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Lathrop City Council

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City of Lathrop

Lathrop City Council

This person would hold one of four at-large seats on Lathrop's City Council. The council has five members, including a directly elected Mayor. The term is four years.

Steve Dresser is the incumbent. He was appointed to the Council and now seeks election in his own right. Three first-time candidates are also running. They are Chamber of Commerce leader Leandro Vicuña and construction executive Daniel MacNeilage. Realtor Shelita Jefferson is also running. All four are competing for Lathrop's two at-large Council seats.

This person would hold one of four at-large seats on Lathrop's 5-member City Council, alongside a directly elected Mayor, in this general-law, council-manager city of about 28,701 residents (2020 Census) in San Joaquin County. City Manager Stephen J. Salvatore runs day-to-day operations under Council direction. The term is four years.

One of the two seats on this ballot is Dresser's: he was appointed to fill an unexpired vacancy rather than elected to it. The other belongs to Diane Lazard, whose term expires this December; she chose not to seek another term, and her decision not to refile by the Aug. 7, 2026 deadline triggered a state-law extension of the filing window (through Aug. 12) during which any non-incumbent could enter the race -- which is how Jefferson, the last of the four qualifiers, joined the field. A second would-be candidate, Michael Wells, also filed but withdrew before qualifying. The city's other two Council seats, held by Vice Mayor Jennifer Torres-O'Callaghan and by Minnie Diallo (who is instead running for Mayor this cycle), are not up until 2028.

Steve Dresser

Steve Dresser, 76, is running as the Appointed Incumbent. He points to the city's finances, police, and fire services as proof his approach works. He has lived in Lathrop for 30 years and served on the Council for 15.

Daniel MacNeilage

Daniel MacNeilage, 68, is running with the ballot title Construction Superintendent. They have more than 35 years of experience in construction leadership and management. They also served a term as a Lathrop Planning Commissioner.

Leandro Vicuña

Leandro Vicuña works as a bank executive at Fremont Bank. They are running on attracting jobs, supporting small businesses, public safety, and infrastructure investment. They also founded the Greater Lathrop Chamber of Commerce.

Shelita Jefferson

Shelita Jefferson works as a Realtor and community sales manager. They have lived in Lathrop since 2019 and have been a licensed Realtor since 2016. They helped start the Lathrop Juneteenth Heritage Committee, a nonprofit for scholarships and education.

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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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