- contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Positions Up for Election, November 3, 2026, General Election": the only county-section contest in the document is County Board of Education Areas 2, 4, and 5 (under Schools) -- no Board of Supervisors, row office, or Superior Court seat appears anywhere, consistent with both Supervisor seats up this cycle (Districts 1 and 4) having been decided outright in the June 2026 primary
- 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 ballot-order-proofing export: shows Area 2 as a 3-candidate contest (Sarah Butler, incumbent; Pamela West; Sibyl Minighini) with each candidate's filed ballot designation and qualification date -- this export omits single-filer contests entirely, which is why Areas 4 and 5 do not appear in it (see cc-candidate-summary-2026)
- 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 including single-filer contests: confirms Area 2 (Sarah Butler, Pamela West, Sibyl Minighini), Area 4 (Mike Maxwell, sole qualified candidate), and Area 5 (Clyde Henry Lewis, Jr., sole qualified candidate)
- phillca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Pleasant Hill -- official "City Council" page: confirms Pleasant Hill is a General Law City with a 5-member Council on staggered 4-year terms, a Council-Manager government, and that the Mayor is "annually selected from among the City Council" rather than directly elected, plus names every sitting member and their district or at-large seat.
- phillca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Pleasant Hill -- "District Based Election Process" page: the Council's July 17, 2023 ordinance transitioning the city to a five-district map, with Districts 1, 2, and 5 first elected in 2024 and Districts 3 and 4 first elected in 2026 -- the source for why the county's own record shows no incumbent in either 2026 Pleasant Hill race.
- phillca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Pleasant Hill -- official "2026 Election" page: the certified candidate table for Districts 3 and 4 with nomination and qualification dates for Jason Seto, Zac Shess, Quy Tran, and Sue Noack, plus Samara Al-Jumaily's unreturned District 3 nomination papers and the election calendar.
- phillca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Pleasant Hill -- official "City Clerk" page: confirms voters converted City Clerk from an elected to an appointed position via a Nov. 4, 2014 ballot measure, effective Dec. 2016 -- why City Clerk is not on the 2026 Pleasant Hill ballot.
- phillca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Pleasant Hill -- official "City Treasurer" page: confirms the Council's Ordinance 969 (adopted June 3, 2024) converted City Treasurer from an elected to an appointed position, effective after the Nov. 2024 election was certified -- why City Treasurer is not on the 2026 Pleasant Hill ballot either, leaving City Council as the city's only elected office.
- en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia's Pleasant Hill, California article -- 2020 census population of 34,613, in Contra Costa County.
- phillca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Pleasant Hill -- Zac Shess's own official Council biography page: elected to the Council in Nov. 2022 and elected Mayor by the Council on Dec. 1, 2025; a San Diego native who attended Pleasant Hill Elementary in the 1970s before returning in 2003; nearly 10 years on the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District board including three years as chair; a San Jose State journalism graduate with 30 years of marketing and communications experience.
- contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Positions Up for Election, November 3, 2026, General Election": lists Pleasant Hill's only two offices this cycle as District 3 and District 4 Councilmember -- no Mayor, City Clerk, or City Treasurer line item, confirming none of those are directly elected.
- 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-filing-deadline, final export: shows both Pleasant Hill contests ON BALLOT with 2 qualified candidates each, each candidate's filed ballot designation and qualification date, and both contest headers reading "Incumbent(s): Vacant / Vacated."
- 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 two 2-candidate Pleasant Hill fields with each candidate's qualification date and time.
Last updated September 7, 2026.
City of Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill City Council, District 3
This person would hold one of five district seats on Pleasant Hill's City Council. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Pleasant Hill is a Contra Costa County city of about 34,600 residents. An appointed City Manager runs daily operations. Pleasant Hill is a General Law City. The Mayor is chosen each year by fellow Council members, not by voters. So this seat is simply Councilmember, even if its holder later becomes Mayor. The term is four years. Whichever candidate gets the most votes wins. There is no ranked-choice voting.
Mayor Zac Shess is a sitting councilmember elected citywide. His current term ends this cycle. He faces first time candidate Jason Seto for Pleasant Hill's new District 3 seat.
This person would hold one of five district seats on Pleasant Hill's City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this Contra Costa County city of about 34,600 residents, under a council-manager government with an appointed City Manager. Pleasant Hill is a General Law City where the Mayor is chosen each year by fellow Council members, not directly elected by voters -- so this seat is simply "Councilmember," regardless of whether its holder later becomes Mayor. The term is four years. Whichever candidate gets the most votes wins -- there is no ranked-choice voting.
This is the first-ever election for Pleasant Hill's District 3 seat. The city moved from at-large to five-district elections under a 2023 Council ordinance responding to a California Voting Rights Act concern; Districts 1, 2, and 5 were elected in 2024, and Districts 3 and 4 -- the last two -- are up for the first time this November. That's why the county's own candidate record lists no incumbent for this race at all, even though Zac Shess is a sitting councilmember: his current at-large term, dating to his 2022 election, is one of the two ending this cycle as the city completes its shift to full district representation. A third resident, Samara Al-Jumaily, pulled nomination papers for District 3 but never returned them, leaving a direct two-candidate field.
Zac Shess
Zac Shess is Pleasant Hill's Mayor, chosen by fellow council members on December 1, 2025. He was first elected to the Council in November 2022. He served nearly 10 years on the Pleasant Hill Recreation and Park District board.
Jason Seto
Jason Seto is a first time candidate whose ballot designation is University Student. No campaign website or news coverage was found for them.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.