. Mayor Pro Tem Albert F. Ambriz did not run again. That leaves Marguerite Lopez-Sapien and Maricela Romero Frymark competing for the open seat alongside Ortiz.

Irwindale's council is five members, all elected citywide on staggered 4-year terms; the other three seats — held by Mark Breceda, Larry Burrola, and Manuel Garcia — aren't up this cycle. The council chooses one of its own to serve as mayor and mayor pro tem each year, so voters elect a councilmember, not a mayor directly. Whoever wins holds the seat for four years, setting the budget, land use, and city ordinances for a city of about 1,470 residents — one of the smallest and most industrial in Los Angeles County, built on sand-and-gravel quarrying, a sriracha factory, and a former MillerCoors brewery site rather than housing.

With one incumbent, one repeat challenger, and one first-time candidate campaigning for two seats, this is a plurality race decided in a single round — the two highest vote-getters win outright. Ortiz is the only sitting officeholder in the field, so the practical question for voters is who takes the second seat: a candidate who narrowly lost a citywide race two years ago, or a political newcomer who already sits on the city's Planning Commission.

H. Manuel Ortiz

H. Manuel Ortiz is Irwindale's sitting mayor. He was first elected to the council in November 2005. He is running on fiscal accountability, youth and senior programs, public safety, and housing. He is seeking a sixth term. His colleagues have chosen him mayor four times.

Marguerite S. Lopez-Sapien

Marguerite S. Lopez-Sapien is a repeat candidate for Irwindale City Council. No campaign platform or website was found for their 2026 run. They lost their 2024 bid. They trailed the third-place finisher by 27 votes.

Maricela Romero Frymark

Maricela Romero Frymark is a first-time candidate for Irwindale City Council. They now chair Irwindale's Planning Commission. That body recommends land-use decisions to the council. No campaign website, platform, or news coverage of their candidacy was found.

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

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