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City of Woodlake · Statewide General Election

Woodlake 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 at-large seats up this cycle on Woodlake's 5-member City Council, elected to staggered 4-year terms: city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this roughly 7,400-resident Tulare County city. The Council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor and another as Vice Mayor, rather than voters choosing either office directly; a City Administrator appointed by the Council runs day-to-day operations.

Four candidates are running for three at-large seats on the Woodlake City Council: incumbents William "Memo" Valero and Frances Ortiz seeking new terms, against challengers Florencio Guerra Jr. and Josh Diaz. Whichever three candidates get the most votes on November 3 win the seats -- no runoff.

This person would hold one of five at-large seats on the City Council of Woodlake, a Tulare County city of 7,419 residents (2020 Census) that incorporated in 1940. Councilmembers serve staggered 4-year terms, so 2 or 3 seats come up each cycle; this year it's 3. The Council sets city ordinances, the budget, and land use, and appoints a City Administrator to run day-to-day operations. Woodlake has no separately elected Mayor or Vice Mayor -- the five councilmembers choose both titles from among themselves after each election.

All three seats up this cycle are currently held by councilmembers the county's own filing document lists as holding their seats via "Appointed in Lieu" of election status, rather than the seat's most recent election: Valero, Ortiz, and Misty Wallace. Wallace did not file for a new term this cycle, leaving her seat genuinely open, while Valero and Ortiz are both seeking to keep theirs. With four candidates filing for the three seats, this cycle is a real, contested election -- unlike the status that produced the incumbents' current terms.

William "Memo" Valero

Valero's 2026 ballot designation is "Incumbent." He was already a sitting Woodlake councilmember by the November 2020 election, where he won reelection with 425 votes (25.6%), placing second behind newcomer Florencio Guerra Jr. (555 votes, 33.4%) in a 4-candidate race for 2 seats. The city's own site lists him as an alternate member on the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and the Tulare County Council of Cities. No independent 2026 campaign platform, website, or news coverage was found for him this pass.

Strengths

Sitting-incumbent experience since at least 2020, plus two active outside committee seats (SJVAPCD and Council of Cities, both alternate).

Trade-offs

No stated 2026 platform, campaign site, or independent news coverage was found -- only his official role and a prior election result.

Keep in mind

When fellow councilmember Guerra Jr. was removed in 2022 for missing meetings, Valero defended the rule: he said the council needed to "adhere by the bylaws."

Frances S. Ortiz

Ortiz's 2026 filing lists "No Ballot Designation." She is Woodlake's sitting Vice Mayor and, per the Sun-Gazette's 2018 reporting, has served on the council since 1999 -- independent election records show her winning reelection in both 2014 and 2018. The city's own site lists her as an alternate member on the Tulare County Regional Transit Agency and the Economic Development Corporation. No independent 2026 campaign platform, website, or news coverage was found for her this pass.

Strengths

A quarter-century-plus council tenure, currently Vice Mayor, with two active outside committee seats (regional transit and economic development, both alternate).

Trade-offs

No stated 2026 platform, campaign site, or independent news coverage was found -- she filed no ballot designation at all this cycle.

Keep in mind

A 2023 flood-response report pictures her among city officials listening to residents' complaints, but no quote or position of hers was found -- don't assume a stance from her presence.

Florencio Guerra Jr.

Guerra Jr.'s 2026 ballot designation is "Community School Coordinator." He has run for Woodlake council repeatedly: 3rd place in 2016, 4th in 2018, then won a seat in 2020 -- before being automatically removed in January 2022 under the city's own municipal code for repeated unexcused absences, and losing a 2024 comeback bid. Raised in Woodlake and a Woodlake High School graduate, he holds two bachelor's degrees from Fresno Pacific University (political science and psychology) and has spent roughly 24 years in social services, about 20 of them in a school setting -- consistent with his ballot designation. No independent 2026 platform, campaign site, or news coverage was found for him this pass; his most recent documented platform is from 2024.

Strengths

Extensive council experience (a seat held 2020-22) and a long run of local election history; his school-based social-services career matches his designation.

Trade-offs

His 2022 removal was procedural (no advance notice), not a performance judgment. No 2026-specific platform was found; his most recent documented positions are from 2024.

Keep in mind

He was removed by operation of the municipal code, not a council vote on performance. He said at the time he'd run again, and did -- losing in 2024, running again in 2026.

Josh Diaz

Diaz's 2026 ballot designation is "School Teacher." A fourth-generation Woodlake resident educated in Woodlake schools from kindergarten through high school, he holds a bachelor's degree in social science from Fresno State and a teaching credential through the Tulare County Office of Education. He ran for council in 2024 and lost, finishing third. No independent 2026 platform, campaign site, or news coverage was found for him this pass; his most recent documented platform is from 2024.

Strengths

Deep community roots (a homeowner since at least 2016) and a concrete 2024 platform -- term limits, district elections, town-hall interpreter access -- not just a designation.

Trade-offs

No 2026-specific platform was found. He said in 2024 he was self-funded with no donors; true then, not confirmed for 2026.

Keep in mind

A visible local voice after his own home flooded twice in 2023 with no flood insurance; he later pursued legal action -- civic engagement, not itself a platform statement.

Source review: Strong (88/100) · 12 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context.

