Review note: Giovanni Chavez's own campaign site ("Giovanni Chavez for Santa Ana City Council" -- Ward 6): his own framing of his candidacy, background, platform, and endorsements and Isuri S. Ramos's own campaign site ("Isuri S. Ramos for Santa Ana City Council" -- Ward 6): her own framing of her candidacy, background, and platform may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides 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)
giochavez.com (opens in a new tab)Giovanni Chavez's own campaign site ("Giovanni Chavez for Santa Ana City Council" -- Ward 6): his own framing of his candidacy -- the son of Mexican immigrants, former President of the California Young Democrats -- and platform (an affordable, accessible, safe Santa Ana), plus his listed endorsers, including sitting Mayor David Penaloza
isuriramos.com (opens in a new tab)Isuri S. Ramos's own campaign site ("Isuri S. Ramos for Santa Ana City Council" -- Ward 6): her own framing of her candidacy -- born in Santa Ana to Mexican immigrant parents, current chair of the Santa Ana Planning Commission, executive director of a Latino youth-leadership nonprofit -- and platform (affordable housing, tenant protections, community safety, immigrant rights)
vote411.org (opens in a new tab)League of Women Voters -- Vote411 voter guide, 'City of Santa Ana City Council Member, Ward 6' 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 Ramos (listed as 'Isuri Ramos'), though the middle of her priorities answer was not captured. Capture in data/nov-2026/sources/vote411/santa-ana-council-6.json.

Last updated October 6, 2026.

City of Santa Ana

Santa Ana City Council, Ward 6

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.

Giovanni Chavez and Isuri S. Ramos are running for this open seat. The incumbent, David Penaloza, did not file for another term. He is the Mayor Pro Tem. Whoever gets the most votes on November 3 wins. There is no runoff.

This person holds Ward 6'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.

This is Santa Ana's one genuinely open council seat this cycle: no incumbent is on the ballot. Both candidates currently sit on city commissions and campaign on affordability, housing, and neighborhood safety. Chavez, a former president of the California Young Democrats, centers their campaign on a "safe, affordable, and accessible" city; Ramos, chair of the Planning Commission and a longtime Ward 6 tenant-rights advocate, centers hers on affordable housing, tenant protections, and community safety.

Giovanni Chavez

Chavez is a lawyer. They also serve as a Santa Ana Housing Commissioner. They want to make Santa Ana safe, affordable, and accessible for all residents. Mayor David Penaloza has endorsed them. Penaloza is the outgoing Ward 6 incumbent.

Isuri S. Ramos

Ramos leads a local nonprofit. She also chairs the Santa Ana Planning Commission. She runs on affordable housing, tenant protections, and community safety. She says she helped bring 93 affordable units to Legacy Square. She was born and raised in Santa Ana.

Your pick

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

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