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City of Lawndale · Statewide General Election

Mayor of Lawndale

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 is Lawndale's mayor: presides over City Council meetings and represents the city publicly, but votes as one of five members on the budget and city ordinances, the same as any other councilmember. A 2-year term.

Two candidates are running for Mayor of Lawndale: incumbent Robert Pullen-Miles, seeking another term after more than two decades in city government, against sitting City Councilmember Francisco "Frank" Talavera, who announced his campaign in August 2026. No primary — the November 3, 2026 winner takes the seat outright.

Lawndale's mayor presides over City Council meetings and represents the city publicly, but votes as one of five members on the budget and city ordinances, the same as any other councilmember. A 2-year term — half the length of a council seat's four years. Day-to-day city government runs through an appointed city manager, not the mayor's office.

With two candidates on the ballot, the choice is between continuity — a mayor with two decades combined in Lawndale city government — and change in the office from a sitting councilmember who has not held it before. Because the seat is largely consensus-driven, one vote of five, the practical stakes are about priorities and relationships with the rest of the council more than any single decision the mayor alone can make.

Robert Pullen-Miles

The incumbent mayor, with more than 22 years in Lawndale city government across the Planning Commission, City Council, and the mayor's office (per his campaign). He points to $6 million in secured state funding, several new businesses opening on his watch, and successfully opposing a Metro light-rail route through Lawndale neighborhoods, and lists public safety, economic development, and senior and youth services as his priorities for a new term. He is endorsed by Congresswoman Maxine Waters and fellow councilmembers Pat Kearney and Sirley Cuevas, among others (per his campaign).

Strengths

Two decades in Lawndale government, secured state funding, new local businesses, and endorsements spanning Congress to the city council.

Trade-offs

Running as the incumbent means his record, including the Metro light-rail dispute, faces a real challenger for the first time in years.

Keep in mind

His platform reprises priorities from prior campaigns — public safety, infrastructure, and youth and senior services — plus new stakes tied to the 2028 Olympics; whether another term changes that record is what a voter is weighing.

Francisco M. Talavera

A challenger and sitting Lawndale City Councilmember, whose own council seat is not up this cycle — his term runs through November 2028. He announced his mayoral campaign on Facebook on August 8, 2026, telling supporters it was "an honor to give our community a choice" (his words). No further platform detail from his campaign was found for this guide as of this writing.

Strengths

Currently serving on the City Council, so he has sat at the table making the budget and policy decisions the mayor's office touches most directly.

Trade-offs

No public platform beyond his campaign announcement was found for this guide, leaving little yet to weigh against Pullen-Miles's specific record.

Keep in mind

Because his own council seat isn't up until 2028, a loss here costs him nothing — he keeps his seat either way, unlike a challenger risking their only office.

Source review: Mixed (74/100) · 6 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context; advocacy or endorsement sources are treated as attributed perspective.

Review note: CA Slates and Frank Talavera may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

Last updated August 31, 2026.