# Oakland City Auditor Michael C. Houston is running uncontested for Oakland City Auditor. Full ballot at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person independently audits how the city spends its money. They also audit how the city runs its programs. - Jurisdiction: City of Oakland - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/oakland-city-auditor - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: October 6, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 91 out of 100 (Very strong), across 5 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Michael C. Houston** — Oakland City Auditor · Incumbent A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. Only one candidate qualified for this seat. Incumbent Michael C. Houston, elected in 2024, appears unopposed for the second time running — so this contest is settled and your vote here does not change the outcome. The city auditor is Oakland's independent watchdog: an elected office that audits how the city spends money and runs programs, reporting to the public rather than to the mayor or council. The term is four years. With no opponent, the useful question is not who to choose but what the office has produced and what to watch next. An unopposed return means accountability for this watchdog runs through its own published audits and the press rather than through the ballot. ## Michael C. Houston The sitting city auditor, elected in 2024 and unopposed again. Over the past two years their office has published audits of illegal dumping, the vacant-property tax, the resources given to police-oversight bodies, and how the city collects business taxes (per the Oaklandside). In their Vote411 questionnaire they describe more than 18 years as a government auditor and investigator, a UC Berkeley public-policy master's degree and a Certified Internal Auditor credential, and a path through the office from whistleblower program manager in 2019 to assistant city auditor in 2021. Their three stated priorities for the next term are timely audits that identify needed improvements; rooting out fraud, waste and abuse; and promoting performance metrics for transparency. On city finances they call recurring structural deficits the main challenge, say internal financial management is the city's greatest risk, and say their office will begin a citywide financial-management audit this fall. Asked about Democracy Dollars, they said they do not offer personal opinions on specific city policies. **Strengths:** More than 18 years as an auditor and investigator, by their own account, and a published audit record spanning dumping, the vacant-property tax, police oversight and business-tax collection. **Trade-offs:** Running unopposed twice means the office's direction has never been tested against an alternative at the ballot. **Keep in mind:** An auditor's value shows in whether findings change anything; the audits are public. Their credentials and plans are their own account in a candidate questionnaire, and they declined to give a view on Democracy Dollars. ## Financial info - **Michael C. Houston** — $2,500 raised (Self-funding: $2,500) Figures are CA Form 460 filings through 2026-06-30, per the Oakland Public Ethics Commission's e-filed transaction exports, retrieved 2026-09-21. ## Sources 1. [Oakland City Clerk — Nov 2026 Election Qualified Candidate List (final, in ballot order, with ballot designations)](https://www.oaklandca.gov/files/assets/city/v/20/city-clerk/documents/elections/nov-2026-election-qualified-candidate-list.pdf) 2. [Oakland City Clerk qualified-candidate list for November 3, 2026, as published by The Oaklandside (2026-08-10)](https://oaklandside.org/2026/08/10/election-2026-oakland-candidate-list-mayor-council-school-board/) 3. [Ballotpedia — City elections in Oakland, California (2026)](https://ballotpedia.org/City_elections_in_Oakland,_California_(2026)) 4. [League of Women Voters -- Vote411 voter guide, 'City of Oakland Auditor' race (statewide All Races list): each candidate's self-submitted ballot designation and campaign contacts, plus answers to the League's four questions -- top three priorities; qualifying background; steps to stabilize city finances and grow revenue; priority for Democracy Dollars. The only candidate, Michael C. Houston, answered; on Democracy Dollars he declined to offer a personal opinion. Capture in data/nov-2026/sources/vote411/oakland-city-auditor.json.](https://www.vote411.org/plan-your-vote) 5. [Oakland Public Ethics Commission — e-filed campaign-finance transactions (NetFile)](https://netfile.com/public/coak/campaign) ## The rest of the ballot Oakland City Auditor is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Oakland City Auditor — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/oakland-city-auditor (sources last retrieved October 6, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.