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City of Winters · Statewide General Election

Winters 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 three seats up this cycle on Winters's 5-member City Council, elected entirely at-large (no districts) to a 4-year term, through December 2030. Winters, a Yolo County city of about 7,115 residents (2020 Census), incorporated in 1898 and runs under a council-manager government. The Council doesn't elect its Mayor directly -- members choose one of their own to serve as Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem, reorganizing on a two-year rotation; council members currently receive a stipend of $300 per month.

Five candidates are running for three at-large seats on the Winters City Council: incumbents Richard Casavecchia, Carol Scianna, and Albert Vallecillo, and challengers Dave Callison and Kelli Villanueva. The top three vote-getters win outright, with no runoff.

Whoever wins joins a five-member Council that sets the budget, land-use and zoning decisions, and city ordinances for Winters, a Yolo County city of about 7,115 residents (2020 Census), incorporated in 1898 and run under a council-manager government. All five seats are elected at-large (not by district) to staggered 4-year terms; the Council doesn't elect its Mayor directly -- members choose one of their own to serve as Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem, reorganizing on a two-year rotation. Council members currently receive a stipend of $300 per month. Winters has no separately elected City Clerk or City Treasurer -- those are appointed staff positions here.

The three open seats are those of Mayor Albert Vallecillo, Richard Casavecchia, and Carol Scianna, all first elected to the Council in November 2022 and each seeking a second term; the other two councilmembers, Bill Biasi and Jesse Loren, are not up this cycle (their terms run through December 2028). All three incumbents filed within the initial nomination window (July 13-August 7, 2026), so the conditional five-day filing extension for non-incumbents was never triggered.

Richard Casavecchia

Richard Casavecchia is a Winters councilmember first elected in November 2022, seeking a second term; his ballot designation is "Financial Analyst." He works in finance and business intelligence, currently providing strategic advice for a Sacramento County Medi-Cal and Medicare doctor network, and has served on the Winters Healthcare Foundation Board for nearly seven years. He spent 10 years in the Army as a Cavalry Officer, with his final assignment at the California Army National Guard's Joint Forces Headquarters working on the state's disaster response; he holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Sacramento State University and an MBA in Strategy and Finance from UC Davis. His campaign site lays out the most detailed platform of any candidate in this race: he argues Winters is "over-reliant on permit fees from development," citing a roughly $800,000 revenue shortfall against projections in fiscal year 2025-26, and calls for a more business-friendly city and more commercial development; he also proposes a Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Committee, infill sports fields, protected bike lanes, and creek restoration, argues street design -- not enforcement alone -- should be used to reduce speeding, and opposes the city's current contract with Flock Security's automated license-plate-reader cameras, citing a July 2026 incident he describes as outside agencies running searches on Winters's system in violation of state law.

Strengths

A completed council term, direct finance/business-intelligence expertise, and by far the most detailed public platform in this race.

Trade-offs

This dataset found no independent news coverage of his 2026 candidacy -- his platform comes from his own campaign site, not outside reporting.

Keep in mind

He is one of three incumbents in a 5-candidate field for 3 seats; a second term is not automatic.

Carol Scianna

Carol Scianna is a Winters councilmember first elected in November 2022, seeking a second term; her ballot designation is "Incumbent." This dataset found no personal campaign website and no independent news coverage of her 2026 candidacy: the city's own dated nomination-status table and her filed campaign-finance paperwork are the fullest record of her candidacy found this pass.

Strengths

A completed council term.

Trade-offs

No personal campaign website or independent news coverage was found this pass; her ballot designation is simply "Incumbent."

Keep in mind

One of three incumbents in a 5-candidate field for 3 seats -- not automatic. She is also the only candidate who filed a Form 470 declaring a sub-$2,000 campaign.

Albert Vallecillo

Albert Vallecillo is Winters's current Mayor, a role the Council chooses from among its own members rather than voters electing directly; he was first elected to the Council in November 2022 and is seeking a second council term, with a ballot designation of "Incumbent." This dataset found no personal campaign website and no independent news coverage of his 2026 candidacy beyond the city's own official filing record.

Strengths

A completed council term plus current service as Mayor.

Trade-offs

No personal campaign website or independent news coverage was found this pass.

Keep in mind

One of three incumbents in a 5-candidate field for 3 seats -- a second term, and remaining Mayor, is not automatic. His committee reported no contributions and a modest, self-funded $213.26 in spending.

Dave Callison

Dave Callison -- whose own campaign-finance filing lists his legal name as Stillman D. Callison -- is a retired truck driver making his first run for Winters City Council; that occupation is his ballot designation. He filed his nomination papers on August 6, 2026, near the close of the filing period. This dataset found no personal campaign website and no independent news coverage of his candidacy.

Strengths

None found beyond qualifying to file -- no prior committee, civic, or elected-office history was found this pass.

