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City of La Mesa · Statewide General Election

La Mesa City Treasurer

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 invests the city's surplus funds and reports on La Mesa's financial position -- a technical, non-policymaking role, elected citywide separately from the City Council. A 4-year term.

City Treasurer Matt Strabone resigned effective August 12, 2026 to take a position as a Legal Advisor to NATO, before his term was up. Two candidates are running for the open seat: Bill Exeter and Emmett Stewart. Whichever gets the most votes on November 3 wins outright; there's no runoff.

The treasurer invests the city's surplus funds -- roughly $65 million as of Strabone's tenure -- and reports on La Mesa's financial position. It's a technical, non-policymaking role elected citywide, separate from the City Council, with day-to-day city government run by an appointed city manager. A 4-year term.

Strabone, first elected in 2022 as the first millennial and first Democrat ever elected to the office, announced his NATO departure in a since-deleted social media post; the City Council voted to fill the vacancy by appointment rather than call a special election, given the cost and the proximity to the November election. Strabone is not a candidate for his own former seat. His departure reopens a rematch of sorts: Bill Exeter, whom Strabone defeated in 2022, is running again against a new opponent, Emmett Stewart.

Bill Exeter

A Republican and financial advisor with decades of experience in the financial industry. He ran for city treasurer against Matt Strabone in 2022 and lost, taking 45.99% of the vote to Strabone's 54.01%. He appeared in person at the July 28, 2026 City Council meeting to reintroduce himself to the council and public as the vacancy was discussed.

Strengths

Decades of financial-industry experience and a prior run for this specific office, giving him name recognition and a track record of public engagement on the role.

Trade-offs

Previously lost this same race by roughly 8 points; no detailed 2026 platform statement was found in the reporting located beyond his professional background.

Keep in mind

No campaign-finance figures for Exeter's 2026 run were found in the reporting located -- see Financial info.

Emmett Stewart

A financial analyst who also works as a business operations intern, per his own candidate filings.

Strengths

A financial-analysis background relevant to the office's core investment duties.

Trade-offs

An early-career profile -- his own filings also describe him as a business operations intern -- against an opponent with decades of industry experience; no detailed platform statement was found.

Keep in mind

No campaign-finance figures for Stewart were found in the reporting located -- see Financial info.

Source review: Very strong (93/100) · 5 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

  • 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
  • cityoflamesa.gov (opens in a new tab)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
  • sandiegouniontribune.com (opens in a new tab)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
  • cityoflamesa.gov (opens in a new tab)City of La Mesa -- City Treasurer page: names Matt Strabone (elected 2022) as the outgoing treasurer and describes the office's core duty of investing the city's surplus funds under the state Government Code
  • eastcountymagazine.org (opens in a new tab)East County Magazine (Karen Pearlman) -- "La Mesa Treasurer Matt Strabone leaves to take on NATO role; city to fill position by appointment": dated news story on Strabone's Aug. 12, 2026 resignation to become a NATO Legal Advisor, the council's decision to fill the vacancy by appointment rather than a special election, his 2022 defeat of Bill Exeter with 54.01% of the vote, and Exeter's in-person appearance at the July 28, 2026 council meeting on the vacancy

Last updated August 31, 2026.