Review note: Miles C. Matias's own campaign site (milesmatias.com): an IT professional and adjunct college instructor, a La Habra resident since age three, married with three young children, degrees from Rio Hondo College and Western Governors University; platform covers term limits, fiscal oversight and transparent budgets, police/public-safety support, core infrastructure services, family-friendly policy, small-business support, and a pledge to return his own council compensation to the General Fund may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- ocvote.gov (opens in a new tab)OC Registrar of Voters -- Contest/Candidate Proof List, General Election 11/3/2026 -- City of La Habra section (pages 120-121 of 188, downloaded directly via curl from the public ocvote.gov URL and parsed locally with pypdf): confirms "CITY OF LA HABRA Member, City Council" (District ID 517) as the city's sole November 2026 race, Vote for 2, 4 qualified candidates, incumbent flags for Jose Medrano and James Gomez, and every candidate's filing date and filed ballot designation -- no district number and no separate Mayor contest appear anywhere in the La Habra section
- lahabraca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of La Habra -- City Council page: confirms the sitting 5-member council (Mayor Jose Medrano, Mayor Pro Tem James Gomez, Councilmembers Rose Espinoza, Daren Nigsarian, Delwin Lampkin), that "All Councilmembers serve at-large" on 4-year terms, and that the Council chooses its Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem from among its own members each December rather than by direct citywide election
- lahabraca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of La Habra -- official biography for Mayor Jose Medrano (city-hosted PDF): first elected to the Council in November 2018, re-elected 2022, served as Mayor in 2022 and again for the 2026 term; career law-enforcement/prosecutorial-investigator background (Norwalk Public Safety Officer, Pasadena PD, LA County DA's Office Investigator and founding Detective on the LA County Sheriff's Regional Human Trafficking Task Force); longtime AYSO and La Habra Girls Softball Association youth-sports coach; born in Tecate, Baja California, naturalized citizen, CSU Fullerton graduate, 25+-year La Habra resident
- en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- La Habra, California article: incorporated under general law in 1925; cited only to corroborate the city's at-large council structure and rotating Mayor/Mayor Pro Tem titles, and the current officeholder roster (Medrano, Gomez, Espinoza, Nigsarian, Lampkin) -- never for a candidate-specific claim
- milesmatias.com (opens in a new tab)Miles C. Matias's own campaign site (milesmatias.com): an IT professional and adjunct college instructor, a La Habra resident since age three (his father joined the LAPD), married with three young children, degrees from Rio Hondo College and Western Governors University; platform covers term limits, fiscal oversight and transparent budgets, police/public-safety support, core infrastructure services, family-friendly policy, small-business support, and a pledge to return his own council compensation to the General Fund
Last updated August 31, 2026.
City of La Habra
La Habra City Council
This person holds one of La Habra's five at-large City Council seats. They vote on the budget, land-use decisions, and city ordinances, alongside an appointed city manager who runs day-to-day operations. All five seats are elected citywide, not by district. The council doesn't elect its mayor directly -- each December, members choose one of their own to serve as Mayor and another as Mayor Pro Tem. La Habra is a general-law city. The term is four years.
Two of La Habra's five at-large City Council seats are on the November 3 ballot. Mayor Jose Medrano and Mayor Pro Tem James "Jim" Gomez are both running again. They face challengers Susan Pritchard, a retired teacher, and Miles C. Matias, an IT professional. Matias also works as an adjunct college instructor. Voters can pick one or two candidates. The top two vote getters win, with no runoff.
Whoever wins joins a five-member council that sets the budget, land-use decisions, and city ordinances, with an appointed city manager handling day-to-day operations. All five seats are elected citywide rather than by district. The council doesn't elect its mayor directly -- each December, members choose one of their own to serve as Mayor and another as Mayor Pro Tem, presiding over meetings but casting only one vote like every other member. La Habra is a general-law city. The term is four years.
Both seats are held by sitting councilmembers who filed for another term rather than stepping aside, so this is a genuine incumbents-versus-challengers race rather than an open seat. Medrano and Gomez have served together on the council; the county's own candidate filing confirms neither seat is vacant.
Jose Medrano
Jose Medrano is La Habra's Mayor. They were first elected to the City Council in November 2018. They were re-elected in 2022. They served as Mayor in 2022 and again for the 2026 term. Their career has been in public safety and prosecution. They were a Public Safety Officer with the City of Norwalk starting in 1995. In 1996 they joined the Pasadena Police Department. There they worked in patrol, vice narcotics, field training, and tactical roles. Since 2004 they have worked as an Investigator for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Their work there has included juvenile crimes, auto fraud, and trial support. They were a founding member of the LA County Sheriff's Regional Human Trafficking Task Force. They served there as a Detective. In 2017 the Los Angeles Dodgers gave Medrano a Community Service Award for that work. They have also coached youth sports for years. They coached through AYSO and the La Habra Girls Softball Association. Medrano was born in Tecate, Baja California. They immigrated to the U.S. as a child and became a naturalized citizen. They hold a business administration and marketing degree from Cal State Fullerton. They have lived in La Habra for more than 25 years. Medrano lives there with their wife and three daughters.
James "Jim" Gomez
James "Jim" Gomez is La Habra's Mayor Pro Tem, seeking reelection. Their ballot designation is "Businessman/Councilmember." No other background on their business history, time on the council, or platform was found.
Miles C. Matias
Miles C. Matias is an IT professional and adjunct college instructor. They are challenging both incumbents. They have lived in La Habra since age three, when their father joined the LAPD. They hold degrees from Rio Hondo College and Western Governors University. They are married with three young children. Their platform focuses on term limits, so public office stays a temporary way to serve. They also want fiscal oversight, transparent budgets, and support for police and public safety. They back infrastructure, city services, family friendly policy, small business support, and government transparency. They have pledged to return their own council pay to the city's General Fund if elected. They call this "service before salary."
Susan Pritchard
Susan Pritchard is a retired teacher challenging both incumbents. That job title is the only fact confirmed about Pritchard's candidacy. No campaign website or news coverage of them was found.
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A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.