cityofmartinez.org (opens in a new tab)City of Martinez — City Clerk's "General Election 2026" page (read via a Google Translate proxy workaround after cityofmartinez.org itself returned HTTP 403 to direct fetches in this environment): the official notice that the Mayor and District 4 elections were cancelled and appointed in lieu of election under Elections Code Section 10229 at the City Council's Aug. 19, 2026 meeting, and the live candidate table naming both District 1 candidates (Jay Howard, incumbent, qualified 07/28/2026; Nakenya Allen, qualified 07/23/2026) with filed ballot designations and contact info, plus the Sept. 7 – Oct. 20, 2026 write-in filing window for District 1.
cityofmartinez.org (opens in a new tab)City of Martinez — "Mayor and City Council" page (read via the same Google Translate proxy workaround): confirms the 5-member council-manager structure (at-large Mayor, four district Councilmembers, 4-year overlapping terms) and carries each sitting member's own official biography, including District 1's Jay Howard (elected Nov. 2022; Superintendent for G Swanson Construction since 2014; Alhambra Valley native), Mayor Brianne Zorn (elected Mayor Nov. 2022; professional wetland scientist), and District 4's Debbie McKillop (on the council since Nov. 2014; the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Chief of Forensic Services).
contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Positions Up for Election, November 3, 2026, General Election": the only county-section contest in the document is County Board of Education Areas 2, 4, and 5 (under Schools) -- no Board of Supervisors, row office, or Superior Court seat appears anywhere, consistent with both Supervisor seats up this cycle (Districts 1 and 4) having been decided outright in the June 2026 primary
contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Contest/Candidate Proof List" (8-27-26_candidatelist_detail_final.pdf), the county's post-certification ballot-order-proofing export: shows Area 2 as a 3-candidate contest (Sarah Butler, incumbent; Pamela West; Sibyl Minighini) with each candidate's filed ballot designation and qualification date -- this export omits single-filer contests entirely, which is why Areas 4 and 5 do not appear in it (see cc-candidate-summary-2026)
contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Candidate List" (8-14-26_candidatelist_summary_final.pdf), the county's complete qualified-candidate roster including single-filer contests: confirms Area 2 (Sarah Butler, Pamela West, Sibyl Minighini), Area 4 (Mike Maxwell, sole qualified candidate), and Area 5 (Clyde Henry Lewis, Jr., sole qualified candidate)
en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia's Martinez, California article — names Martinez as the county seat of Contra Costa County, with a 2020 census population of 37,287.
contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Positions Up for Election, November 3, 2026, General Election": lists Martinez Mayor, Council District 1, and Council District 4 as the city's three offices with expiring terms this cycle.
contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Contest/Candidate Proof List" (8-27-26_candidatelist_detail_final.pdf), the county's post-certification ON-BALLOT export: shows Martinez Council District 1 as a 2-candidate contest (incumbent Jay Howard, legal name Jarl John Howard, and Nakenya Allen) -- this export omits single-filer contests entirely, which is why Martinez's Mayor and District 4 races do not appear in it (see martinez-cc-candidatelist-summary-2026).
contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Candidate List" (8-14-26_candidatelist_summary_final.pdf), the county's complete qualified-candidate roster including single-filer contests: confirms Martinez Mayor (Brianne E. Zorn, sole qualified candidate) and Council District 4 (Debbie McKillop, sole qualified candidate) alongside the two-candidate District 1 field (Nakenya Allen, Jay Howard).

Last updated September 7, 2026.

City of Martinez

Martinez City Council, District 1

This person would hold one of Martinez's four district-elected City Council seats. Martinez also has a separately, citywide-elected Mayor. An appointed City Manager runs daily operations. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Martinez is the county seat of Contra Costa County. The term is four years. Whichever candidate gets the most votes wins. Martinez does not use ranked-choice voting.

Incumbent Jay Howard faces one challenger for the District 1 seat. The challenger is Nakenya Allen, a first-time candidate. It is the only Martinez city race voters decide this November.

This person would hold one of Martinez's four district-elected City Council seats, alongside a separately, citywide-elected Mayor, on a council-manager government with an appointed City Manager. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use for Contra Costa County's county seat (about 37,000 residents as of the 2020 census). The term is four years. Whichever candidate gets the most votes wins -- no ranked-choice voting is documented for Martinez.

Martinez's other two Nov. 2026 city races aren't decided by voters this cycle. Mayor Brianne Zorn and City Council District 4's Debbie McKillop each drew no challenger, and at its Aug. 19, 2026 meeting the City Council appointed both of them directly to new terms under California Elections Code Section 10229 rather than hold an election -- their offices will not appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot at all. District 1 is the only Martinez city contest voters will actually decide.

Jay Howard

Jay Howard is the incumbent District 1 councilmember. Howard is seeking re-election. They were elected in November 2022. They are the third generation of their family raised in Martinez's Alhambra Valley. They have been Superintendent for G Swanson Construction since 2014. They also serve on several local boards.

Nakenya Allen

Nakenya Allen is a first-time candidate challenging the incumbent. Their ballot title is "IHSS Care Worker." IHSS pays caregivers for elderly or disabled people living at home. No campaign website was found for them. No news coverage was found either.

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