- www2.fresnocountyca.gov (opens in a new tab)Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters -- CFMR009 "Candidate List" for the Nov. 3, 2026 Consolidated Statewide General Election (printed 8/12/2026 5:37:13PM, post-filing-deadline): lists Orange Cove's two city-section contests, both On Ballot: Yes -- Mayor (5125, Vote For 1): Gilbert Garcia, qualified, filed occupation/designation "Appointed Incumbent"; and City Council (5135, Vote For 2): Jaime Casillas ("No Ballot Designation"), Alex Garcia ("Business Owner/Chef"), Isaiah Lopez ("No Ballot Designation"), and Derek Greenwood ("Fire Fighter"), each qualified with no candidate statement filed
- www2.fresnocountyca.gov (opens in a new tab)Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters -- CFMR001 "Contest/Candidate Proof List," filtered to Contests on Ballot, for the Nov. 3, 2026 election (printed 8/18/2026 8:39:55AM): independently confirms both Orange Cove contests ON BALLOT with the same candidate fields, and separately records each seat's incumbent-of-record and qualifying dates -- Mayor 5125: Gilbert Garcia listed as incumbent ("Appointed to Vacancy"), qualified 7/27/2026; City Council 5135: incumbents-of-record Esperanza A Rodriguez ("Elected") and a second seat listed "Vacant / Vacated," with candidates Jaime Casillas (qualified 7/31/2026), Derek Greenwood (qualified 8/6/2026), Isaiah Lopez (qualified 8/7/2026), and Alex Garcia (qualified 8/11/2026)
- en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia's Orange Cove, California article: population 9,649 (2020 census); incorporated January 20, 1948; a council-manager government with a directly, at-large elected Mayor plus a four-member, at-large City Council, one of whom the Council selects as Mayor Pro Tem
- midvalleytimes.com (opens in a new tab)Mid Valley Times -- "Local candidate filing period open through Aug. 7": reports the candidate filing period for the Nov. 3, 2026 general election ran July 13 through 5 p.m. Aug. 7, extending to Aug. 12 if a qualified incumbent didn't file; confirms Orange Cove's office list directly -- "Orange Cove will have two city council seats and a mayoral position on the ballot in November 2026," listed as "At-large, 2 seats; mayor"
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)A negative-result campaign-finance search: California's Cal-Access filer search returned no retrievable content for a direct query against each of the five Orange Cove candidates' names this session -- the same recurring Incapsula-style failure mode already documented elsewhere in this dataset. Documents the absence of a reachable financial-disclosure source for these contests, not any candidate's actual finances
- midvalleytimes.com (opens in a new tab)Mid Valley Times, byline Serena Bettis -- "Orange Cove names Gilbert Garcia mayor, looks to fill vacancy": reports Mayor Diana Guerra Silva missed eight City Council meetings between Feb. 11 and May 26, 2026 for unstated "unforeseen circumstances," triggering a vacancy declaration under state law; the Council voted unanimously (4-0) on May 26, 2026 to appoint Gilbert Garcia -- then serving as Mayor Pro Tem, already handling mayoral duties during the vacancy -- to fill the remaining term, on Councilmember Jacob Del Bosque's recommendation; the Council reasoned a special election would be costly for a seat already expiring in November, and reports Garcia indicated he planned to run for the seat in November
Last updated September 1, 2026.
City of Orange Cove
Orange Cove Mayor
This person would serve as Orange Cove's Mayor. Voters elect the Mayor directly and at-large. The Mayor presides over the City Council and city government. Orange Cove is a Fresno County city of about 9,600 residents. The city uses a council-manager government with an appointed City Manager. The term is four years. Orange Cove's four other City Council seats are also elected at-large. The city has no elected City Clerk or City Treasurer.
Only one candidate qualified for Mayor, Gilbert Garcia. He was appointed to the office in May 2026 and is running unopposed. This contest is already settled, so your vote here will not change the outcome.
This person would serve as Orange Cove's Mayor, elected directly and at-large. They preside over the City Council and city government for this Fresno County city of about 9,600 residents, under a council-manager form of government with an appointed City Manager. The term is four years. Orange Cove's four other City Council seats are also elected at-large, and the city has no elected City Clerk or City Treasurer.
With no opponent, the useful question is not who to choose but what the officeholder has done and what to watch next. Garcia was appointed to the seat by a 4-0 Council vote on May 26, 2026, after then-Mayor Diana Guerra Silva's seat was declared vacant for missing eight straight meetings; the Council chose an appointment over a special election because the seat's term was expiring this November regardless. An unopposed return means accountability for this seat runs through public meetings and public records rather than through the ballot.
Gilbert Garcia
Gilbert Garcia is Orange Cove's appointed Mayor, running under the ballot designation "Appointed Incumbent." The Council appointed him Mayor in May 2026 after Diana Guerra Silva's seat became vacant. No independent information about his background or platform was found beyond his Council role.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.