contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Positions Up for Election, November 3, 2026, General Election": lists Walnut Creek's two offices with expiring terms this cycle -- City Treasurer and 2 Councilmembers -- with no Mayor or City Clerk line item
contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Contest/Candidate Proof List" (8-27-26_candidatelist_detail_final.pdf), the county's post-certification ballot-order-proofing export: flags "WalnutCreekCouncil" (Vote for 2, 2 qualified candidates -- Cherise Marie Khaund, Community Organizer/Parent, qualified 8/4/2026; Brendan Moran, Small Business Owner, qualified 8/6/2026 -- with the contest's own Incumbent(s) field naming Cindy L Silva and Matthew Francois as 'Elected' but neither appearing among the qualified candidates) and "WalnutCreekTreasurer" (Vote for 1, 1 qualified candidate -- Ronald Cassano, ballot designation 'Incumbent,' qualified 7/22/2026) both ON BALLOT, despite neither race drawing more candidates than seats
contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Candidate List" (8-14-26_candidatelist_summary_final.pdf), the county's complete qualified-candidate roster: independently confirms the same two-candidate Walnut Creek Council field (Khaund, Moran) and the same single Treasurer filer (Cassano)
walnutcreekca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Walnut Creek -- City Clerk "Elections & Voter Registration" page: confirms three November 3, 2026 offices -- City Council (2 seats) and City Treasurer (1 seat), with no City Clerk race -- states no nomination papers were issued to either outgoing Council incumbent, and names Ron Cassano as the sitting Treasurer to whom papers were issued; read via a Google Translate proxy after walnutcreekca.gov itself returned HTTP 403 to every direct fetch attempt in this pass, including curl with a standard browser User-Agent
en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- "Walnut Creek, California": 2020 census population of 70,127; incorporated Oct. 21, 1914, the 8th city in Contra Costa County; General Law city with a 5-member council elected at-large to staggered 4-year terms
walnutcreekca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Walnut Creek -- official City Council page: names the 5-member at-large council (Mayor Kevin Wilk, Mayor Pro Tem Matt Francois, Craig DeVinney, Cindy Silva, Cindy Darling) and confirms staggered 4-year at-large terms; read via the same Google Translate proxy workaround after walnutcreekca.gov itself returned HTTP 403 to direct fetches in this pass
contracosta.news (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa News -- "November Ballot Taking Shape in Contra Costa County" (Aug. 7, 2026): independent local-news roundup of the county's own candidate filings, listing Walnut Creek's at-large Council race as qualified candidates Brendan Moran (Q) and Cherise Khaund (Q), with the filing period flagged as extended

Last updated September 7, 2026.

City of Walnut Creek

Walnut Creek City Council

This person would hold one of two at-large seats on Walnut Creek's City Council. The council has five members and staggered four-year terms. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Walnut Creek has 70,127 residents. The council picks one of its own members to serve as Mayor. It picks another as Mayor Pro Tem. These titles rotate among councilmembers rather than being elected separately. This is a direct plurality election, with no primary and no runoff.

Two candidates are running for Walnut Creek's two open at large City Council seats. They are Cherise Marie Khaund, a community organizer, and Brendan Moran, a small business owner. Neither sitting councilmember whose seat is up filed for another term. They are Cindy Silva and Matt Francois. So both winners will be new to the council.

Walnut Creek's City Council has five members, all elected at-large to staggered 4-year terms. The council sets city ordinances, the budget, and land-use policy for a city of 70,127 residents (2020 census); an appointed city manager runs day-to-day operations. The council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor and another as Mayor Pro Tem -- the titles rotate among sitting councilmembers rather than being elected separately. Matt Francois, one of the two outgoing councilmembers this cycle, currently holds the Mayor Pro Tem title; Kevin Wilk, whose seat isn't up this cycle, is the sitting Mayor.

This is a direct plurality election with no primary and no runoff. Because exactly two candidates qualified for the two open seats, both are effectively elected outright on November 3 -- there's no scenario in which either loses.

Cherise Marie Khaund

Cherise Marie Khaund is a first-time candidate. Their ballot title is Community Organizer and Parent. They got on the ballot on Aug. 4, 2026. Contra Costa News also lists them as a qualified candidate.

Brendan Moran

Brendan Moran is a first-time candidate. Their ballot title is Small Business Owner. They got on the ballot on Aug. 6, 2026. Contra Costa News also lists them as a qualified candidate.

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