Review note: Caden Cotton-Blake for San Pablo City Council -- his own campaign site: occupation, three-pillar platform, and stated priorities. may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide 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": 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
- sanpabloca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of San Pablo -- "Notice of Offices and Nominations" (signed Aug. 6, 2026 by Deputy City Clerk Casey Erlenheim, under Elections Code Sec. 10224.5): confirms three offices on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot -- Two (2) Members of the City Council, One (1) City Clerk, One (1) City Treasurer, each a 4-year term -- and names the four incumbents furnished nomination papers: Rita Xavier and Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado (each listed as "City Councilmember," not Mayor), Dorothy Gantt (City Clerk), and Viviana Toledo (City Treasurer)
- sanpabloca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of San Pablo -- "Notice of Election" (City Clerk Dorothy Gantt, published July 1, 2026): independently confirms the same three offices -- Two (2) City Councilmembers, One (1) Treasurer, One (1) City Clerk, each a 4-year term -- for the Nov. 3, 2026 General Municipal Election, plus the nomination period (July 13-Aug. 6, 2026) and Elections Code Sec. 10229 uncontested-office procedure
- sanpabloca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of San Pablo -- "2026 Campaign Docs Combined" (45-page PDF bundle of every 2026 candidate's FPPC filings, linked from the city's own Elections page; several pages are scanned images read visually, no extractable text layer): the only source found with an actual candidate roster. Shows a four-candidate City Council field -- incumbents Rita Xavier (Form 501 filed July 17, 2026) and Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado (Form 501 filed Aug. 5, 2026), plus challengers Caden Cotton-Blake (Form 501 filed March 10, 2026; Form 410 committee opened March 2026, amended July 2026, reporting $2,896 in contributions and $566 in expenditures for Jan.-June 2026 on his Form 460) and Anna M. Villalobos (Form 501 filed May 28, 2026; her Form 700 lists her occupation as Records Secretary, American Postal Workers Union) -- and confirms City Clerk Dorothy Gantt (Form 501 Aug. 3, 2026; Form 470) and City Treasurer Viviana Toledo (Form 501 July 29, 2026; Form 470; Form 700 disclosing real property in Yuba City) each drew no opponent
- sanpabloca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of San Pablo -- official City Council page: names the sitting council (Mayor Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado, Vice Mayor Rita Xavier, Councilmembers Abel Pineda, Patricia Ponce, Arturo Cruz) with each member's term-expiration date, confirming Pabon-Alvarado's and Xavier's seats both expire November 2026
- sanpabloca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of San Pablo -- official biography page for Vice Mayor Rita Xavier: elected Nov. 2018, a San Pablo resident since 1991, her regional-agency assignments (League of California Cities/East Bay Division, ABAG, West Contra Costa Transportation Commission, West Contra Costa Integrated Waste Management Authority, Contra Costa Transportation Authority), prior service chairing the Planning Commission and Advisory Committee on Aging, and community roles including Treasurer of the Lao Family Community Development Inc. Board and former President of the League of Women Voters West Contra Costa County
- sanpabloca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of San Pablo -- official biography page for Mayor Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado: elected Nov. 2018, a San Pablo resident for 29 years, over 20 years' experience in accounting, payroll, and HR leadership, an MBA from Golden Gate University (2014), bilingual English/Spanish, prior service as San Pablo City Clerk and Board Treasurer of the Economic Development Corporation, and current chair of the Manzanillo-San Pablo Sister City Committee
- cadenforsanpablo.com (opens in a new tab)Caden Cotton-Blake for San Pablo City Council -- his own campaign site: describes him as a lifelong San Pablo resident and Community Engagement Manager/youth and civic organizer, running on a three-pillar platform (Invest in Families, Strengthen Neighborhoods, Create Opportunity) centered on affordable housing, public safety, and economic opportunity
Last updated September 7, 2026.
City of San Pablo
San Pablo City Council
San Pablo elects its five-member City Council entirely at-large. Terms are four years and staggered. Council members vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. The council picks one of its own as Mayor and another as Vice Mayor. These titles rotate among sitting councilmembers rather than being elected separately. Two seats are up this cycle.
Four candidates are running for San Pablo's two at-large City Council seats. Incumbents Rita Xavier and Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado are running again. Both were first elected in 2018. Their challengers are first-time candidates Caden Cotton-Blake and Anna M. Villalobos.
San Pablo's City Council has five members, all elected at-large to staggered 4-year terms. The Council sets city ordinances, the budget, and land-use policy; an appointed city manager runs day-to-day operations. San Pablo's Mayor and Vice Mayor are not elected to those titles directly -- the council assigns them among its own members, which is why the city's own Notice of Offices and Nominations lists both Xavier's and Pabon-Alvarado's seats simply as "City Councilmember." Only two of the five seats are up this cycle; the other three (Abel Pineda, Patricia Ponce, Arturo Cruz) run through November 2028.
This is a direct plurality election with no primary and no runoff -- the two candidates who receive the most votes on November 3 win the two seats outright.
Rita Xavier
Rita Xavier is San Pablo's incumbent Vice Mayor. They were first elected in 2018 and are seeking a third term. They have lived in San Pablo since 1991. Xavier chairs the council's Public Safety Standing Committee and serves on several regional bodies.
Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado
Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado is San Pablo's incumbent Mayor. The council assigns that title among its own members. She was first elected to the council in 2018. She is seeking a third term. She served as San Pablo's City Clerk before that.
Caden Cotton-Blake
Caden Cotton-Blake is a first-time candidate. By his own campaign site, he is a lifelong San Pablo resident. He works as a community engagement manager and youth organizer. His platform covers families, neighborhoods, affordable housing, public safety, and economic opportunity.
Anna M. Villalobos
Anna M. Villalobos is a first-time candidate. Their own official filing lists their occupation as Records Secretary. They work for the American Postal Workers Union. No campaign website or further detail about them was found.
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A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.