# La Mesa City Council Moana Alo and Amanda-Dawn Natalia are running uncontested for La Mesa City Council. Full ballot at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds one of two open at-large seats on La Mesa's 5-member City Council, alongside the citywide-elected mayor. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. All four council seats are elected citywide rather than by district; two seats are up this cycle, with the other two next up in 2028. The term is four years. - Jurisdiction: City of La Mesa - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Seats: 2 - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/la-mesa-council - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: September 7, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 94 out of 100 (Very strong), across 3 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Moana Alo** — Senate District Representative - **Amanda-Dawn Natalia** — Attorney/Commissioner/Mother A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. Two candidates are running for La Mesa's two open at-large City Council seats. They are Moana Alo and Amanda-Dawn Natalia. There are exactly two candidates for two seats. So both are effectively elected outright on November 3, 2026. Council seats carry 4-year terms. The five-member council -- four members plus a citywide-elected mayor -- sets city ordinances, the budget, and land-use policy, with day-to-day operations run by an appointed city manager. All council seats are elected at-large (citywide), not by district; these two seats are open because their current holders, Patricia Normandy-Dillard and Laura Lothian, are each running for Mayor instead of re-election (see Mayor of La Mesa). With no opposition in the field, the practical question for voters is which of the two brings the stronger fit for an open council seat rather than a head-to-head choice -- neither candidate is a current officeholder on the council, and both are Democrats endorsed by the San Diego County Democratic Party. ## Moana Alo A field representative for the California State Senate's 79th District. Alo also serves as a La Mesa community services commissioner. They are a Democrat endorsed by the San Diego County Democratic Party. **Strengths:** Direct experience inside state-level constituent-services work. Alo also holds a city commission appointment. That gives them some familiarity with La Mesa's own government before taking office. **Trade-offs:** Running unopposed means Alo's record faces no organized counter-argument this cycle. No detailed platform statement beyond their professional background was found for this guide. **Keep in mind:** No campaign-finance figures for Alo were found. See Financial info. ## Amanda-Dawn Natalia An attorney who chairs La Mesa's Environmental Sustainability Commission. Natalia also sits on the Community Bond Oversight Committee for the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District. They are a Democrat endorsed by the San Diego County Democratic Party. **Strengths:** A legal background paired with direct experience chairing a city sustainability commission. Natalia also serves on a school-district bond oversight body. **Trade-offs:** Running unopposed means Natalia's record faces no organized counter-argument this cycle. No detailed platform statement beyond their professional background was found for this guide. **Keep in mind:** No campaign-finance figures for Natalia were found. See Financial info. ## Sources 1. [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](https://www.sdvote.com/content/dam/rov/en/election/nov-3-2026-gubernatorial-general-election/candidate-list.pdf) 2. [City of La Mesa -- Elections page: confirms Mayor, two City Council seats, and City Treasurer as the three November 3, 2026 races, each a 4-year term, and lists the same eight qualified candidates as the county's own Candidate List, confirming council seats are filled at-large, not by district](https://www.cityoflamesa.gov/1492/Elections) 3. [San Diego Union-Tribune (Hannah Elsmore) -- "Two council members vie for La Mesa's mayor seat; treasurer's race also on the ballot": dated, bylined reporting naming, and giving party, occupation, and platform detail for, all eight qualified candidates across all three La Mesa races, plus June 30, 2026 cash-on-hand figures for the two councilmember-mayoral candidates and Bill Exeter's 2022 vote share against Matt Strabone](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/08/30/two-council-members-vie-for-la-mesas-mayor-seat-treasurers-race-also-on-the-ballot/) ## The rest of the ballot La Mesa City Council is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "La Mesa City Council — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/la-mesa-council (sources last retrieved September 7, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.