- 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
- sandiegouniontribune.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego Union-Tribune (Paul Sisson) -- "Jones' supervisor run shakes up San Marcos city elections": confirms Mayor Jones is not seeking a third term because she is running for County Supervisor District 5, opening the mayor's race to Jenkins and Sannella; a search-result excerpt additionally identifies Thomas Gabriele as "an economics teacher at Saint Joseph Academy in San Marcos and technology entrepreneur" -- the article itself sits behind a paywall beyond its opening paragraphs
- 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
- netfile.com (opens in a new tab)City of San Marcos -- NetFile filing history for "Sharon Jenkins for Mayor 2026": a Form 410 Statement of Organization filed 8/10/2025 and a Form 460 Recipient Committee Campaign Statement (Original) filed 2/2/2026
Last updated September 7, 2026.
City of San Marcos
Mayor of San Marcos
This person presides over City Council meetings and represents San Marcos publicly. They vote as one of five members on the budget and city laws. An appointed city manager runs daily government. San Marcos's mayor is the only council member elected citywide. The other four represent numbered districts. The term is four years.
San Marcos's two mayoral candidates are former Councilmember Sharon Jenkins and Deputy Mayor Mike Sannella. It is an open seat because Mayor Rebecca Jones is not seeking a third term. The candidate with the most votes on November 3 wins, with no runoff.
The mayor presides over City Council meetings and represents San Marcos publicly, but votes as one of five members on the budget and city ordinances -- day-to-day government runs through an appointed city manager. San Marcos's mayor is the only council member elected citywide; the other four represent numbered districts. San Marcos is a Charter City, meaning its own charter (not just state law) governs how the council and elections work. The term is four years.
The seat is open because Jones is instead running for the District 5 seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Both mayoral candidates are already familiar faces at City Hall rather than outsiders: Jenkins spent 12 years on the council representing District 3 before being termed out at the end of 2024, and 14 years on the San Marcos Unified School District board before that. Sannella has served on the council since 2022, representing District 2, and currently holds the council-selected title of Deputy Mayor; they are giving up their District 2 seat to run for mayor rather than seeking re-election to it. Jenkins announced her campaign in August 2025; Sannella announced theirs in May 2025.
Sharon Jenkins
Sharon Jenkins is a small business owner and former San Marcos councilmember. She says she is running to keep San Marcos safe and strong. She served 12 years on the city council and 14 years on the school board.
Mike Sannella
Mike Sannella has represented District 2 on the San Marcos City Council since 2022. Their priorities are low crime, fixing traffic, and a walkable arts and entertainment district. Before that, they served eight years on the Vallecitos Water District board.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.