uploads.rov.sbcounty.gov (opens in a new tab)San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters -- "Offices Up for Election, November 3, 2026, General Election" (the same document as sb-offices-up-2026, a different section): lists exactly two City of Needles offices -- "City of Needles, Mayor" (1 seat, 2-year term) and "City of Needles, Member, City Council" (3 seats, 4-year term).
uploads.rov.sbcounty.gov (opens in a new tab)San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters -- statewide "Report_CandidateList.pdf" candidate-filing report (the same document as sb-candidate-list-2026, a different section): the "City of Needles" section (pp. 155-158 of 249) names two qualified 2026 Mayor candidates -- Jeff Williams ("Retired Deputy Sheriff") and Janet Jernigan (flagged Incumbent, "Mayor") -- and five qualified City Council candidates for three at-large seats -- Sandra Queen Noble and Charles Dressler (both "No Ballot Designation Requested"), Henry Longbrake (flagged Incumbent, "City Council Member"), Wayne Colburn ("Non Profit President"), and Jamie McCorkle (flagged Incumbent, "Incumbent") -- each "Last Updated: 8/28/2026."
cityofneedles.com (opens in a new tab)City of Needles -- City Clerk's Election Information page: confirms the same two offices and term lengths (Mayor, 1 seat, 2 years; City Council, 3 seats, 4 years each), the July 13-August 7, 2026 nomination filing period (extendable to August 12 for City Council seats under Elections Code section 10225), and names the same seven qualified 2026 candidates as the county's own candidate list.
cityofneedles.com (opens in a new tab)City of Needles -- City Council page: names the sitting seven-member governing body (Mayor Janet Jernigan, Vice Mayor Ellen Campbell, and Council Members Henry Longbrake, Jamie McCorkle, JoAnne Pogue, Tona Belt, and Larry Ford) with each one's term-expiration date, confirming which three council terms (Longbrake, McCorkle, Pogue) expire this cycle and which three (Campbell, Belt, Ford) are on the other half of the staggered cycle, not up until 2028; states outright that "the Mayor is elected for a two-year term and there are six City Council members who are elected to serve four-year terms"; and gives each officeholder's own short biography.
en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- "Needles, California": incorporated October 30, 1913; a charter city with an elected Mayor and a six-member City Council; independently states "Mayors serve two-year terms of office, and councilmembers serve four-year terms," citing the city's own site, and that "the council designates a vice mayor from among its members."
netfile.com (opens in a new tab)San Bernardino County's shared NetFile-hosted public campaign-finance portal (aid=SBD -- Needles does not appear to have its own city-specific portal, unlike some other San Bernardino County cities in this file), queried by name via its own QuickNameSearch/filings-by-filer JSON API for all seven 2026 candidates: Jernigan, Williams, Longbrake, McCorkle, Dressler, and Colburn each returned zero filers or committees. A "Noble, Sandra" filer/committee record returned exactly two filings, both dated October 15, 2015 -- a short-form FPPC Form 470 and a Form 501 candidate-intention statement, neither carrying a dollar figure and neither tied to a named office in the filing metadata itself -- which may or may not be the same Sandra Queen Noble running in 2026; nothing found in this pass confirms or rules out the connection.
publicceo.com (opens in a new tab)PublicCEO -- "City of Needles Receives $50,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant for Route 66 Arch Project": Mayor Janet Jernigan accepted the grant at a March 2026 ceremony at the historic El Garces Depot, one of 25 communities nationwide selected from nearly 900 applicants; quotes her directly: "Needles is honored to be selected as a recipient of a T-Mobile Hometown Grant."

Last updated August 31, 2026.

City of Needles

Needles Mayor

This person is Needles's directly elected Mayor. The Mayor presides over City Council meetings. The Mayor also votes as a full member of the seven-person council. The council includes six at-large Council Members. The council sets city ordinances, the budget, and land use. The Mayor's term is two years, while six Council Members serve staggered four-year terms. This is how Needles's charter is written, not a partial term.

Incumbent Mayor Janet Jernigan faces challenger Jeff Williams, a retired deputy sheriff. Jernigan has been Mayor since 2022. The vote is on November 3, 2026. Whoever gets the most votes wins outright. There is no primary or runoff.

This person is Needles's directly elected, citywide Mayor. They preside over City Council meetings and vote as a full member of the 7-person governing body (Mayor plus six at-large Council Members) that sets city ordinances, the budget, and land use in this Colorado River city on Route 66. Needles is a charter city; day-to-day operations run through an appointed City Manager.

Unusually, the Mayor's term is 2 years while the six Council seats serve staggered 4-year terms -- a structural feature of Needles's own charter, confirmed by the city's own site and independently by Wikipedia, not a vacancy or an appointment filling a partial term.

Janet Jernigan

Janet Jernigan is Needles's incumbent Mayor. She was first elected in 2022. The city says she brings business experience and community involvement. It also cites her love of Needles. In March 2026 she accepted a $50,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant. The grant is for a Route 66 project.

Jeff Williams

Jeff Williams is a challenger for Needles Mayor. Their ballot title is Retired Deputy Sheriff. No campaign finance committee was found for them. No news coverage or platform statement was found either.

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