Trade-offs

No personal campaign website or independent news coverage was found this pass; his only campaign-finance filing is a bare Form 501.

Keep in mind

He filed on the final day of the nomination period, one of two challengers running against three incumbents.

Kelli Villanueva

Kelli Villanueva, a Yolo County native, is a small-business owner making her first run for Winters City Council; her ballot designation is "Business Owner/Parent." She spent a decade as a private caregiver before co-founding a home-care agency in 2018 and a supported-living-services company in 2019, and now co-owns WeCare4Yolo, an in-home care company based in Yolo County. She served as President of the Winters Rotary Club in 2025-26, sits on the Winters Chamber of Commerce board, and was named Lead4tomorrow's 2024 Volunteer of the Year; her campaign site credits her with helping lead a gazebo-renovation effort and organizing community breakfasts. Her platform centers on "thoughtful growth" that protects the city's character while allowing needed housing, infrastructure investment -- including a response to the city's chromium-6 water-contamination issue -- support for downtown small businesses, and advocacy for seniors and residents with disabilities, drawing on her two decades of experience in in-home care.

Strengths

A locally rooted small-business record, recent civic leadership, and the second-most detailed platform in the race, naming chromium-6 water contamination.

Trade-offs

No prior elected or appointed office was found; this dataset found no independent news coverage beyond her own campaign site.

Keep in mind

One of two challengers running against three incumbents in this 5-candidate field for 3 seats.

Source review: Strong (83/100) · 11 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context; advocacy or endorsement sources are treated as attributed perspective.

Review note: Richard Casavecchia's own campaign site (richard4winters.com), tagline 'Forward Thinking. Common Sense. Experience.,' footer 'Paid for by Richard Casavecchia for Winters City Council 2026 | FPPC # 1454483' (matching his filed Form 410). About page: 10 years as an Army Cavalry Officer, final assignment at the California Army National Guard's Joint Forces Headquarters on disaster response; a finance/business-intelligence professional for a Sacramento County Medi-Cal/Medicare doctor network; nearly seven years on the Winters Healthcare Foundation Board; a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Sacramento State and an MBA (Strategy and Finance) from UC Davis. Issues page: a financial-stability platform citing a roughly $800,000 FY2025-26 revenue shortfall and calling for a more business-friendly city and more commercial development; a proposed Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Committee, infill sports fields, protected bike lanes, and creek restoration; street-design changes aimed at reducing speeding; and opposition to the city's Flock Security camera contract, citing Carpenter v. U.S. and a described July 2026 incident of outside-agency searches on Winters's system. and Kelli Villanueva's own campaign site (kelli4winters.com), tagline 'Small Town Values, Fresh Ideas.' Meet Kelli page: a Yolo County native who spent a decade as a private caregiver before co-founding a home-care agency in 2018 and a supported-living-services company in 2019, now Co-Owner of WeCare4Yolo; President of the Winters Rotary Club 2025-26; Winters Chamber of Commerce board member; Lead4tomorrow's 2024 Volunteer of the Year; credited with gazebo-renovation efforts and organizing community breakfasts. Platform page: small-business/downtown support, advocacy for seniors and residents with disabilities (citing 20-plus years in in-home care and a push for a dedicated senior center), 'smart, responsible growth' tied to infrastructure and schools, a stated commitment to addressing the city's chromium-6 water-contamination issue, and community-connection programming. Her site's separate endorsements page is not used as content here (endorsements are descoped dataset-wide) and is not cited as a source. may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

