City of Oakland · Statewide General Election
Oakland City Council, District 6
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
- Kevin E. Jenkins — City Council President · Incumbent
- Nancy S. Sidebotham — Tax Preparer
This person holds your district's seat on Oakland's 8-member City Council: city laws, the budget, and land use.
Council President Kevin E. Jenkins, elected in 2022, faces Nancy S. Sidebotham on the ranked-choice ballot for District 6 — Eastmont, the Coliseum area, Millsmont, Merritt College and part of Skyline Boulevard.
The winner holds one of eight district seats on the Oakland City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use. A four-year term.
This race carries more institutional weight than most district seats: Jenkins currently presides over the council and served as interim mayor in early 2025, so his record is partly the council's own. Sidebotham is a persistent local candidate with a long advocacy history and no elected service.
Kevin E. Jenkins
The sitting councilmember and council president, elected in 2022. He served as interim mayor in early 2025 and helped introduce a budget that closed a shortfall without cutting jobs; his council site describes his aim as creating opportunity for all Oaklanders (per the Oaklandside).
Strengths
A full term plus the council presidency and a stint as interim mayor — and a budget that closed a shortfall without job cuts.
Trade-offs
As president he owns the council's collective record, so citywide frustrations attach to him more than to a rank-and-file member.
Keep in mind
Presiding officers trade district attention for citywide influence. Whether District 6 got the better end of that trade is the question his record should be read against.
Nancy S. Sidebotham
A tax preparer and longtime advocate on Oakland issues including crime prevention and local businesses. She ran for the at-large council seat in 2024, for this District 6 seat in 2022, and for the at-large seat in 2016 (per the Oaklandside).
Strengths
Decades of sustained civic engagement on crime prevention and small business, and a willingness to keep standing for office when few challengers do.
Trade-offs
Three prior campaigns without winning, and no elected or appointed city service to judge.
Keep in mind
In a race against the council president, a challenger's real function may be forcing a public accounting of the council's record — worth weighing separately from her odds.
Financial info
- Small donors
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Businesses & other orgs
Kevin E. Jenkins
$132,526 raised
- Small donors$8511%
- Individuals$81,07561%
- PACs & committees$18,70014%
- Businesses & other orgs$31,90024%
1Nancy S. Sidebotham has no campaign committee with filings on record with the Oakland Public Ethics Commission for this race.
2Figures are CA Form 460 filings through 2026-06-30, per the Oakland Public Ethics Commission's e-filed transaction exports, retrieved 2026-08-22.
Source review: Very strong (94/100) · 4 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context.
- oaklandca.gov (opens in a new tab)Oakland City Clerk — Nov 2026 Election Qualified Candidate List (final, in ballot order, with ballot designations)
- oaklandside.org (opens in a new tab)Oakland City Clerk qualified-candidate list for November 3, 2026, as published by The Oaklandside (2026-08-10)
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — City elections in Oakland, California (2026)
- netfile.com (opens in a new tab)Oakland Public Ethics Commission — e-filed campaign-finance transactions (NetFile)
Last updated August 22, 2026.