City of South Gate

South Gate City Council

This person holds one of two seats up this cycle. The seat is an at-large seat on South Gate's City Council. The council has five members with staggered four year terms. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. The council picks a member to serve as Mayor for one year. An appointed city manager runs day to day operations.

Five candidates are running for South Gate's two at-large council seats. Al Rios and Joshua Barron are the incumbents. Alan Garcia, Edgar Pelayo, and Jimmy Ozaeta are the challengers. You may vote for up to two. There is no primary.

Council seats carry 4-year terms. Winners join three other councilmembers as five votes on the budget, city ordinances and land use, with day-to-day operations run by an appointed city manager. The council also selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor for a 1-year term — that seat is not on this ballot.

South Gate faces a structural budget gap of about $9 million a year, and voters are separately deciding a utility tax meant to help close it. Both incumbents sit on the council that placed that measure on the ballot; two of the three challengers are campaigning explicitly against how the council got there. The practical choice in this field is less about differing platforms than about whether continuity or new council voices are the more trustworthy path through the deficit.

Alfonso (Al) Rios

Al Rios is the incumbent Vice Mayor. They joined the council in a 2017 special election. They won again in 2022 and served as Mayor in 2021. Their campaign has not published a 2026 platform. They are only seeking another term. Outside the council they are Dean of Academic Affairs at ELAC's South Gate campus. They are also a political science professor there. They have held that role for 17 years.

Joshua Barron

Joshua Barron is the incumbent Mayor. Their council colleagues chose Barron for a one year term in December 2025. They were elected to the council in 2022. They are running for another council term. Their campaign has not published a 2026 platform. As Mayor they name infrastructure, business growth, and reinstating school arts programs among their priorities. Outside the council they are a bank Vice President in financial crimes investigation. They have more than 20 years in banking.

Alan Garcia

Alan Garcia is a challenger for one of the two council seats. Their campaign has published no platform or biography. Their Instagram account says only that they are a candidate. No prior city office or public record was found for them.

Jimmy Ozaeta

Jimmy Ozaeta is a challenger. They have been a South Gate Planning Commissioner since 2023. They are running jointly with Edgar Pelayo as South Gate For Change. They point to a roughly $9 million budget deficit and a lack of transparency. They campaign on fiscal responsibility and infrastructure. Ozaeta was born and raised in South Gate. They spent 15 years in YMCA nonprofit leadership. That included turning around one YMCA association that was near bankruptcy.

Edgar Pelayo

Edgar Pelayo is a challenger. They have been a South Gate Parks and Recreation Commissioner since 2023. They are running jointly with Jimmy Ozaeta as South Gate For Change. They point to the same budget deficit and lack of transparency. They say those call for new council leadership. Their real estate brokerage owes a duty to its clients. They call that the model for the fiscal oversight they would bring to City Hall. They hold an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Your picks · choose up to 2

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

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