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City of Manteca · Statewide General Election

Manteca City Council, District 3

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On the ballot

This person would hold one of four district seats on Manteca's 5-member City Council, alongside an at-large Mayor: city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this San Joaquin County city of about 83,498 residents per the 2020 Census and reported by local press to be approaching 100,000. City Manager Toni Lundgren runs day-to-day operations under Council direction. A 4-year term. Manteca shifted from at-large to district Council elections in 2022 following a California Voting Rights Act challenge. District 3 covers downtown Manteca and the area west of Highway 99, north of the 120 Bypass and south of Louise Avenue -- roughly the area that was within Manteca's city limits as of 1970.

Incumbent David Breitenbucher, a retired 32-year Manteca firefighter seeking a third term, faces Lei Ann Varletta Larson, a homemaker who previously ran citywide for Mayor in 2022, for the District 3 seat.

This person would hold one of four district seats on Manteca's 5-member City Council, alongside an at-large Mayor: city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this San Joaquin County city of about 83,498 residents per the 2020 Census and reported by local press to be approaching 100,000. City Manager Toni Lundgren runs day-to-day operations under Council direction. A 4-year term. Manteca shifted from at-large to district Council elections in 2022 following a California Voting Rights Act challenge. District 3 covers downtown Manteca and the area west of Highway 99, north of the 120 Bypass and south of Louise Avenue -- roughly the area that was within Manteca's city limits as of 1970.

As late as July 10, 2026 -- five weeks before the filing deadline -- only Breitenbucher and District 4's Mike Morowit had scheduled filing appointments for the two council seats, raising the real possibility of Manteca's first uncontested council election since at least 1960. Larson filed on August 5, 2026, the last day of the filing period, avoiding that outcome.

David Breitenbucher

The incumbent, first elected to the Council in 2018 (Vice Mayor in 2019) and re-elected in 2022. He spent 32 years with the Manteca Fire Department, rising to Captain (2004-2016) and earning Firefighter of the Year in 2000. He and Morowit both cite finishing the city's new police station, sixth fire station, and homeless navigation center -- now funded by the Measure Q sales tax -- as their reason for seeking a third term.

Strengths

32 years with the Manteca Fire Department, continuous Council service since 2018 including a term as Vice Mayor, and broad committee experience.

Trade-offs

He was one of only two candidates filed as of early July 2026, before Larson entered in the final days of the filing period.

Keep in mind

His 2026 committee, formed in mid-July, reported $0 raised and spent in its first filing -- reflecting how recently it opened, not necessarily the rest of the race.

Lei Ann Varletta Larson

Her ballot designation reads "Homemaker." She previously ran citywide for Mayor in 2022, finishing behind Gary Singh after spending just under $15,000 -- a campaign that local reporting says ended with a notable amount of campaign debt. She has not organized a 2026 campaign committee, filing only the minimum candidate-intention paperwork on the last day of the filing period.

Strengths

Prior citywide campaign experience from her 2022 mayoral run gives her some existing name recognition in Manteca.

Trade-offs

No 2026 campaign committee is on file, so no itemized fundraising exists; no independent biography beyond her ballot designation was found this session.

Keep in mind

Her only 2026 filing was submitted August 5, the last day of the filing period, after weeks when this seat appeared likely to go uncontested.

Source review: Very strong (92/100) · 14 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context.

