# Stockton City Council, District 5

Compare records and positions simply between Desiree Lynch or Brando Villapudua for Stockton City Council, District 5 at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person would hold your district's seat on Stockton's City Council. The council has seven members. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. Stockton also has a directly elected Mayor. An appointed City Manager runs day to day operations. The term is four years, with a two term limit. This cycle covers only Districts 1, 3, and 5. Stockton's Mayor was elected in November 2024. The Mayor is not on this ballot.

- Jurisdiction: City of Stockton
- 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/stockton-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 6, 2026
- Source-objectivity score: 91 out of 100 (Very strong), across 15 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology

## On the ballot

- **Desiree Lynch** (Withdrew.)
- **Brando Villapudua** — City Councilmember · Incumbent

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

Incumbent Brando Villapudua, censured by his Council colleagues in 2025, faces Desiree Lynch, a nurse who has withdrawn from the race after her August 2026 arrest on felony election-fraud charges -- though a judge has ruled her name stays on the printed ballot.

Stockton's City Council has seven voting members -- six elected by district plus a Mayor elected citywide -- serving 4-year terms with a 2-term limit, under a council-manager form of government in which an appointed City Manager runs day-to-day operations. Only Districts 1, 3, and 5 are on this ballot; their winners serve January 2027 through December 2030. Districts 2, 4, and 6 are not up this cycle. Mayor Christina Fugazi, elected citywide in November 2024, is in her first term as Mayor and is not up for reelection until 2028, which is why no Mayor's race appears on this ballot.

Villapudua led a six-candidate June 2 primary field (including one qualified write-in) with 1,173 votes (34.04%) -- short of a majority -- followed by Lynch's 1,054 votes (30.59%). Mary Elizabeth (16.40%), Max Beas (12.83%), Ruben Harper (5.51%), and write-in candidate Sam Carpenter (0.64%) were eliminated. Because no candidate cleared 50%, Villapudua and Lynch advance to a November 3 runoff -- though as explained below, Lynch is no longer actively campaigning.

## Brando Villapudua

The incumbent, elected to this District 5 seat in 2022 and sworn in January 2023; his filed ballot designation is "City Councilmember." He previously served two years as an at-large Stockton Planning Commissioner, appointed by then-Mayor Kevin Lincoln. He chairs the Council's Water Committee and the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency board, and serves as vice chair of committees on homelessness and community safety. In April 2025, the Council voted 6-0 (Villapudua abstaining) to censure him for making an obscene hand gesture toward an audience member during a heated January 2025 meeting, on a complaint filed by Vice Mayor Jason Lee and Councilmember Michele Padilla (District 1, also a candidate this cycle). Villapudua apologized before the vote, saying, "I regret any impact that this situation may have had in our community." In his Vote411 questionnaire he describes his District 5 service as work on public safety, economic development and neighborhood revitalization, with local, regional and state partners to secure resources, and says he brings an understanding of the economic barriers residents face.

His three stated priorities are public safety, where he says he will back law enforcement and violence-prevention programs; economic opportunity, through support for small businesses, fewer barriers to development and investment that creates good-paying jobs; and quality of life, which he ties to homelessness, clean streets and parks, and infrastructure.

**Strengths:** A full first term's experience, chairmanship of the Water Committee and the regional flood-control agency board, and prior Planning Commission service.

**Trade-offs:** An April 2025 Council censure for an obscene gesture toward a constituent during a public meeting, a documented conduct issue in his first term.

**Keep in mind:** His League answers describe results in general terms and name no specific outcomes, so they are his own account. Lynch has withdrawn (see below), so he is the only active campaign.

## Desiree Lynch withdraws

Desiree Lynch withdrew from this race on August 24, 2026. Five days earlier, she was arrested on felony election-fraud charges.

Lynch is a nurse who cares for patients recovering from surgery. She first withdrew on August 14, 2026. She said she was worried about her safety and her health. At the time, people were asking in public where she really lived. Four days later, she changed her mind and got back in the race.

