Review note: Sophia Cyris for South San Francisco City Council, District 3 -- campaign site and Melanie Olson for South San Francisco City Council, District 3 -- campaign site may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- smcacre.gov (opens in a new tab)San Mateo County ACRE (Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder-Elections) -- Roster of Candidates, Qualified Candidates Only, November 3, 2026 General Election (CFMR009), dated 2026-08-25: the county's own certified candidate list, confirming both District 5 (Short Term) candidates and their ballot designations, and that Board of Education Trustee Area 2 is the only one of three expiring county trustee areas flagged 'On Ballot: Yes'
- en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- South San Francisco, California: 'Government and politics' section names a five-member City Council elected by district to 4-year terms, with the Mayor and Vice Mayor selected by the council itself in an annual rotation rather than directly elected -- confirming why there is no Mayor contest on the November 2026 ballot. Also names the sitting council roster (Mayor Mark Addiego, Vice Mayor Mark Nagales, and Councilmembers James H. Coleman, Eddie Flores, and Buenaflor Nicolas) and dates Eddie Flores's appointment to the council to January 26, 2021, filling a vacancy left by Karyl Matsumoto
- votesophiacyris.com (opens in a new tab)Sophia Cyris for South San Francisco City Council, District 3 -- campaign site: describes herself as 'your Neighbor,' states she takes no donor, organization, or AIPAC funding, and centers her platform on direct accountability to constituents
- votemelanieolson.com (opens in a new tab)Melanie Olson for South San Francisco City Council, District 3 -- campaign site: a South San Francisco native with a UC Berkeley undergraduate degree and a Master's in Urban Planning from the University of Arizona, working as a city planner; platform centers on keeping the district affordable, safe, and sustainable
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search for "Buenaflor Nicolas," "Flor Nicolas," and "Nicolas" alone: no results at all in any variant tried
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search for "Sophia Cyris" and "Cyris" alone: no results at all
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search for "Melanie Olson" (plain and with 'South San Francisco' appended) and "Olson" alone: no results at all
- smcacre.gov (opens in a new tab)San Mateo County ACRE (Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder-Elections) -- Roster of Candidates, Qualified Candidates Only, November 3, 2026 General Election (CFMR009), dated 2026-08-25: the county's own certified candidate list, confirming South San Francisco's five contests (Council Districts 1, 3, 5; City Clerk; City Treasurer), the qualified candidate in each, and each candidate's filed ballot designation
Last updated September 7, 2026.
City of South San Francisco
South San Francisco City Council, District 3
This person holds your district's seat on South San Francisco's 5-member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use, plus appointing the city manager. The term is four years. The council selects one of its own to serve as Mayor each year in an annual rotation -- not a separately elected office.
Three candidates are running for South San Francisco's District 3 council seat. Incumbent Buenaflor "Flor" Nicolas faces two challengers, Sophia Cyris and Melanie Olson. Whoever gets the most votes wins. There is no runoff.
The seat carries a 4-year term on South San Francisco's 5-member City Council. The council votes on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. It also appoints the city manager. This seat sits alongside four other district councilmembers. The council picks one of its own to serve as Mayor each year. Mayor is not a separately elected office.
This is a race between a track record and a change. Nicolas is the sitting officeholder, per the county's own certified candidate roster. Cyris and Olson are both first-time candidates running as outsiders to the incumbent. Neither challenger's platform names a specific disagreement with Nicolas's record. Cyris instead stresses direct accountability to residents. Olson stresses district-specific local knowledge. Both offer that as a reason for a change.
Buenaflor Nicolas
Buenaflor Nicolas is known locally as "Flor." They are the incumbent District 3 councilmember and are running again. Their ballot title is "Incumbent." No detail on their career, platform, or record was found.
Sophia Cyris
Sophia Cyris is a first-time candidate. They call themselves "your Neighbor" on their campaign site. They say they take no donor, organization, or AIPAC funding. They run on direct accountability to constituents. Their site does not list a current job.
Melanie Olson
Melanie Olson is a South San Francisco native who works as a city planner. Their campaign site does not say whether the city is their employer. They have a UC Berkeley undergraduate degree. They also have a Master's in Urban Planning from the University of Arizona. Their ballot title is "Associate Planner." They run on keeping the district affordable, safe, and sustainable. They point to their local roots as a qualification.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.