  • cityofwinters.org (opens in a new tab)City of Winters -- own "Elections" page: states the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election will elect three City Council Members to four-year terms, gives the nomination period (July 13-August 7, 2026, extendable to August 12 only for non-incumbents), and publishes a dated "2026 CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES" table naming all five qualified candidates (Richard Casavecchia, Carol Scianna, Albert Vallecillo, Dave Callison, Kelli Villanueva) with their nomination-paper and qualification dates, ballot designations, and links to each candidate's filed FPPC forms.
  • cityofwinters.org (opens in a new tab)City of Winters -- own "City Council" page: lists the current Council roster and terms -- Mayor Albert Vallecillo, Mayor Pro Tem Bill Biasi, and Councilmembers Jesse Loren, Richard Casavecchia, and Carol Scianna -- confirming Vallecillo, Casavecchia, and Scianna are the only three with a term ending December 2026 (Biasi and Loren run through December 2028).
  • cityofwinters.org (opens in a new tab)City of Winters -- "City of Winters 2026 Candidate Information Guide" (Office of the City Clerk, revised July 2026): confirms the five-member at-large Council structure, staggered four-year terms, the January mayor/mayor-pro-tem reorganization, a $300/month council stipend, no term limits, eligibility rules, and the full nomination/campaign-disclosure filing process (Forms 501, 410, 460, 470, 497, and a 200-word optional Statement of Qualifications for the county voter pamphlet).
  • cityofwinters.org (opens in a new tab)Richard Casavecchia's own filed FPPC Form 501 (Candidate Intention Statement, filed August 4, 2026, accepting the voluntary expenditure ceiling) and Form 410 (Statement of Organization for "Richard Casavecchia for Winters City Council 2026," FPPC ID #1454483, treasurer Richard Casavecchia, qualification threshold met August 3, 2026), hosted directly by the City Clerk as a scanned PDF; the packet's attached Form 460 template is entirely blank.
  • cityofwinters.org (opens in a new tab)Carol Scianna's own filed FPPC Form 501 (Candidate Intention Statement, executed July 20, 2026, accepting the voluntary expenditure ceiling) and Form 470 (Short Form, declaring she does not expect to receive contributions or make expenditures totaling $2,000 or more in the calendar year), hosted directly by the City Clerk as a scanned PDF.
  • cityofwinters.org (opens in a new tab)Albert Vallecillo's own filed FPPC Form 501 (Candidate Intention Statement, filed August 5, 2026, rejecting the voluntary expenditure ceiling), Form 410 (Statement of Organization for committee "Albert 4 Winters," treasurer Paul Myer, bank Yolo Federal Credit Union, qualification threshold met August 5, 2026, purpose "to raise and expend funds for 2026 City Council election"), and a preelection Form 460 (statement covering 7/16/2026 through 11/3/2026): reports zero monetary contributions, a $213.26 loan received, and $213.26 in total expenditures, itemized on Schedule E as $142 to U.S. Postal Service for P.O. box rental and $71.26 to Vallecillo himself coded "CNS" ("Consult - Dinner Mtg"); the Schedule B loan-detail page does not name a lender. Beginning and ending cash balance both listed as $150. Hosted directly by the City Clerk as a scanned PDF.
  • cityofwinters.org (opens in a new tab)Dave Callison's own filed FPPC Form 501 (Candidate Intention Statement, filed August 6, 2026, accepting the voluntary expenditure ceiling), listing his legal name as "Callison, Stillman D" -- his only campaign-finance filing found this pass -- hosted directly by the City Clerk as a scanned PDF.
  • cityofwinters.org (opens in a new tab)Kelli Villanueva's own filed FPPC Form 501 (Candidate Intention Statement, executed June 9, 2026, accepting the voluntary expenditure ceiling, party preference Democrat) and Form 410 (Statement of Organization for committee "Kelli Villanueva Winters City Council 2026," ID #1494266, treasurer Ramon M. Altamirano, bank First Northern Bank in Winters, filed with the Secretary of State July 30, 2026), hosted directly by the City Clerk as a scanned PDF.
  • richard4winters.com (opens in a new tab)Richard Casavecchia's own campaign site (richard4winters.com), tagline "Forward Thinking. Common Sense. Experience.," footer "Paid for by Richard Casavecchia for Winters City Council 2026 | FPPC # 1454483" (matching his filed Form 410). About page: 10 years as an Army Cavalry Officer, final assignment at the California Army National Guard's Joint Forces Headquarters on disaster response; a finance/business-intelligence professional for a Sacramento County Medi-Cal/Medicare doctor network; nearly seven years on the Winters Healthcare Foundation Board; a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Sacramento State and an MBA (Strategy and Finance) from UC Davis. Issues page: a financial-stability platform citing a roughly $800,000 FY2025-26 revenue shortfall and calling for a more business-friendly city and more commercial development; a proposed Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Committee, infill sports fields, protected bike lanes, and creek restoration; street-design changes aimed at reducing speeding; and opposition to the city's Flock Security camera contract, citing Carpenter v. U.S. and a described July 2026 incident of outside-agency searches on Winters's system.
  • kelli4winters.com (opens in a new tab)Kelli Villanueva's own campaign site (kelli4winters.com), tagline "Small Town Values, Fresh Ideas." Meet Kelli page: a Yolo County native who spent a decade as a private caregiver before co-founding a home-care agency in 2018 and a supported-living-services company in 2019, now Co-Owner of WeCare4Yolo; President of the Winters Rotary Club 2025-26; Winters Chamber of Commerce board member; Lead4tomorrow's 2024 Volunteer of the Year; credited with gazebo-renovation efforts and organizing community breakfasts. Platform page: small-business/downtown support, advocacy for seniors and residents with disabilities (citing 20-plus years in in-home care and a push for a dedicated senior center), "smart, responsible growth" tied to infrastructure and schools, a stated commitment to addressing the city's chromium-6 water-contamination issue, and community-connection programming. Her site's separate endorsements page is not used as content here (endorsements are descoped dataset-wide) and is not cited as a source.
  • en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia, "Winters, California": used narrowly for the fixed, dated 2020 Census population figure (7,115) and the city's 1898 incorporation date.

Last updated September 2, 2026.