Review note: Truc "Christy" Lam-Julian for Pinole City Council -- her own campaign site: a 20+-year SEIU 2015 member in customer service, founder/CEO of the Lam-Julian Foundation nonprofit, a first-generation Vietnamese-Chinese American and daughter of refugees, prior PTA president and Rotarian, current member of the county's Developmental Disabilities Council and Women and Girls Commission; platform groups under accountability, safety, and affordability, and states her campaign is "100% funded by people power" with "0% from corporations and PACs." and Gabriel Sandoval for Pinole City Council -- his own campaign site: names an FPPC ID (1488433) and lays out a three-part platform (public safety, infrastructure/quality-of-life, and economic development/small-business revitalization) under the slogan "Leadership That Listens. Progress That Matters"; its "Voices of Support" section displays only unfilled placeholder text, not actual endorsements. may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Positions Up for Election, November 3, 2026, General Election": lists Pinole's only office this cycle as "3 Councilmembers" under Cities Offices -- no City Clerk or City Treasurer line item for Pinole appears anywhere in the document
contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Contest/Candidate Proof List" (8-27-26_candidatelist_detail_final.pdf), the county's post-certification ON-BALLOT export: shows Pinole's "PinoleCouncil" contest as Vote For 3, with 5 filed and 5 qualified candidates, ON BALLOT status, and the county's own "* Denotes Office Goes Into Extension" marker, naming all three sitting incumbents (Norma Diana Martinez-Rubin, Anthony Lee Tave, Cameron Noah Sasai) as "Elected" to the outgoing term but not among the five qualified candidates; each qualified candidate's filed ballot designation and qualification date is listed individually
contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Candidate List" (8-14-26_candidatelist_summary_final.pdf), the county's complete qualified-candidate roster: independently confirms the same five-candidate field for Pinole's 3-seat Council contest (Truc "Christy" Lam-Julian, Libby Duarte, Gabriel Sandoval, Matthew "Matt" Avery, Tina Brown) with matching qualification timestamps
pinole.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Pinole -- City Clerk's "Elections Information" page: confirms both City Council (five at-large, 4-year terms) and City Treasurer as elected offices, states the nomination period ran July 13-Aug. 7, 2026 and "due to incumbents not filing, the nomination period is extended to August 12, 2026," and links the city's own candidate roster and 2026 Candidate Guide
pinole.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Pinole -- "City Council Members" page: names Mayor Anthony Tave, Norma Martinez-Rubin, and Cameron Sasai each with a term expiring December 2026, and Mayor Pro Tempore Devin T. Murphy and Councilmember Maureen Toms each with a term expiring December 2028 -- confirming the first three are this cycle's three open seats -- and states the Council operates under a council-manager government with the mayoral role rotating annually among members
pinole.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Pinole -- City Clerk page: states the City Clerk, Heather Bell-Spears, is "an appointed officer of the City," not a separately elected office
pinole.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Pinole -- official "Candidate Roster" (as of 8/18/2026) for the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Consolidated Election, Pinole City Council (3 seats): independently confirms the same five-candidate field with each candidate's self-provided contact information -- Gabriel Sandoval (gabeforpinole.com), Truc "Christy" Lam-Julian (christylamjulian.com), Libby Duarte (Facebook "Libby Duarte for Pinole City Council," Instagram @libby4pinolecouncil), Mat(t) Avery (mat4citycouncil.com, Facebook/Instagram @matt4citycouncil), and Tina Brown (tina4pinole.com) -- plus each candidate's nomination-paper pull/file dates
en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia's Pinole, California article -- confirms a council-manager government, population 19,022 (2020 census), and incorporation June 25, 1903; cited only for these structural/demographic facts -- its listed council roster is stale relative to the city's own current page and is not relied on for incumbency
gabeforpinole.com (opens in a new tab)Gabriel Sandoval for Pinole City Council -- his own campaign site: names an FPPC ID (1488433) and lays out a three-part platform (public safety, infrastructure/quality-of-life, and economic development/small-business revitalization) under the slogan "Leadership That Listens. Progress That Matters"
christylamjulian.com (opens in a new tab)Truc "Christy" Lam-Julian for Pinole City Council -- her own campaign site: a 20+-year SEIU 2015 member in customer service, founder/CEO of the Lam-Julian Foundation nonprofit, a first-generation Vietnamese-Chinese American and daughter of refugees, prior PTA president and Rotarian, current member of the county's Developmental Disabilities Council and Women and Girls Commission; platform groups under accountability, safety, and affordability, and states her campaign is "100% funded by people power" with "0% from corporations and PACs"

Last updated September 7, 2026.

City of Pinole

Pinole City Council

This person would hold one of Pinole's five at-large City Council seats. An appointed City Manager runs daily operations. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Pinole is a Contra Costa County city. The term is four years. The top three vote-getters win. There is no ranked-choice voting or June primary. The Mayor rotates annually among Council members, rather than being elected directly. The City Clerk is an appointed officer, not an elected one. Pinole does have a separately elected City Treasurer. That seat is not up this cycle.

Five newcomers are running for Pinole's three open at-large council seats. They are Truc "Christy" Lam-Julian, Libby Duarte, Gabriel Sandoval, Matthew "Matt" Avery, and Tina Brown. Three term-limited incumbents did not run again. They are Mayor Anthony Tave, Norma Martinez-Rubin, and Cameron Sasai.

This person would hold one of Pinole's five at-large City Council seats on a council-manager government with an appointed City Manager. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this Contra Costa County city of about 19,000 residents. The term is four years. The Mayor is rotated annually among Council members rather than elected directly by voters; the City Clerk, Heather Bell-Spears, is an appointed officer, not a separately elected office. Pinole does have a separately elected City Treasurer, but that seat is not up this cycle.

Three seats are open this cycle, decided by whichever three candidates get the most votes -- no ranked-choice voting or June primary is documented for Pinole. All three seats came open the same way: none of the three sitting incumbents whose terms expire this cycle filed for reelection, which under the county's own procedure reopened a non-incumbent filing window through Aug. 12, 2026. Five candidates qualified in that window; no incumbent is on this ballot.

Truc "Christy" Lam-Julian

Her ballot title is Mother and Nonprofit CEO. She founded and now leads the Lam-Julian Foundation. Her platform has three parts. They are accountability, safety, and affordability. She says her campaign is 100% funded by people power, not corporate or PAC money.

Libby Duarte

Duarte's ballot title is Corporate Services Manager. They have a campaign presence on Facebook and Instagram. Their campaign website is still under construction. It shows only a placeholder message.

Gabriel Sandoval

Sandoval's ballot title is Legislative Staff. Their platform has three parts. They are public safety, infrastructure, and economic development. Their campaign committee has FPPC number 1488433.

Matthew "Matt" Avery

Avery's ballot title is Retired Police Commander. Avery was the last of the five candidates to qualify, on Aug. 4, 2026. Their campaign website and Facebook page had no biography or platform content.

Tina Brown

Brown's ballot title is Human Service Professional. They qualified for the ballot on Aug. 6, 2026. Their campaign website names only them and the office they seek.

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