Review note: Phil Bacerra's own campaign site ("Phil Bacerra for Santa Ana City Council Ward 4"): his own framing of his re-election candidacy, background, record, and platform may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

ocvote.gov (opens in a new tab)OC Registrar of Voters -- Contest/Candidate Proof List, General Election 11/3/2026 -- City of Santa Ana section (PDF pages 150-154 of 188, recovered by locally inflating the document's FlateDecode page streams with Python's zlib, since a plain fetch returns undecodable PDF stream data): confirms Mayor (3 qualified candidates), City Council Ward 2 (2), Ward 4 (2), and Ward 6 (2) as the city's four November 2026 races, each Vote for 1, with incumbent flags and every candidate's filed ballot designation -- including that Ward 6's named incumbent, David Penaloza, does not appear among Ward 6's two qualified candidates
santa-ana.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Santa Ana -- City Council page: confirms the seven-member body (Mayor elected citywide plus six ward councilmembers), 4-year/three-term-limit councilmember terms vs. the Mayor's 2-year/four-term-limit terms, and the sitting roster (Mayor Valerie Amezcua; Mayor Pro Tem David Penaloza; Ward 1 Thai Viet Phan; Ward 2 Benjamin Vazquez; Ward 3 Jessie Lopez; Ward 4 Phil Bacerra; Ward 5 Johnathan Ryan Hernandez)
philbacerra.com (opens in a new tab)Phil Bacerra's own campaign site ("Phil Bacerra for Santa Ana City Council Ward 4"): his own framing of his re-election candidacy -- a Santa Ana native, USC-trained urban planner, 5+ years on the Planning Commission before his council election, and current OC Fire Authority Board chair -- and platform (homelessness, investment/jobs, streets and sidewalks, public safety)
vote411.org (opens in a new tab)League of Women Voters -- Vote411 voter guide, 'City of Santa Ana City Council Member, Ward 4' race (statewide All Races list): each candidate's self-submitted ballot designation and campaign contacts, plus answers to the League's questions -- 'If elected, what are your top 3 priorities?', 'What background, experience and/or education qualify you for this elected office?' and the Santa Ana League's own question 'What is your position on the use of Flock cameras or similar devices?'. Answers on file from De Anda (listed as 'Sandra DeAnda'). Capture in data/nov-2026/sources/vote411/santa-ana-council-4.json.

Last updated October 6, 2026.

City of Santa Ana

Santa Ana City Council, Ward 4

This person holds your ward's seat on Santa Ana's 6-member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside the citywide-elected Mayor and an appointed city manager who runs day-to-day operations. Not all six wards are elected the same year -- only Wards 2, 4, and 6 have terms expiring in 2026. The term is four years, limited to three terms.

Incumbent Phil Bacerra is running for re-election against Sandra De Anda. Whichever candidate gets the most votes on November 3 wins outright. There is no runoff.

This person holds Ward 4's seat on Santa Ana's 6-member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside the citywide-elected Mayor and an appointed city manager who runs day-to-day operations. Not all six wards are elected the same year -- only Wards 2, 4, and 6 have terms expiring in 2026. The term is four years, limited to three terms.

Bacerra, a Santa Ana native with more than five years on the Planning Commission before their council election, campaigns for re-election on homelessness, investment and jobs, streets and sidewalks, and public safety. De Anda's filed ballot designation is "Immigrant Rights Director"; beyond that, no campaign site, news coverage, or other independent source describing their background or platform could be found in this pass despite a real search effort.

Phil Bacerra

Phil Bacerra is a Santa Ana native with a degree in Urban Planning from USC. They are running on homelessness, job creation, and better sidewalks and streets. They served more than five years on the Santa Ana Planning Commission before joining Council.

Sandra De Anda

Sandra De Anda is an immigrant rights director. They say they lead the Orange County Rapid Response Network. Their priorities are open government, safe neighborhoods, and affordability.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

This is one race on your ballot. Vote or Else shows every contest you will vote on — Congress, the Legislature, your county, city, and school board — each broken down the same way. Enter your address to see your full ballot.