  • sjgov.org (opens in a new tab)San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters -- "Qualified Candidate List" (report CFMR009, "November 3 2026 General Election," printed 8/20/2026, two weeks after the Aug. 5 filing deadline): confirms all three November 2026 City of Manteca contests, each marked On Ballot: Yes -- Mayor (Jacob Naven, "Small Business Owner"; Gary Singh, "Manteca Businessman/Mayor," incumbent), City Council District 3 (David Breitenbucher, "Councilmember/Retired Firefighter," incumbent; Lei Ann Varletta Larson, "Homemaker"), and City Council District 4 (Mike Morowit, "Manteca Businessman/Councilmember," incumbent; Dani Bettencourt, "Businesswoman/Sales Coach"; Rogger F. Gutierrez, "Parent/Management Analyst") -- no Section 10229 single-filer scenario applies to any of the three
  • sjgov.org (opens in a new tab)San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters -- "Offices Up for the 2026 General Election": confirms the City of Manteca's office structure -- Mayor (at-large, 4-year term), Member of City Council - District 3 (4-year term), Member of City Council - District 4 (4-year term) -- and states that because no primary was held for municipal offices, all qualified candidates proceed directly to the November ballot
  • sjgov.org (opens in a new tab)San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters -- official "Notice of General Election" (2026gen): independently corroborates the same three City of Manteca contests -- Mayor, City Council District 3, City Council District 4 -- each "Vote for one (1)"
  • manteca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Manteca -- "Mayor & City Council" page: confirms the 5-member structure -- Gary Singh (Mayor, at-large), Charlie Halford (District 1), Regina Lackey (Vice Mayor, District 2), David Breitenbucher (District 3), Mike Morowit (District 4) -- with District 1 and District 2 not up in 2026, and links each member's own staff-directory bio page
  • netfile.com (opens in a new tab)San Joaquin County/City of Manteca NetFile public campaign-finance portal (agency code MTA, linked from the city's own Campaign Finance Disclosure page), queried directly via its own QuickNameSearch and filings/byCandidate JSON APIs for all seven 2026 candidates -- the source for which candidates organized a campaign committee (Form 410) versus filing only the minimum Form 501/700, and the index used to locate every FPPC filing cited individually below
  • mantecabulletin.com (opens in a new tab)Manteca Bulletin -- "Will city manager be the top paid civic employee?" (Dennis Wyatt, Jun. 16, 2026): independently names City Manager Toni Lundgren and gives her proposed base salary; used in this shard only to confirm her name
  • mantecabulletin.com (opens in a new tab)Manteca Bulletin -- "No challengers for Breitenbucher or Morowit in races?" (Dennis Wyatt, Jul. 10, 2026): captures the moment, before the Aug. 5 filing deadline, when only four people (Singh, Naven, Breitenbucher, Morowit) had scheduled filing appointments -- raising the possibility of Manteca's first uncontested council election since at least 1960 -- and gives context on the city's 2020 shift to district elections
  • mantecabulletin.com (opens in a new tab)Manteca Bulletin -- "Interact Club is hosting Manteca forum for mayor, council hopefuls" (Nihar Jain, Aug. 25, 2026): announces a youth-organized, nonpartisan candidate forum (Sept. 27, 2026); states "all seven candidates running for Mayor, City Council District 3, and City Council District 4 have confirmed their participation" -- independent confirmation of the full, final seven-candidate field across all three contests
  • ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia -- "Manteca, California": carries no municipal-election detail (outside its coverage scope for cities under the 100 largest); used in this shard only for its 2020 Census population figure (83,498)
  • manteca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Manteca staff directory -- Councilmember David Breitenbucher's official bio: elected to his current District 3 term Nov. 2022 (term expires Nov. 2026); on Council since 2018 (Vice Mayor in 2019); 32-year Manteca Fire Department veteran (reserve firefighter 1984, Captain 2004-2016, 2000 Firefighter of the Year); A.A. in Fire Science (San Joaquin Delta College); extensive committee service (LAFCo, Air Pollution Control District, Homeless Resource and Downtown Revitalization ad hoc committees) and prior Recreation and Parks Commission chairmanship
  • netfile.com (opens in a new tab)David Breitenbucher's filed FPPC forms for "David Breitenbucher for Manteca City Council District 3 2026," downloaded directly from the NetFile portal: Form 410 (campaign committee formed Jul. 10, 2026) and Form 460 (filed Jul. 20, 2026, covering Jan. 1-Jun. 30, 2026) report exactly $0 in contributions and $0 in expenditures -- consistent with a committee open barely three weeks by the filing deadline
  • netfile.com (opens in a new tab)Lei Ann Varletta Larson's filed FPPC forms, downloaded directly from the NetFile portal: only an FPPC Form 501 (candidate intention statement), filed Aug. 5, 2026, the last day of the filing period -- no Form 410 (campaign committee) is on file, so no itemized fundraising or spending exists for 2026. A separate "Lei Ann Larson for Mayor of Manteca 2022" committee on the same portal independently confirms she is the same Lei Ann Varletta Larson who ran citywide for Mayor in 2022
  • mantecabulletin.com (opens in a new tab)Manteca Bulletin -- "Breitenbucher, Morowit both plan to run again for City Council seats" (Dennis Wyatt, Jan. 16, 2026): both incumbents cite the new police station, sixth fire station, and homeless navigation center (funded by the Measure Q sales tax they championed) as their reasons for seeking a third term; gives each district's geographic boundaries and each councilman's prior Council service dates
  • mantecabulletin.com (opens in a new tab)Manteca Bulletin -- "MANTECA MAYOR'S RACE MAY SEE $200,000 IN CAMPAIGN SPENDING" (Dennis Wyatt, May 23, 2026): both Singh and Naven state fundraising targets of $80,000-100,000 each; Morowit states a $35,000 re-election target; gives the record nearly $180,000 spent across Singh's three-way 2022 mayoral race, in which he outspent both opponents (Ben Cantu and LeAnn Larson, each just under $15,000) roughly 10 to 1, and states Singh's $44,121 2026 carryover matches this dataset's own NetFile-sourced figure

Last updated September 1, 2026.