media-002-us.cdn.govstack.com (opens in a new tab)City of McFarland, Office of the City Clerk -- "Certified List of Candidates," General Municipal Election, November 3, 2026, signed and sealed by City Clerk Erika De La Cruz, dated Aug. 13, 2026: certifies Ricardo Cano ("Vice Mayor") for Mayor; Maria T. Perez ("Appointed Incumbent") for Council District 1 (Full Term); Martin Gutierrez ("Appointed Incumbent") for Council District 2 (Short Term); and M. Anita Gonzalez ("Incumbent") for Council District 3 (Full Term) -- one certified candidate per seat, none submitting a Candidate Statement
mcfarlandcity.org (opens in a new tab)City of McFarland's own 2026 General Municipal Election page: confirms Mayor (4-year term), Council District 1 (4-year term), Council District 2 (2-year Short Term), and Council District 3 (4-year term) as the four offices up Nov. 3, 2026, with a July 13-Aug. 7, 2026 filing period and a link to the Certified List of Candidates; states no City Clerk or City Treasurer seat is up this cycle
mcfarlandcity.org (opens in a new tab)City of McFarland's own "District Election Process" page: the city adopted district-based Council elections (the "red" map) on March 14, 2024; the Mayor continues to be elected citywide every 4 years; Districts 2 and 4 were first elected under the new map in 2024, and Districts 1 and 3 follow in 2026, with elections thereafter every 4 years
mcfarlandcity.org (opens in a new tab)City of McFarland's own Council Members roster page: Mayor Saul Ayon (term expires Nov. 2026, not seeking reelection per the certified candidate list); Maria Perez, District 1 (term expires Nov. 2026); Martin Gutierrez, District 2 (term expires Nov. 2026); Anita Gonzalez, District 3 (term expires Nov. 2026); and Ricardo Cano, Vice Mayor, District 4 (term expires Nov. 2028, not up this cycle)
en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia's McFarland, California article: population 14,161 (2020 census); a San Joaquin Valley city in Kern County, about 25 miles northwest of Bakersfield and 6.5 miles south of Delano; founded 1909, incorporated 1957
kernvote.com (opens in a new tab)A negative-result attempt to independently cross-check McFarland's contests against Kern County's own "Contest/Candidate Proof List": kernvote.com returned HTTP 403 ("Access Denied," a WAF block) for both the county's Nov. 3, 2026 general-election landing page and a previously-cited kernvote.com document URL, including a retry with TLS verification disabled to rule out an unrelated expired-certificate error the site also threw intermittently -- the same WAF pattern already documented this session for Tehachapi; no browser tool was reachable this run
cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)A negative-result campaign-finance check: California's Cal-Access filer database covers state-level contests only and this dataset's own cached statewide snapshot carries no filer under any of the four McFarland candidates' names; McFarland's own City Clerk page describes the office as the FPPC filing officer for Statements of Economic Interests only, with no online campaign Form 460/461 filing portal found

Last updated September 3, 2026.

City of Mcfarland

McFarland City Council, District 2 (Short Term)

This person represents one of McFarland's four Council districts. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. A citywide-elected Mayor also serves on the council. An appointed city manager runs day-to-day operations. McFarland moved from at-large to district-based Council elections in 2024. Districts 2 and 4 were first elected under the new map that year. Districts 1 and 3 follow in 2026. The term is four years. This particular term is short: District 2 wasn't due for its next regular election until 2028, so its appearance on the 2026 ballot as a 2-year term points to a mid-cycle vacancy filled by Council appointment, with this short term realigning the seat to the regular 2028 cycle -- this dataset could not confirm the specific circumstances of that vacancy or appointment from any reachable source.

Only one candidate qualified for this seat. Martin Gutierrez is unopposed for a 2-year short term. The city lists Gutierrez as an "Appointed Incumbent." This contest is already settled. Your vote here will not change the outcome.

This person represents District 2 on McFarland's City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land-use decisions. They serve alongside a Mayor elected citywide. An appointed city manager runs day-to-day operations. This particular term is short. Under the city's staggered map, District 2 was already elected in 2024. It wasn't due again until 2028. Its appearance on the 2026 ballot as a 2-year term points to a mid-cycle vacancy. The Council filled that vacancy by appointment. This short term realigns the seat to the regular 2028 cycle.

No reachable source shows when Gutierrez was appointed, or why the seat came open. McFarland's site publishes no meeting minutes or notices covering it. Beyond their name, district, and ballot designation, no independent biographical detail was found either.

Martin Gutierrez

Martin Gutierrez holds the District 2 seat by City Council appointment. Their ballot title is "Appointed Incumbent." No occupation, background, or stated priorities could be confirmed for them.

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