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Maywood City Council

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City of Maywood

Maywood City Council

This person holds one of three at-large seats up this cycle on Maywood's 5-member City Council. They vote on the city budget, zoning and land-use rules, and city ordinances. The term is four years. The council doesn't elect its mayor directly -- members choose one of their own to preside each year, and day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager.

Nine candidates are running for three of Maywood's five at-large City Council seats. Incumbents Mayra Aguiluz and Eduardo "Eddie" De La Riva are each seeking another term. They face seven challengers. Three of them are Maritza Cruz, Aleyda Lemus, and Gabriela A. Bernal. The others are Veronica Peral Bernabe, Edith Rodriguez, Gustavo Villa, and Thomas Ramon Martin. It's a single vote-for-three race with no primary or runoff. The three candidates with the most votes win outright.

Whoever wins serves a 4-year term on a 5-member council that sets Maywood's budget, zoning and land-use rules, and city ordinances for a city of roughly 27,000 people in southeast LA County, one of the most densely populated small cities in the country. The council doesn't elect its own mayor directly — members choose one of their own to preside for a year, and day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager, so the job is one vote among five, not an executive post.

With three seats and no districts, this is a citywide referendum on the sitting council as a whole. Two of the three incumbents whose terms expire this cycle are seeking another term; the third, Mayor Heber Marquez, isn't on the ballot at all, so one seat changes hands no matter how anyone votes. Weigh whether you want both returning incumbents back, a mix with the open seat, or a clean break to the seven challengers.

Maritza Cruz

Maritza Cruz is a Maywood Planning Commissioner. The City Council appointed Cruz to Seat No. 5 in April 2026. No campaign platform or public statement from Cruz has been found.

Mayra Aguiluz

Mayra Aguiluz is a Maywood native, licensed therapist, and homeless services coordinator. She has served on the council since 2022 and is seeking another term. She chaired the council as its 2025 Mayor before colleagues reassigned the title.

Aleyda Lemus

Aleyda Lemus is a longtime Maywood resident. Public records show Lemus at the same city address for more than two decades. No campaign website, prior office, or news coverage of Lemus has been found.

Eduardo Eddie De La Riva

Eduardo "Eddie" De La Riva has served the longest, first elected in 2013. He is now a program manager for formerly unhoused adults. He is a lifelong Maywood resident and UCLA graduate. He served as Mayor in 2015 and is seeking another term.

Gabriela A. Bernal

Gabriela A. Bernal is a repeat candidate for the Maywood City Council. In 2020 they placed third of three for two open seats. They got 16.7% of the vote. They are running a 2026 Facebook campaign called "Gabriela Bernal para el Concejo Municipal 2026." They are asking residents for donations.

Veronica Peral Bernabe

Veronica Peral Bernabe is one of nine candidates for three at-large council seats. The city's candidate list has only their name. No phone, email, campaign material, or news mention of Bernabe has been found.

Edith Rodriguez

Edith Rodriguez is a Maywood resident challenging for one of three at-large council seats. City meeting records show they spoke to the council in early 2026. No campaign platform or other public statement from them has been found.

Gustavo Villa

Gustavo Villa is a longtime Maywood civic figure. He was an early member of a 1998 water rate protest group. He later ran the city's Mutual Water Company. The state fined him $4,500 in 2014 over a 2012 cash-for-check scheme. He is now running for one of three at-large council seats.

Thomas Ramon Martin

Thomas Ramon Martin is a former Maywood councilman. They served through the city's mid-2010s financial crisis. The LA Times reported the council hired a city manager with no municipal experience. They are now seeking a return to the council.

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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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