City of La Quinta · Statewide General Election
La Quinta City Council
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
- Carene Hensley — Care Provider
- Julian Herrera
- John Peña — La Quinta Council Member · Incumbent
- Deborah McGarrey — La Quinta Council Member · Incumbent
This person would hold one of La Quinta's five at-large City Council seats: city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this Coachella Valley city, plus appointing the City Manager and City Attorney. A 4-year term. La Quinta elects its council members at-large, not by district; its Mayor is separately, directly elected to a 2-year term (also on this November's ballot).
Both incumbents up this cycle -- Deborah McGarrey and John Peña -- are seeking reelection to La Quinta's City Council against two challengers, Carene Hensley and Julian Herrera, on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Vote for up to two; the two highest vote-getters win the two open seats.
This person would hold one of La Quinta's five at-large City Council seats: city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this Coachella Valley city, plus appointing the City Manager and City Attorney. A 4-year term. La Quinta elects its council members at-large, not by district; its Mayor is separately, directly elected to a 2-year term (also on this November's ballot as its own race).
McGarrey, first elected in 2022, is a Public Affairs Manager for Southern California Gas Company. Peña has the longest tenure of anyone on La Quinta's 2026 ballot: first elected to the council in 1984, elected Mayor in 1988, retired from public office in 2002, then returned to the council in 2014 and has served continuously since. Hensley is a home care provider -- her filed ballot designation reads "Care Provider." Neither the city's own candidate roster nor The Desert Sun's roundup could offer any information about Herrera's background or platform.
Deborah McGarrey
Deborah McGarrey is an incumbent councilmember, first elected in 2022, seeking a second term. She is a Public Affairs Manager for Southern California Gas Company covering the Desert Region of eastern Riverside and Imperial Counties, and serves on multiple Coachella Valley boards including FIND Food Bank and the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, per the city's own biography.
Strengths
One term already served; an extensive regional civic-board record (FIND Food Bank, CV Economic Partnership) beyond her council seat.
Trade-offs
No independent reporting on her council record was found; financial info could not be retrieved in this pass (see note below).
Keep in mind
Her day job at a utility the city permits around is worth noting as context, not a claim of conflict -- none was found.
John Peña
John Peña is an incumbent councilmember with the longest record of any La Quinta candidate on this year's ballot: first elected to the council in 1984, elected Mayor in 1988, retired from public office in 2002, then returned to the council in 2014 and has served continuously since. He is CEO of Desert Cities Consulting, Inc., a business and governmental-relations consulting firm, per the city's own biography.
Strengths
Decades of institutional experience, including a prior stint as Mayor -- more total years in city government than any other 2026 candidate.
Trade-offs
No independent reporting on his current term was found; financial info could not be retrieved in this pass (see note below).
Keep in mind
His consulting firm's client list wasn't disclosed anywhere in this pass -- worth asking about directly.
Carene Hensley
Carene Hensley is a challenger for La Quinta City Council. She is a home care provider -- her own filed ballot designation reads "Care Provider" -- per the city's own candidate roster, independently confirmed by The Desert Sun's own reporting.
Strengths
A direct-care professional background, distinct from the current council's corporate-affairs and consulting careers.
Trade-offs
No prior civic experience or independent biography beyond her occupation was found; financial info was unavailable (see note below).
Keep in mind
A first-time candidate with a caregiving background brings a different lens than either incumbent -- a values call for you.
Julian Herrera
Julian Herrera is a challenger for La Quinta City Council. No independent information about his background, occupation, or platform was found in this research pass -- The Desert Sun's own roundup states directly that no information was available on his candidacy, and the city's own candidate roster lists no ballot designation for him.
Strengths
None could be documented in this research pass.
Trade-offs
No biographical or platform info was found anywhere in this pass -- a documented gap, not an oversight. Financial info was likewise unavailable.
Keep in mind
An unusually thin public record this late in the race is itself worth noting.
Source review: Very strong (91/100) · 4 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.
- voteinfo.net (opens in a new tab)Riverside County Registrar of Voters — 2026 Annual Election Calendar (lists every November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election office by city, including "City of Cathedral City: City Council District 3 / District 4 / District 5 / City Treasurer")
- web.archive.org (opens in a new tab)City of La Quinta -- City Clerk's "Election and Candidate Information" page (captured via the Wayback Machine, 2026-08-28, three weeks after the Aug. 7 nomination deadline): states "Offices & Terms to be Filled: 1 Mayor seat - 2-year term / 2 Council seats - 4-year terms each," and its own randomized-alphabet Roster of Candidates names all seven qualified candidates with filed ballot designations -- For Mayor: Lynne Landgon; Suzanne Espinoza-Jimenez; Linda Evans, La Quinta Mayor. For Member of the City Council: Carene Hensley, Care Provider; Julian Herrera; John Peña, La Quinta Council Member; Deborah McGarrey, La Quinta Council Member.
- web.archive.org (opens in a new tab)City of La Quinta -- "Council Member Profiles" page (captured via the Wayback Machine, 2026-07-13): states "The Council is comprised of five members" responsible for appointing the City Manager and City Attorney; gives each sitting councilmember's own biography, including Linda Evans (Chief Strategy Officer of Community Advocacy for Desert Care Network, first elected to the council in 2009, elected Mayor in 2014), Deborah McGarrey (Public Affairs Manager for Southern California Gas Company, first elected 2022), and John Peña (CEO of Desert Cities Consulting, Inc., first elected to the council in 1984, elected Mayor in 1988, retired from public office in 2002, returned to the council in 2014 and has served continuously since) -- and separately profiles Kathleen Fitzpatrick (Mayor Pro Tem) and Steve Sanchez, neither of whom appears on the 2026 candidate roster.
- desertsun.com (opens in a new tab)The Desert Sun -- "See who's running for mayor and city council in Coachella Valley" (Tom Coulter and Sam Morgen, Aug. 13, 2026), "Who's running in La Quinta?" section: "Like Coachella, La Quinta elects its mayor every two years, while its at-large council members are elected to four-year terms. All three incumbents are seeking reelection." Names all seven candidates with occupation detail -- Evans, "chief strategy officer of community advocacy for Desert Care Network who has served as La Quinta's mayor since 2014"; Langdon (spelled with a 'g', not the city's own 'Landgon'), "a real estate agent who has criticized the city for what she describes as unfair code enforcement regarding a trellis on her property"; Espinoza-Jimenez, for whom "no information was immediately available"; McGarrey and Peña, matching the city's own biographies; Hensley, "a home care provider"; and Herrera, for whom likewise "no information was immediately available."
Last updated August 31, 2026.