- 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
- lemongrove.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Lemon Grove -- Mayor and City Council page: confirms a 5-member City Council elected entirely at-large to 4-year terms, a separately, directly elected Mayor (not a council-selected rotation), and that Lemon Grove is a General Law city; names Mayor Alysson Snow (term to 2028) and lists Jennifer Mendoza, Seth Smith, and Yadira Altamirano's terms as expiring 2026
- lemongrove.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Lemon Grove -- 2026 Municipal Election Information page: confirms the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot fills two City Councilmember seats with 4-year terms and one City Councilmember seat with a 2-year term; lists all six qualified candidates by seat with ballot order and designation, and confirms all four 4-year-seat candidates filed nomination papers July 13-Aug. 1, 2026, verified by Aug. 6, 2026
- lemongrove.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Lemon Grove, Office of the City Clerk -- Amended Notice of Extension of the Nomination Period, Nov. 3, 2026 General Municipal Election: states the election fills two 4-year at-large Councilmember seats and one 2-year short-term at-large seat; names Yadira Altamirano and Jennifer Mendoza as the incumbents of the 4-year-term offices who did not file by the original Aug. 7 deadline, and Seth Smith as the appointed incumbent of the 2-year short-term office who likewise did not file for that office by Aug. 7 -- extending each office's nomination period to Aug. 12 for other candidates only
- lemongrove.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Lemon Grove -- Resolution No. 2026-4200, "Calling the General Municipal Election" (passed 5-0, July 21, 2026): orders the Nov. 3, 2026 election "for the purpose of electing two (2) Members of the City Council for the full term of four (4) years and one (1) Member of the City Council for the short term of two (2) years"
- lemongrove.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Lemon Grove, Office of the City Clerk -- Campaign Forms and Statements page: lists each 2026 council candidate's FPPC filings (Form 501, 410, 460, 497, 700); confirms all six candidates organized a 2026 committee (Form 410) and that five of six (all but Yasmin Mendoza) had filed a Jan.-June 2026 semi-annual statement (Form 460) as of this retrieval -- no dollar totals are shown inline, and the linked Form 460 PDFs are redacted, image-flattened scans this pass's tools could not OCR
- sandiegouniontribune.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego Union-Tribune (Hannah Elsmore) -- "Could 2026 be a turning point for Lemon Grove's leadership?": in-depth, dated, bylined reporting on the council's history of internal tension, the monthslong deadlock over filling Sitivi Faiai's vacant seat (naming Jay Bass and Lauren Faiai as the two competing picks before Seth Smith's appointment), direct quotes from Smith and Planning Commission Vice Chair Jacquelyn Clark, confirmation of the three seats up in Nov. 2026 (two 4-year, one 2-year), and Jennifer Mendoza's own quoted announcement of her then-plan to retire at the end of her term
- sandiegouniontribune.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego Union-Tribune (Blake Nelson) -- "New Lemon Grove council member and high school football coach dies suddenly": reports Sitivi "Steve" Faiai's sudden death in July 2025, less than a year into the 4-year term he won in the Nov. 2024 election -- paywalled; cited for its confirmed headline, publication date, and og:description ("Sitivi 'Steve' Faiai had been elected in November to his first term") rather than full-text quotation
- lemongrove.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Lemon Grove -- Jennifer Mendoza's filed Candidate's Statement of Qualifications, Nov. 3, 2026 election (occupation: Lemon Grove City Councilmember): cites 25 years as a resident and a long volunteer record (food distributions, Relay For Life, the school site council, the Planning Commission); frames her run for the 2-year seat as providing "stability, continuity, and steady leadership" through the city's city-manager transition
- lemongrove.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Lemon Grove -- Yasmin Mendoza's filed Candidate's Statement of Qualifications, Nov. 3, 2026 election (occupation: Healthcare Worker/Community Leader): describes a "Solar Light Initiative" for neighborhood safety, neighborhood cleanups, and "an independent, community powered campaign, not funded by unions or outside political committees"; lists endorsements from sitting Councilmembers Seth Smith, Yadira Altamirano, and Jessyka Heredia, plus former Councilmember Jerry Jones
Last updated September 7, 2026.
City of Lemon Grove
Lemon Grove City Council (Short Term)
This person holds one of three at-large City Council seats in Lemon Grove. Lemon Grove also has a separately elected Mayor. Members vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. This seat's term is a short two years, not the usual four. It fills the rest of former Councilmember Faiai's term, which runs through 2028.
Jennifer Mendoza holds this seat now. Yasmin Mendoza is running against her. The two are not related. The seat is a short, 2-year term on the Lemon Grove City Council. The top vote getter on November 3 wins. There is no runoff.
This person holds the third of three at-large City Council seats up this cycle in Lemon Grove. The city also has a separately, directly elected Mayor. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. Day-to-day operations are run by an appointed city manager. This particular term is a short, 2-year term rather than the usual 4 years. It fills out the balance of the late Councilmember Sitivi "Steve" Faiai's 2024-2028 term.
Faiai was elected in November 2024. He died suddenly in July 2025 while coaching high school football, per the Union-Tribune. That is why this seat exists. After a months-long council deadlock over an appointee, the council seated Seth Smith in December 2025. His appointment came early in Faiai's term. So state law requires the seat go back before voters this November for the balance of that term. Jennifer Mendoza is an incumbent. Her own seat is one of the two 4-year seats up this same cycle. She filed for this short-term seat instead of seeking re-election to her own. The sitting appointed short-term incumbent, Seth Smith, filed for one of the 4-year seats rather than this one. The Union-Tribune reported on her plans in January 2026. She then planned to retire outright at the end of her term. "My star is fading; after 22 years I'm hoping to be out of this pretty soon," she told the paper. Her own filed candidate statement, submitted several months later, frames this run differently. It says the run provides "stability, continuity, and steady leadership." The city is hiring a new city manager and finance director.
Jennifer Mendoza
Jennifer Mendoza holds the seat now. She has lived in Lemon Grove for 25 years. She points to work on streets, infrastructure, financial stability, and cleanliness. She told a paper in January 2026 that she planned to retire. She is still in the race.
Yasmin Mendoza
Yasmin Mendoza is a healthcare worker. She is running for the Lemon Grove City Council. She wants public safety, street and infrastructure repair, and open government. Three sitting councilmembers back her. They are Seth Smith, Yadira Altamirano, and Jessyka Heredia.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.