She was arrested on August 19, 2026, after a six-week investigation by the District Attorney. She faces five felony charges. Three are for perjury, one is a voter-registration violation, and one is for filing a false candidacy declaration. Prosecutors say she registered to vote and filed to run using two District 5 addresses where she did not live. One was a bar and the other was an apartment complex. They say she really lived in Lodi and in Stockton's District 1. Her arraignment, the first court hearing, was set for September 2, 2026. If she is convicted on every count, she could get up to six years and eight months in prison.

Her name is still on the ballot next to Brando Villapudua's. A voter asked a judge to take it off. On August 26, 2026, the judge said no. The judge ruled that Lynch earned her place in the June primary, and that removing her name this close to the election would "disenfranchise the voters that voted for her."

She is still a choice on this ballot, but she is no longer running for the seat.

## Review notes

- Desiree Lynch is withdrawn; re-read this contest's editorial for claims that describe them as still running.

## Sources

1. [San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters -- official "Offices Up for Election" document for the Nov. 3, 2026 General Election: lists the City of Stockton's three offices -- Member of City Council, Districts 1, 3, and 5, each a 4-year term, elected by district -- under the "MUNICIPAL OFFICES -- ADVANCED FROM PRIMARY" heading, with no separate Mayor line, confirming all three are June-to-November runoffs and the Mayor is not up this cycle.](https://www.sjgov.org/docs/default-source/registrar-of-voters-documents/elections/gubernatorial-general-election-2026/candidate-services/offices-up-for-2026-general-election.pdf)
2. [San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters -- official "Candidate List" (report CFMR009), Qualified Candidates Only, printed 8/20/2026: confirms exactly two qualified candidates per Stockton district, each "On Ballot: Yes" -- District 1 (Tamica Small, Michele Padilla), District 3 (Michael Blower, Jessica Toccoli), District 5 (Brando Villapudua, Desiree Lynch) -- with each candidate's filed ballot designation.](https://www.sjgov.org/docs/default-source/registrar-of-voters-documents/elections/gubernatorial-general-election-2026/candidate-services/candidate-roster-(35).pdf)
3. [San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters -- official, certified "Statement of Votes Cast," Statewide Direct Primary, June 2, 2026 (certified by Registrar of Voters Olivia Hale, 6/25/2026): its District Results section gives exact per-candidate vote totals and percentages for all three Stockton City Council contests, establishing that no candidate cleared a majority in any district -- Padilla 49.11% (Small 27.60%, Sanchez 11.41%, Nguyen 9.52%, Hollis 2.36%) in D1; Blower 48.24% (Toccoli 36.19%, Veltri 10.02%, Alfaro 5.55%) in D3; Villapudua 34.04% (Lynch 30.59%, Elizabeth 16.40%, Beas 12.83%, Harper 5.51%, write-in Carpenter 0.64%) in D5.](https://www.sjgov.org/docs/default-source/registrar-of-voters-documents/statements-of-votes-cast/2026-june---statewide-direct-primary-election/june-2-2026-statement-of-votes-cast.pdf)
4. [City of Stockton -- official "Elections" page (City Clerk): independently confirms the same three November 2026 Council contests and the same six qualified candidates as the county's own lists, states the majority-or-runoff mechanic directly, and gives the Jan. 1, 2027-Dec. 31, 2030 term for the winners.](https://www.stocktonca.gov/government/city_clerk/elections.php)
5. [City of Stockton -- official "City Council" index page: confirms the Council's 7-member structure (six district-elected Councilmembers plus a citywide-elected Mayor), 4-year terms with a 2-term limit, and a council-manager form of government.](https://www.stocktonca.gov/government/city_council/index.php)
6. [City of Stockton -- official biography page for Mayor Christina Fugazi: confirms she was elected Mayor citywide in November 2024 (her first term as Mayor, after two prior Council terms beginning 2014), explaining why no Mayor's race appears on this cycle's ballot.](https://www.stocktonca.gov/government/city_council/mayor.php)
