- temeculaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Temecula -- "Election & Voter Information" page: the July 1, 2026 Notice of Election set three council seats (Districts 1, 3, 5) for the Nov. 3, 2026 General Municipal Election, but Districts 1 and 3 each drew a single qualified nominee (Matt Rahn, filed 7/31; Brenden Kalfus, filed 7/21), and on Aug. 11, 2026 the City Council unanimously appointed both directly to office under Elections Code Section 10229, cancelling those two elections. Only District 5 proceeds to the Nov. 3 ballot, contested by Yuan Hawkes (qualified 7/23), Russell Shirley (7/30), Zak Schwank (7/30), and Laurel LaMont (8/3). Also confirms Temecula is a general-law, council-manager city with a 5-member by-district Council and a council-selected (not directly elected) Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempore. Reached by a direct curl fetch with a browser User-Agent after the ordinary WebFetch tool 403'd every temeculaca.gov URL attempted.
- temeculaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Temecula -- "Notice of Election," General Municipal Election, Nov. 3, 2026 (signed by City Clerk Randi Johl, dated July 1, 2026): originally set three Council seats -- Districts 1, 3, and 5, each a full four-year term -- with a nomination period of July 13 - Aug. 7, 2026, and cites Elections Code Section 10229 as the authority for appointing a candidate outright if an office draws no more than one nominee. Superseded for Districts 1 and 3 by the Aug. 11, 2026 Council action described in temeculaca-election-2026.
- temeculaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Temecula -- Zak Schwank's filed Candidate Statement, City Council District 5: "served the residents of District 5 on the Temecula City Council for the past 8 years"; a debt-free city budget, fighting the proposed SDG&E Powerlink project, public safety, traffic, homeless outreach and encampment cleanup, and parks/trails as priorities; endorsed by CAL FIRE Firefighters and former Mayors and Council Members. Opens "As your mayor and council member" -- read here as a residual line from his Dec. 2022-Jan. 2023 stint as the council-selected Mayor (per Wikipedia) rather than a claim to the office in 2026, since independent sources (wikipedia-temecula-2026) name Jessica Alexander as the sitting 2026 Mayor -- flagged, not silently resolved.
- temeculaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Temecula -- Yuan Hawkes's filed Candidate Statement, City Council District 5: a PhD in Molecular Genetics (Univ. of Illinois at Chicago) and former cancer research scientist; 19-year Temecula resident; Temecula Community Services Commissioner (2022-25), Springs Charter School Board Director (2019-22), Toastmasters Area Director/Club President, HOA President, homeschool educator; priorities of reducing traffic (signal coordination, telework incentives, roundabouts), preserving open space/pushing back on overbuilding, and reducing business regulation.
- temeculaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Temecula -- Russell Shirley's filed Candidate Statement, City Council District 5: a firefighter paramedic and veteran; priorities of public safety, traffic/infrastructure, preserving Temecula's "family-friendly community," and fiscal accountability; describes himself as "not a career politician."
- temeculaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Temecula -- Laurel LaMont's filed Candidate Statement, City Council District 5: a working single mother who raised her son in Temecula; a Trader Joe's crew member and founder of "Upward Community"; describes years spent studying housing policy, land use, and local government, and regular participation in local government meetings; priorities of transparent/accountable government, housing people who work locally, and walkable/bikeable neighborhoods.
- en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- "Zak Schwank": a Temecula City Council member representing District 5 since December 2018 (independently corroborating his statement's "past 8 years"); helped establish the Temecula Bike Train (c. 2011); served as the council-selected Mayor from December 13, 2022 to January 1, 2023. Carries a notability disclaimer, and is a self-editable reference, not a news source.
- en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- "Temecula, California": confirms council-manager government with a mayor "appointed annually by the city council" rather than directly elected, and names the current council as of 2026 -- Mayor Jessica Alexander, Mayor Pro Tem Matt Rahn, and Councilmembers Brenden Kalfus, Zak Schwank, and James Stewart -- independently corroborating the rotating-mayor structure and Schwank's and Rahn's current officeholding.
- netfile.com (opens in a new tab)City of Temecula NetFile — public campaign-disclosure search
Last updated September 3, 2026.
City of Temecula
Temecula City Council, District 5
This person holds your district's seat on Temecula's City Council. The council has five members. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. The term is four years. The Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempore are ceremonial titles. The council picks these from among its own district-elected members each year. They are not separately elected offices.
Incumbent Zak Schwank faces three challengers for Temecula's District 5 City Council seat. They are Yuan Hawkes, Russell Shirley, and Laurel LaMont. This is the only Temecula council race on this ballot. Districts 1 and 3 each drew one candidate and were filled by appointment.
The winner holds one of five district seats on Temecula's City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use, over a four-year term. The Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempore are ceremonial titles the council selects from among its own district-elected members each year -- they aren't separately elected offices, and day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager.
Districts 1 and 3 each drew only a single qualified candidate -- Matt Rahn and Brenden Kalfus, respectively -- and on August 11, 2026 the City Council unanimously appointed both directly to office under a state law (Elections Code Section 10229) that lets a city skip the election and seat an unopposed nominee outright. Districts 2 and 4 aren't up again until 2028, so District 5 is the only Temecula council race on this ballot. Facts about all four District 5 candidates come from their own Candidate Statements, filed with the City Clerk and quoted below -- this research could not confirm any of the four with an independent news source beyond that filing and, for Schwank, Wikipedia's account of his council tenure.
Zak Schwank
Zak Schwank is the incumbent. He has represented District 5 for 8 years and is seeking another term. He wants a debt free budget, public safety, and a fight against the Powerlink project.
Yuan Hawkes
Yuan Hawkes is a challenger with a PhD in Molecular Genetics. They have lived in Temecula for 19 years and served as a Community Services Commissioner. They want less traffic, preserved open space, and fewer rules on local businesses.
Russell Shirley
Russell Shirley is a challenger who calls themselves a firefighter, paramedic, and veteran. They run on public safety, traffic, and infrastructure. They call for responsible use of taxpayer dollars.
Laurel LaMont
Laurel LaMont is a challenger and a single mother who raised their son in Temecula. They work at Trader Joe's and founded a group called Upward Community. They want open government, housing for local workers, and safe, walkable neighborhoods.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.