City of Palmdale

Palmdale City Council, District 5

This person holds your district's seat on Palmdale's 5-member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. The term is four years.

Three candidates are running for Palmdale's open District 5 council seat. They are Raycine Ector, Cynthia "Cyndi" Garcia, and V. Jesse Smith. Incumbent Andrea Alarcón missed the Aug. 7, 2026 deadline to file papers. She also missed an incumbent-only extension to Aug. 12. So no incumbent is on this ballot. Palmdale elects its council by district each November, with no primary.

Council seats carry 4-year terms. The winner joins four other district representatives as one of five votes on city ordinances, the budget, and land use, with day-to-day operations run by an appointed city manager rather than any single elected official.

With no incumbent on the ballot, this is a choice entirely among first-time council candidates, and public information about all three is thin. Smith is the only one with any independent record: they ran citywide for Mayor of Palmdale in 2018.

V. Jesse Smith

V. Jesse Smith is a pastor who has run for office in Palmdale before. In 2018, they ran for Mayor of Palmdale and finished third with 21.4%. No platform has been found for their 2026 council run.

Cynthia “Cyndi” Garcia

Cynthia "Cyndi" Garcia is one of three candidates on the open District 5 ballot. No campaign platform or biography has been found for Garcia as of Aug. 31, 2026. They filed their nomination papers on Aug. 3, 2026.

Raycine Ector

Raycine Ector is one of three candidates on the open District 5 ballot. Ector was the first of the three to qualify, on Aug. 4, 2026. No campaign platform or biography has been found for them.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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