- stanvote.gov (opens in a new tab)Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters -- official "Unofficial Candidate List," General Election Nov. 3, 2026 (document timestamped by the county 7:57 AM 8/31/2026): under "CITY OF OAKDALE," lists exactly two contests -- MAYOR (Vote for 1: *Cherilyn Bairos) and COUNCIL MEMBER (Vote for 2: Sal Hernandez, Christopher Chavez, Benjamin Amaral, Fred Smith, Mary Buchanan, *Kayleigh Gilbert) -- with no district qualifiers on either office.
- drive.google.com (opens in a new tab)City of Oakdale -- official "Notice of Election" (signed by Deputy City Clerk Colleen Andersen, published in the Oakdale Leader 7/1/2026): confirms "One (1) Mayor for the full term of four (4) years" and "Two (2) Council Member for the full term of four (4) years," with a nomination period of July 13-Aug. 7, 2026 (extended to Aug. 12 for any office an incumbent didn't file for); carries standard EC Section 10229 appointment-in-lieu-of-election boilerplate, not invoked for either office as of the county's later, post-deadline candidate list.
- drive.google.com (opens in a new tab)City of Oakdale -- own "2026 Mayor & City Council Candidates" document (self-submitted candidate photos and contact emails): independently names the identical 7-candidate field as the county's list -- Cherilyn Bairos for Mayor; Sal Hernandez, Christopher Chavez, Benjamin Amaral, Mary Buchanan, Fred Smith, and Kayleigh Gilbert for Council Member.
- oakdalegov.com (opens in a new tab)City of Oakdale -- own "City Council" page: states Oakdale is a "full service General Law City" using the "Council-Manager form of government," with "the Mayor and four City Council members ... elected at large to four years terms" -- confirming no council districts exist.
- oakdalegov.com (opens in a new tab)City of Oakdale -- own "Elected Officials" page: gives exact term-seated/expiring dates -- Mayor Cherilyn Bairos (seated 12/14/2022, term expires 2026), Mayor Pro Tem Kayleigh Gilbert (seated 12/14/2022, term expires 2026), Council Member Richard Murdoch (seated 11/12/2025, term expires 2026), and Council Members Jarod Pitassi and Jeff Kettering (both seated 12/9/2024, term expires 2028, not up this cycle); Murdoch is not on the 2026 candidate list and so is not seeking to keep his seat.
- en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- Oakdale, California: confirms Stanislaus County, a 2020 Census population of 23,181, and the city's "Cowboy Capital of the World" nickname -- cited only for this general/demographic detail, not for any candidate or council-roster claim.
- drive.google.com (opens in a new tab)Cherilyn Bairos -- FPPC Form 501 Candidate Intention Statement for Mayor of Oakdale, 2026, filed 7/29/2025 (committee "Cher Bairos for Mayor 2026," treasurer Trudy Vierra), downloaded from the city's own FPPC Statements page and read directly.
- drive.google.com (opens in a new tab)Cherilyn Bairos's committee ("Cher Bairos for Mayor 2026") FPPC Form 460, semi-annual statement for 7/1-12/31/2025 (date-stamped received 2/2/2026), downloaded from the city's own FPPC Statements page and read directly: $8,660.98 raised and $4,896.45 spent this period, $3,764.53 cash on hand. Itemized contributors include Ford dealer Erich Haidlen ($500), Oakdale High School vice principal Shannon Kettering ($200), farming operation Deniz Bros. Ag ($1,000), a mortgage lender, a realtor, and an Oak Valley Hospital-affiliated donor ($500), alongside many anonymous gifts under $100; expenditures include $50 in Secretary of State filing fees, roughly $3,750 combined to Cineasta Digital for campaign-launch video production, and branded shirts.
Last updated September 1, 2026.
City of Oakdale
Mayor of Oakdale
Oakdale's Mayor presides over City Council meetings and represents the city publicly. The Mayor votes as one of five members on the budget and land use. An appointed city manager runs day-to-day operations. The Mayor and four council members are all elected citywide to four-year terms.
Only one candidate qualified for Oakdale's Mayor seat. Incumbent Cherilyn Bairos is unopposed for another term. This contest is settled. Your vote here does not change the outcome.
Oakdale's Mayor presides over City Council meetings and represents the city publicly, but votes as one of five members on the budget, ordinances, and land use -- day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager. Oakdale is a general-law, council-manager city; the Mayor and all four councilmembers are elected at-large citywide, not by district, each to a 4-year term.
With no opponent, the useful question is not who to choose but what the officeholder has done and what to watch next. An unopposed return means accountability for this seat over the next four years runs through City Council meetings and public records requests rather than through the ballot. Oakdale's Notice of Election carries standard language allowing the city to fill a single-filer seat by appointment rather than an election -- that option existed here but wasn't used: the county's own candidate list, issued after the filing deadline, prints this as a live contest with Bairos as the sole qualifier, not as cancelled.
Cherilyn Bairos
Cherilyn Bairos is Oakdale's sitting Mayor, seated on December 14, 2022. They are running unopposed for another 4-year term. They declared their candidacy in July 2025, over a year before the election. Their campaign had raised $8,660.98 and spent $4,896.45 by the most recent filing. No independent news profile or biography beyond their current office was found.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.