# Santa Clarita City Council, District 5 Compare records and positions simply between Bob Khalsa, Liliia Chernova, or Kelvin Driscoll for Santa Clarita City Council, District 5 at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds your district's seat on Santa Clarita's 5-member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. The term is four years. - Jurisdiction: City of Santa Clarita - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/santa-clarita-council-5 - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: October 7, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 87 out of 100 (Strong), across 8 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Bob Khalsa** - **Liliia Chernova** - **Kelvin Driscoll** A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. Three candidates are running for Santa Clarita City Council District 5. They are 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 them, 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. That firm does digital-technology and engineering consulting. No campaign announcement or platform statement from them was found in local news coverage. Their 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. That is the thinnest public record in this field. **Keep in mind:** Chernova's Form 700 lists stock investments. Beyond that, voters have little published material to evaluate them on before Election Day. ## Kelvin Driscoll Driscoll is executive director of HOPICS, a Los Angeles County homeless-services agency. They ran unsuccessfully for this same council seat in 2020. They are campaigning on neighborhood safety, responsible growth, traffic and infrastructure. They also want to make sure District 5 gets sustained city investment. They have drawn endorsements from Rep. George Whitesides and three state legislators. Five local education-district trustees and several building-trades unions also back them. **Strengths:** A wide endorsement base. It includes a member of Congress, three state legislators, five education trustees and four building-trades unions. Driscoll also has nonprofit leadership experience. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected office. Driscoll finished behind Jason Gibbs in their only previous council run, in 2020. **Keep in mind:** Their Form 700 reports no financial interests. Their broad institutional and labor endorsements signal establishment support. Some voters may weigh that as a plus or a minus. ## Bob Khalsa Khalsa owns a real estate sales and property-management company. They previously worked as a fighter pilot, an airline pilot and an educator. They are running on public safety. They also want planned growth that does not strain roads and services. They promise steady, deliberative leadership. Their Form 700 discloses a real-estate investment in Canyon Country. It also discloses income from their property-management business. **Strengths:** A varied career spanning military and commercial aviation, education and real estate. Khalsa's platform names specific growth and safety priorities. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected or appointed city office. Their platform statements are broad principles rather than specific proposals. **Keep in mind:** Khalsa's Form 700 discloses income tied to their own property-management business. It also discloses a real-estate investment in Canyon Country, within their own council district. ## Sources 1. [City of Santa Clarita — List of Qualified Candidates memo (City Clerk Melody Bartlette, 8/13/26)](https://santaclarita.gov/city-clerk/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/08/List-of-Qualified-Candidates-Memo.pdf) 2. [City of Santa Clarita — City Clerk, Elections (district-election system, campaign-filings portal)](https://santaclarita.gov/city-clerk/elections/) 3. [City of Santa Clarita — CampaignDocs eRetrieval (SouthTech/Granicus campaign-finance disclosure system)](https://www.southtechhosting.com/SantaClaritaCity/CampaignDocsWebRetrieval/) 4. [Santa Clarita Valley Signal — City Council candidate filing period opens July 13 (2026-07-02)](https://signalscv.com/2026/07/city-council-candidate-filing-period-opens-july-13/) 5. [Santa Clarita Valley Signal — Update: City Council races shape up (2026-08, post-filing-deadline roundup with Form 700 review of all 11 District 2/4/5 candidates)](https://signalscv.com/2026/08/city-council-races-shape-up/) 6. [Santa Clarita Valley Signal — Khalsa announces candidacy for Santa Clarita City Council (2026-08-04)](https://signalscv.com/2026/08/khalsa-announces-candidacy-for-santa-clarita-city-council/) 7. [Santa Clarita Valley Signal — Driscoll announces run for City Council, District 5 (2026-08)](https://signalscv.com/2026/08/driscoll-announces-run-for-city-council-district-5/) 8. [League of Women Voters -- Vote411 voter guide, 'City of Santa Clarita City Council Member, District 5' 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? No answers were on file at capture. Capture in data/nov-2026/sources/vote411/santa-clarita-council-5.json.](https://www.vote411.org/plan-your-vote) ## The rest of the ballot Santa Clarita City Council, District 5 is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Santa Clarita City Council, District 5 — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/santa-clarita-council-5 (sources last retrieved October 7, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.