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City of Santa Clarita · Statewide General Election

Santa Clarita City Council, District 5

Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

This person holds your district's seat on Santa Clarita's 5-member City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use. A 4-year term.

Three candidates are running for Santa Clarita City Council District 5: Liliia Chernova, Kelvin Driscoll and Bob Khalsa. None currently holds elected city office — District 5's most recent representative is not seeking re-election — so voters are choosing among three candidates for a four-year term, one of whom, Driscoll, ran unsuccessfully for this same council in 2020.

Council seats carry 4-year terms. Winners join four other district representatives voting on the city budget, land-use and development decisions, and municipal ordinances; day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager rather than any single elected official.

District 5's current representative is not seeking re-election, so all three candidates are competing for an open seat with no incumbent on the ballot — the choice turns entirely on their own backgrounds and platforms.

Liliia Chernova

Chernova, who also goes by Lily, is an executive at Motivus, a digital-technology and engineering consulting firm. No campaign announcement or platform statement from her was found in local news coverage as of publication. Her Form 700 disclosure lists stock investments.

Strengths

An executive-level technology and engineering background; no further public background was found in local coverage.

Trade-offs

No campaign announcement, endorsement or platform statement was found in local coverage as of publication — the thinnest public record in this field.

Keep in mind

Her Form 700 lists stock investments; beyond that, voters have little published material to evaluate her on ahead of Election Day.

Kelvin Driscoll

Driscoll is executive director of HOPICS, a Los Angeles County homeless-services agency, and ran unsuccessfully for this same council seat in 2020. He is campaigning on neighborhood safety, responsible growth, traffic and infrastructure, and making sure District 5 gets sustained city investment. He has drawn endorsements from Rep. George Whitesides, three state legislators, five local education-district trustees, and several building-trades unions.

Strengths

A wide endorsement base — a member of Congress, three state legislators, five education trustees and four building-trades unions — plus nonprofit leadership experience.

Trade-offs

No prior elected office; he finished behind Jason Gibbs in his only previous council run, in 2020.

Keep in mind

His Form 700 reports no financial interests. His broad institutional and labor endorsements signal establishment support, which some voters may weigh as a plus or a minus.

Bob Khalsa

Khalsa owns a real estate sales and property-management company and previously worked as a fighter pilot, airline pilot and educator. He is running on public safety, planned growth that doesn't strain roads and services, and steady, deliberative leadership. His Form 700 discloses a real-estate investment in Canyon Country and income from his property-management business.

Strengths

A varied career spanning military and commercial aviation, education and real estate, plus a platform naming specific growth and safety priorities.

Trade-offs

No prior elected or appointed city office; his platform statements are broad principles rather than specific proposals.

Keep in mind

His Form 700 discloses income tied to his own property-management business and a real-estate investment in Canyon Country, within his own council district.

Source review: Strong (87/100) · 7 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

Last updated August 31, 2026.