- sdvote.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego County Registrar of Voters -- Candidate List, November 3, 2026 General Election (current through the 8/24/2026 2:44pm snapshot): confirms Mayor, City Council Districts 1 and 3, City Clerk, and City Treasurer as Carlsbad's five November 2026 races, and Mayor plus City Council Districts 1 and 3 as Poway's three November 2026 races, each Vote for 1
- sanmarcosca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of San Marcos -- City Council page: describes the city as "a Charter City governed by a five-member City Council consisting of an elected Mayor and four City Council Members"; carries the sitting officeholders' own official biographies, including Mayor Rebecca Jones's tenure and Council Member Maria Nunez's and Deputy Mayor Mike Sannella's district, first-elected date, and background
- thecoastnews.com (opens in a new tab)The Coast News Group (Leo Place) -- "Sharon Jenkins running for San Marcos mayor": announces her mayoral run after 12 years on the City Council (District 3, termed out end of 2024) and 14 years on the San Marcos Unified School District board; also reports the field of District 2 filers at that point, including Alison Stanton
- thecoastnews.com (opens in a new tab)The Coast News Group (Leo Place) -- "Election 2026: San Marcos City Council": detailed, quoted platform profiles of Sannella, Jenkins, Smith, Matsushita, and Nunez as of mid-May 2026 -- the descriptive backbone of this shard, though it predates Gabriele's District 1 filing and describes Nunez as running unopposed at that point
- thecoastnews.com (opens in a new tab)The Coast News Group (staff) -- "Election 2026: A guide to North County races": for San Marcos, confirms the final three-race field, including Thomas Gabriele's later filing against Nunez in District 1 -- the correction to the May 2026 "unopposed" reporting; for Vista, corroborates Mayor Franklin's departure and his June 2026 County Supervisor District 5 primary loss, and the District 1/District 4 incumbents-vs-challengers framing, and names two additional mayoral filers, Gabriel Chance and Alexandra Garcia Guzman, not present on the county's own certified, post-deadline qualified candidate list -- treated as filed-but-not-qualified, not part of the November ballot
- netfile.com (opens in a new tab)City of San Marcos -- NetFile public campaign-disclosure portal, committee list (first page of 28 entities, alphabetized): shows an active "Matsushita for City Council 2026" committee, a "Mike Sannella for San Marcos City Council 2022" committee from his prior council run, and an "Alison Stanton for San Marcos City Council 2026" committee for the District 2 filer who did not make the county's final candidate list; a second page covering filings under N-Z (which would carry any 2026-specific committees for Nunez, Gabriele, Smith, and a possible new Sannella mayoral committee) could not be reached before this browser session was interrupted
Last updated September 7, 2026.
City of San Marcos
San Marcos City Council, District 2
This person holds your district's seat on San Marcos's 5-member City Council, alongside the citywide-elected mayor. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. The term is four years.
Justin Matsushita and Lindsey Smith are running for San Marcos City Council, District 2. It is an open seat because incumbent Mike Sannella is running for mayor instead. The candidate with the most votes on November 3 wins, with no runoff.
This person holds District 2's seat on San Marcos's 5-member City Council, alongside the citywide-elected mayor. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. The term is four years.
Both candidates are first-time office-seekers already involved in city and community institutions. A third candidate, Alison Stanton, filed intention paperwork for this seat in 2025, but does not appear on the county's final qualified-candidate list and is not counted as a candidate here. Matsushita is endorsed by the San Diego County Democratic Party; Smith appears on the San Diego County Republican Party's voter guide for this seat.
Justin Matsushita
Justin Matsushita is the former Santee Fire Chief, retiring in 2025. Their priorities are updating the General Plan and watching Measure Q spending. They now lead a Public Safety Management program at Miramar College.
Lindsey Smith
Lindsey Smith is a San Marcos Planning Commissioner and works in facilities and construction management. Their priorities are public safety, local control over development, and more public transportation. Smith leads two San Elijo Hills groups, the Homeowners Association and the Fire Safe Council.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.