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City of Suisun City · Statewide General Election

Suisun City Council

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 would hold one of two at-large seats up this cycle on Suisun City's 5-member City Council -- the citywide budget, land use, and oversight of city staff for this Solano County city of 29,518 residents (2020 Census), alongside a directly elected Mayor who is not part of this race.

Four candidates are running for two at-large seats on Suisun City's Council: incumbents Princess Washington and Jenalee Dawson, against challengers Katrina Garcia and Xenia Tom. Vote for up to two -- no primary.

Council seats are elected at-large and citywide, alongside a directly elected Mayor who is not part of this race (a separate contest on this same ballot). Winners join the rest of Suisun City's 5-member Council -- the city budget, land use and zoning, and oversight of city staff for this Solano County city of 29,518 residents (2020 Census) -- while a professional city manager runs day-to-day operations. The county's own ballot does not specify an exact number of years for the term; no Suisun City resolution or notice was reachable this session to confirm one, and the city's own site returned an access error to every attempt.

With two incumbents and two challengers competing for two seats, the practical choice is whether either sitting Councilmember should be replaced. Both incumbents filed statements citing specific tenure and priorities; both challengers are first-time candidates for city office, one running on a youth-focused platform and the other on small-business and neighborhood themes. This dataset found no candidate-forum coverage or independent comparative reporting on this race beyond the candidates' own filed statements -- consistent with the limited local-news footprint typical of a city this size.

Princess Washington

Princess Washington is the Council's incumbent and a non-profit executive; her filed ballot designation is "Non-Profit Executive." Her statement says she has called Suisun City home for more than 30 years, growing up there, raising her family there, and now caring for her elders there. She describes her work on the Council as promoting transparency, fiscal responsibility, public safety, and community building, and states she has "a proven track record of upholding our shared values and standing by my convictions -- even when it means casting the lone vote."

Strengths

The longest personal roots in Suisun City of any candidate in this race (30-plus years), combined with a full term's record as sitting Councilmember to run on.

Trade-offs

Her statement doesn't name the specific vote(s) where she describes standing alone; this pass found no independent local-news account identifying it.

Keep in mind

Her own language about "casting the lone vote" signals she has been a dissenting voice on some Council decisions -- worth researching further for a voter weighing continuity versus change on this Council.

Jenalee Dawson

Jenalee Dawson is the Council's incumbent, its Mayor Pro-tem per Wikipedia's current roster, and a non-profit director; her filed ballot designation is "Non-Profit Director/Councilmember." Her statement says she is a lifelong Suisun City resident who is raising her own family on the same streets that raised her, holds a doctorate in Human and Social Services, and has spent her career in nonprofit leadership serving vulnerable populations. She frames her candidacy partly through a working parent's lens -- the cost of groceries, the value of a good school, and whether the city stays affordable for her children -- and describes her leadership style as direct rather than cautious.

Strengths

An advanced degree (doctorate in Human and Social Services) and a nonprofit-leadership career she frames as budget- and organization-building experience directly relevant to Council work.

Trade-offs

Like Washington, her specific legislative record on the Council isn't itemized in her statement; this pass found no independent account of her votes to check against her self-description.

Keep in mind

Her role as Mayor Pro-tem (per Wikipedia's current roster) is a Council-selected officer position, not part of what's on this ballot -- a Council win doesn't itself confirm she keeps that title next term.

Katrina Garcia

Katrina Garcia is a small-business owner and a challenger; her filed ballot designation is "Small Business Owner." Her statement centers on safe neighborhoods, thriving local businesses, and opportunity across generations. She describes coordinating the Suisun City Children's Business Fair, where young entrepreneurs learned to create, market, and sell products and services, and frames herself as "not a career politician," running because she wants practical, collaborative solutions.

Strengths

A concrete, named civic initiative she organized (the Children's Business Fair) that this pass could independently point to as a specific accomplishment, not just a stated value.

Trade-offs

No prior appointed or elected city role is stated; her platform themes (safe neighborhoods, local business support) are broadly shared rather than distinguishing.

Keep in mind

As a small-business owner herself, her platform's emphasis on supporting local businesses is also a stake she has a direct personal interest in -- worth noting, not disqualifying.

Xenia Tom

Xenia Tom is 38; her official ballot designation reads "Home Maker," while her own filed statement describes her occupation as "Stay-at-home mom." Her statement is built around youth opportunity: expanding scholarships, mentorships, internships, and partnerships with schools, churches, businesses, and community organizations. She names a specific partner, Pastor Dr. Claybon Lea Jr. of Mount Calvary Baptist Church, for his work helping students reach college, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and says she wants to strengthen ties with universities like Stanford. She states the mission is personal: her family has been affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa, a rare genetic disease, and she credits Stanford's research and care with showing her how education and medical discovery can change lives.

Strengths

The most specific platform focus of the four candidates -- youth pathways to higher education -- backed by a named local partner and a disclosed personal motivation.

Trade-offs

No prior appointed or elected city role, or civic-board service beyond what her statement describes, was found this pass; the family motivation she cites was not independently verified.

Keep in mind

Her platform concentrates specifically on youth and education partnerships; voters weighing broader municipal issues (budget, infrastructure, public safety) may want to look for her positions on those separately, since her statement doesn't address them directly.

Source review: Strong (86/100) · 4 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

  • content.solanocounty.gov (opens in a new tab)Solano County Registrar of Voters -- official "Candidate Filed Log - November 3, 2026 General Election" (as of 8/20/2026): its "CITY OF SUISUN CITY" section lists Mayor - Full Term (Vote for 1, 5 candidates including incumbent Alma Hernandez) and Councilmember (Vote for 2, 4 candidates including incumbents Princess Washington and Jenalee Dawson), both voted at-large -- the identical document cited by the county-level shard's own "solano-candidate-log-2026," re-downloaded fresh this session and confirmed unchanged against the county's own live current-election page
  • content.solanocounty.gov (opens in a new tab)Solano County Registrar of Voters -- "November 3, 2026 General Election Candidate Guide," its own countywide incumbent table: lists "City of Suisun City Mayor -- Alma Hernandez" and "City of Suisun City Councilmember -- Princess Washington" / "...Jenalee Dawson," each unmarked (an elected, not appointed, incumbent) -- independently corroborates the candidate log's own incumbent flags and, by omission, confirms sitting Councilmember Amit Pal's own seat is not up this cycle
  • content.solanocounty.gov (opens in a new tab)Solano County Registrar of Voters -- November 2026 Voter Information Guide, Ballot Type 28 (the booklet covering City of Suisun City races): carries the official, filed Statement of Candidate for eight of the nine Suisun City Mayor/Council candidates under Elections Code 13307 -- the candidates' own words on background and platform -- and confirms Michael Jefferson filed none ("No Candidate Statement provided"), matching the candidate log's own "N" flag for him
  • en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- "Suisun City, California": used narrowly for the 2020 Census population (29,518), the council-manager government type, and the current 5-member Council roster (Mayor Alma Hernandez, Mayor Pro-tem Jenalee Dawson, Princess Washington, Amit Pal, Parise Shepherd) -- corroborating the candidate log's incumbent flags; does not state term length or general-law-vs-charter status, and does not cover the 2026 election

Last updated September 1, 2026.