7. [City of Stockton -- official biography page for Councilmember Brando Villapudua (District 5): confirms his first term began January 2023, a prior two-year term as an at-large Stockton Planning Commissioner, and his committee roles.](https://www.stocktonca.gov/government/city_council/district_5.php)
8. [Stocktonia -- "Stockton City Council votes 6-0 to censure Brando Villapudua": reports the Council's 6-0 vote to censure him on Apr. 15, 2025 for making an obscene hand gesture toward an audience member during a Jan. 9, 2025 meeting, on a complaint filed by Vice Mayor Jason Lee and Councilmember Michele Padilla.](https://stocktonia.org/news/local-government/2025/04/16/stockton-city-council-votes-6-0-to-censure-brando-villapudua/)
9. [Stocktonia -- "Stockton City Council candidate Desiree Lynch arrested on suspicion of election fraud": reports her Aug. 19, 2026 arrest on five felony counts following a six-week District Attorney investigation and the DA's allegation that she used two District 5 addresses where she did not live to register and file.](https://stocktonia.org/news/public-safety/2026/08/19/stockton-council-candidate-desiree-lynch-arrested-on-suspicion-of-election-fraud/)
10. [Stocktonia -- "Desiree Lynch released on bond after arrest in election fraud case": reports her release on $100,000 bond, District Attorney Ron Freitas's on-the-record statement, and the two specific addresses prosecutors say she falsely claimed.](https://stocktonia.org/news/politics/2026/08/19/lynch-released-on-bond-after-arrest-on-suspicion-of-election-fraud-charges/)
11. [Stocktonia -- "Desiree Lynch withdraws from Stockton City Council race days after election fraud arrest": reports her formal, second withdrawal on Aug. 24, 2026 through her attorney, the five felony charges, and the maximum six-years-eight-months sentence.](https://stocktonia.org/news/politics/2026/08/24/desiree-lynch-withdraws-from-stockton-city-council-race-days-after-election-fraud-arrest/)
12. [Stocktonia -- "Desiree Lynch withdrew from Stockton council race. A judge confirmed her name will remain on the ballot": reports Judge Robert T. Waters's Aug. 26, 2026 denial of a District 5 voter's emergency petition to strike Lynch's name from the printed ballot, ruling that removing her name would disenfranchise the voters who chose her.](https://stocktonia.org/news/local-government/2026/08/26/desiree-lynch-withdrew-from-stockton-council-race-a-judge-confirmed-her-name-will-remain-be-on-the-ballot/)
13. [Stocktonia -- "'Record time' ballot counting in San Joaquin County shows all three Stockton City Council incumbents could be heading into November runoffs": a June 11, 2026 recap of the semi-final count independently corroborating the same top-two pairing and near-identical percentages in all three districts, later confirmed by the county's certified final Statement of Votes Cast.](https://stocktonia.org/news/local-government/2026/06/11/record-time-ballot-counting-in-san-joaquin-county-shows-all-three-stockton-city-council-incumbents-could-be-heading-into-november-runoffs/)
14. [City of Stockton -- official "Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC)" page (City Clerk): links the same NetFile-hosted public campaign-finance portal (netfile.com/public/SJC/campaign) the county uses countywide -- a negative-result citation, since the portal is a client-rendered single-page application that returned no readable content to this pass's fetch tooling.](https://www.stocktonca.gov/government/city_clerk/fair_political_practices_commission_(fppc).php)
15. [League of Women Voters -- Vote411 voter guide, 'City of Stockton City Council District 5' race (statewide All Races list): each candidate's self-submitted ballot designation and campaign contacts, plus answers to the League's questions -- top three priorities; qualifying background, experience and education. Answers on file from Brando Villapudua. Capture in data/nov-2026/sources/vote411/stockton-council-5.json.](https://www.vote411.org/plan-your-vote)

## The rest of the ballot

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