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Walnut City Council

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City of Walnut

Walnut City Council

This person holds one of two at-large seats up this cycle. Walnut's City Council has five members, elected to staggered four-year terms. They vote on the city budget, zoning rules, and other city laws. The council picks one of its own members to serve as Mayor. It picks another as Mayor Pro Tem. Neither title is separately elected.

Walnut elects two of its five City Council seats on November 3, 2026. Two sitting councilmembers, Mayor Allen Wu and Ritchie Cajulis, are running for those seats. They face two challengers, repeat candidate Hong "Diana" Zhao and first time candidate Stefanie Leilua.

Each winner serves a 4-year term on Walnut's City Council, which sets the budget, zoning and development rules, and municipal ordinances for this San Gabriel Valley city of roughly 30,000 residents. All five seats are elected at-large rather than by district, and the council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor and another as Mayor Pro Tem each year -- Wu and Nancy Tragarz currently hold those roles. The city contracts with the LA County Sheriff's Department for public safety rather than running its own police force.

Wu and Cajulis both already hold their seats -- Wu by election since 2018, Cajulis by a 2022 appointment, so this is his first time facing voters directly for it. Zhao, running for a third time after finishing fourth of six in 2024, and Leilua, a late-qualifying newcomer, are the challengers looking to unseat one or both incumbents; Zhao is the more established of the two, while Leilua's platform and priorities were not reachable as of this pass.

Ritchie Cajulis

Ritchie Cajulis is a sitting Walnut councilmember, appointed to the seat in 2022. His priorities are expanding city services, preserving the environment, and strengthening public and cyber security. He is an IT analyst with a degree from Don Bosco Technical College in Manila.

Stefanie Leilua

Stefanie Leilua is the only newcomer in the race. She qualified for the ballot on August 5, 2026, weeks after the other candidates. No platform statement for her was found, and public information about her is limited.

Allen Wu

Dr. Allen Wu is Walnut's sitting Mayor, first elected to the council in 2018. He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from USC. He credits himself with fewer 2025 thefts and eight balanced budgets, by his own account.

Hong "Diana" Zhao

Hong "Diana" Zhao is a psychotherapist and business owner making at least their third run. They finished fourth of six candidates in the 2024 general election. They spent 16 years at LA County's Department of Children and Family Services.

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

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