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
voiceofsandiego.org (opens in a new tab)Voice of San Diego — "Last-Minute Changes Shake Up South County Races" (2026-08-13): Mayor Ron Morrison's surprise retirement just before the filing deadline, Jacobb Castrejon's late entry into the Mayor's race, and Beauchamp as a lower-profile Mayor candidate
sandiegouniontribune.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego Union-Tribune — "Morrison's exit sets up bruising National City race between Bush and Rodriguez for mayor" (2026-08-23); paywalled beyond its opening paragraphs as retrieved
voiceofsandiego.org (opens in a new tab)Voice of San Diego — "Mayoral Hopeful Seeks New Era for National City" (2026-02-10): an in-depth profile of Jose Rodriguez's background, platform, and 2022 near-miss loss to Morrison, also covering Marcus Bush's entry into the race
fox5sandiego.com (opens in a new tab)FOX 5 San Diego — County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre endorses Jose Rodriguez for National City Mayor
southbayhistoricalsociety.org (opens in a new tab)South Bay Historical Society — Ruble Mitchel "Mitch" Beauchamp biography: National City's sitting City Treasurer (elected office since 1994), a career biological consultant/botanist, author of "A Flora of San Diego County" (1986), and a Navy veteran
cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS — filer/committee search for the four National City Mayor candidates: ACTIVE 2026 committees for Marcus Bush ("Bush for National City Mayor, 2026," Filer #1494661) and Jose Rodriguez ("Rodriguez for Mayor 2026; Jose," Filer #1483083), neither with an e-filed Form 460/461/450 this cycle as of retrieval; no 2026 committee found for Ruble Mitchel Beauchamp or Jacobb Castrejon
efile.nationalcityca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of National City eFile — public campaign-disclosure search

Last updated September 3, 2026.

City of National City

Mayor of National City

This person presides over City Council meetings and represents National City publicly. They vote as one of five members on the budget and city laws. An appointed city manager runs day-to-day government. National City's mayor is the only council member elected citywide. The others are elected by district. The term is four years.

Mayor Ron Morrison is retiring. He has been in office most of the last three decades. He announced it in mid-August 2026, just before the filing deadline. Four candidates are now running for the open seat. Two of them are sitting councilmembers, Marcus Bush and Jose Rodriguez.

National City's mayor presides over City Council meetings and represents the city publicly, but votes as one of five members on the budget and city ordinances — day-to-day government runs through an appointed city manager. It's the only council seat elected citywide rather than by district. The term is four years.

No incumbent is running: this is a genuinely open seat. Bush and Rodriguez both list "Councilmember" as their ballot designation rather than "Mayor," since neither currently holds the office. Morrison has endorsed Bush; Rodriguez is endorsed by the county Democratic Party, the county's labor council, and County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre.

Ruble Mitchel Beauchamp

Ruble Mitchel Beauchamp is National City's Treasurer. He has held that elected office since 1994. He is a biological consultant and botanist by career. He is a Navy veteran. He has never held a City Council seat or the mayor's office.

Marcus Bush

Marcus Bush is a District 4 councilmember. Voters first elected him in 2020. He now works as a project manager at MAAC, building affordable housing. In San Diego County, he is the first Afro-Latino councilmember. He is also the first Millennial and the first who is openly bisexual.

Jacobb Castrejon

Jacobb Castrejon is a grassroots organizer. They also work as a STEM enrichment instructor. They entered the race late, in August 2026. No news profile, campaign website, or finance filing was found for them.

Jose Rodriguez

Jose Rodriguez is a District 2 councilmember. He has served since 2020. His platform centers on affordable housing. He also wants more police officers and street and park repairs. In 2024, his council colleagues censured him 3-2 over alleged misuse of city resources. He denies it.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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