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City of National City · Statewide General Election

National City Council, District 1

Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

This person holds your district's seat on National City's 5-member City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside the citywide-elected mayor. A 4-year term.

Incumbent Councilmember Luz Molina, District 1's first-ever officeholder since the city adopted district elections in 2022, faces Cindy Lopez, a National School District trustee who also works in National City's own council office. There is no primary; whichever candidate gets the most votes on November 3 wins the seat outright.

This seat holds one of National City's four district seats on a 5-member City Council that also includes the citywide-elected mayor: city ordinances, the budget, and land-use decisions. A 4-year term.

National City runs a single November election with no June primary, unlike neighboring charter cities Chula Vista and San Diego. Molina, elected in 2022, is now Vice-Mayor; Lopez was elected to the National School District board in 2024 and, per an October 2024 Union-Tribune interview, was working as an executive assistant in National City's council office at the time.

Luz Molina

The incumbent, elected in 2022 as District 1's first-ever officeholder and now Vice-Mayor; previously National City's elected City Clerk. Her campaign cites $3.4M secured for streets and transit, more than 60 town halls held, and a vote against a proposed industrial biofuels depot near Kimball Elementary in West National City.

Strengths

District 1's first officeholder since 2022, now Vice-Mayor; a former elected City Clerk with city-government experience reaching back years before her council term.

Trade-offs

Her campaign's cited numbers ($3.4M secured, 60+ town halls) come from her own campaign site, not an independently audited city report.

Keep in mind

She and Lopez are the only two candidates on this ballot; with no primary, whichever wins the most votes on November 3 wins the seat outright.

Cindy Lopez

A National School District trustee elected in 2024, also a substitute teacher and, per an October 2024 San Diego Union-Tribune interview, an executive assistant in National City's own council office at the time. She's also a National City Library trustee. Voice of San Diego describes her as a close ally of Councilmember Jose Rodriguez.

Strengths

An elected school-board trustee since 2024 with direct experience inside National City's own council office as a staff member.

Trade-offs

No City Council or other citywide elected experience; her only elected record is the school board, not the city government she now seeks to help run.

Keep in mind

Voice of San Diego reports she is "a close ally of" Councilmember Jose Rodriguez, who is separately running for Mayor this cycle — noted as sourced political context, not a claim about any formal campaign role.

Source review: Strong (89/100) · 8 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context; advocacy or endorsement sources are treated as attributed perspective.

Review note: Luz Molina's own campaign site: background (raised in National City, former elected City Clerk, first D1 councilmember since 2022, now Vice-Mayor), record claims ($3.4M for streets/transit, 60+ town halls, opposing a proposed West National City biofuels depot), and endorsements may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

  • sdvote.com (opens in a new tab)County of San Diego Registrar of Voters — Candidate List, November 3, 2026 General Election
  • nationalcityca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of National City, City Clerk — Election 2026: confirms Mayor and City Council Districts 1 and 3 as the city's November 3, 2026 General Election races, and that districts were adopted in Dec. 2021
  • nationalcityca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of National City — Mayor and City Council: names the sitting Mayor and all four district council members (Molina D1, Rodriguez D2, Yamane D3, Bush D4) ahead of the 2026 election
  • voiceofsandiego.org (opens in a new tab)Voice of San Diego — South County Report: "Voters Prefer Insiders" (2026-06-11): confirms National City held no June primary for its 2026 municipal races
  • luzfornationalcity.com (opens in a new tab)Luz Molina's own campaign site: background (raised in National City, former elected City Clerk, first D1 councilmember since 2022, now Vice-Mayor), record claims ($3.4M for streets/transit, 60+ town halls, opposing a proposed West National City biofuels depot), and endorsements
  • sandiegouniontribune.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego Union-Tribune — "Q&A with Cindy Lopez, candidate for National School Board" (2024-10-06): describes her as a substitute teacher and, at the time, an executive assistant in National City's council office, plus a National City Library trustee, and her education platform
  • ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — Cindy Lopez: elected to the National School District Governing Board in November 2024, term through December 2028
  • cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS — filer/committee search: ACTIVE 2026 committees for Luz Molina ("Molina Reelect City Council 2026," Filer #1488169) and Cindy Lopez ("Lopez for City Council 2026; Neighbors for Cindy," Filer #1491223), neither with an e-filed Form 460/461/450 this cycle as of retrieval

Last updated August 31, 2026.