  • tc-web.widen.net (opens in a new tab)Tulare County Elections -- official "Contest/Candidate Proof List" (report CFMR001) for the November 3, 2026 General Election, independently re-downloaded via direct curl for this shard: within the City of Woodlake's own contests, exactly one appears -- "Woodlake City Council, Council Member" (district 5082), flagged ON BALLOT, Vote For 3, with four qualified candidates: William "Memo" Valero ("Incumbent"), Frances S. Ortiz ("No Ballot Designation"), Florencio Guerra Jr. ("Community School Coordinator"), and Josh Diaz ("School Teacher"). The document's own "Incumbent(s)" line names Valero, Ortiz, and Misty Lynn Wallace as holding their current terms via "Appointed in Lieu" status, but Wallace did not file, leaving her seat open; the contest's district code carries the document's own extension flag
  • cityofwoodlake.com (opens in a new tab)City of Woodlake -- its own Government page: confirms a five-member, at-large City Council elected to staggered 4-year terms, with the Council appointing a Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its own members; names the sitting Council by role -- Rudy Mendoza (Mayor), Frances Ortiz (Vice Mayor), Jose Martinez, Misty Wallace, Memo Valero -- an exact match against the county's roster, and lists each member's outside committee assignments (Valero: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and Council of Cities, both alternate; Ortiz: Tulare County Regional Transit Agency and Economic Development Corporation, both alternate)
  • cityofwoodlake.com (opens in a new tab)City of Woodlake -- its own About page: states the city incorporated in 1940 as "Tulare County's seventh city" and names Ramon Lara as City Administrator
  • en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- "Woodlake, California": used narrowly for the city's 2020 Census population (7,419); does not cover the 2026 election
  • thesungazette.com (opens in a new tab)The Sun-Gazette, Oct. 24, 2018, "Woodlake councilmembers rejoice in city improvements" (by Paul Myers): states "Vice mayor Frances Ortiz has been on the council since 1999 and serves as an alternate to the Tulare County Association of Governments committee and the Tulare County Transportation Authority committee," and quotes her on the city's downtown and infrastructure improvements
  • thesungazette.com (opens in a new tab)The Sun-Gazette, Feb. 9, 2022, "Former Woodlake council member loses seat, lashes out at council" (by Ben Irwin): details Florencio Guerra Jr.'s automatic removal from his Woodlake council seat in January 2022, under the city's municipal code, for repeated unexcused absences (missed while serving as Woodlake High School's varsity girls soccer coach, for which he won a co-coach-of-the-year honor from the East Sequoia League and CIF, and while seriously ill) without providing the required advance written notice; quotes councilmembers Jose Martinez and Memo Valero defending the rule at the Jan. 24, 2022 meeting, and Guerra Jr.'s own response
  • thesungazette.com (opens in a new tab)The Sun-Gazette, Sept. 17, 2024, "ELECTION 2024: Q&A with Woodlake City Council candidate Florencio Guerra Jr." (by Serena Bettis; paywalled beyond an initial excerpt): confirms Guerra Jr. was raised in Woodlake, graduated Woodlake High School, holds two Fresno Pacific University bachelor's degrees (political science and psychology), and has roughly 24 years in social services, about 20 of them in a school setting; states his 2024 platform focused on a south-Woodlake city park (he said the south side had zero parks against 14 in the north) and higher police pay for officer retention; also confirms he previously won a short-term council seat in 2020 and was automatically removed in January 2022
  • thesungazette.com (opens in a new tab)The Sun-Gazette, Sept. 17, 2024, "ELECTION 2024: Q&A with Woodlake City Council candidate Josh Diaz" (by Serena Bettis; paywalled beyond an initial excerpt): confirms Diaz is a fourth-generation Woodlake resident educated in Woodlake schools K-12, holds a Fresno State bachelor's in social science and a teaching credential via the Tulare County Office of Education, and had been a Woodlake homeowner for eight years as of 2024; states his 2024 platform was council term limits, a switch to district elections, and a formal interpreter-request process for town halls, and quotes him saying he was self-funded with no campaign donors
  • sjvwater.org (opens in a new tab)SJV Water (nonprofit newsroom), March 22, 2023, "City of Woodlake braces for more water as residents demand answers": pictures Vice Mayor Frances Ortiz on the panel of city officials at a public flood-response meeting, listening to resident complaints (no direct quote attributed to her); quotes Josh Diaz describing his home's flood damage and lack of flood insurance
  • sjvwater.org (opens in a new tab)SJV Water (nonprofit newsroom), Nov. 8, 2023, "Legal actions on behalf of San Joaquin Valley flood victims piling up": profiles Josh Diaz, a Woodlake high school teacher, as one of the most outspoken local voices on the March 2023 flooding -- his home was inundated with more than three feet of floodwater, requiring evacuation and a full renovation funded partly by FEMA and personal savings -- and describes him pursuing legal action after appeals to local officials were denied
  • theballotbook.com (opens in a new tab)The Ballot Book -- independent election-history records for Woodlake City Council: confirm Frances Ortiz won reelection in 2014 (369 votes) and 2018 (545 votes), both 3-seat races; confirm Memo Valero was already an incumbent by the November 2020 election, where he won reelection (425 votes, 25.6%) alongside newcomer Florencio Guerra Jr. (555 votes, 33.4%, top vote-getter) in a 4-candidate race for 2 seats; and confirm both Guerra Jr. and Josh Diaz lost the November 2024 election (453 votes/20.1% and 552 votes/24.5% respectively) to incumbents Rudy Mendoza and Joe Martinez
  • cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)A negative-result campaign-finance search: California's Cal-Access campaign-finance search (cal-access.sos.ca.gov) returned an Incapsula bot-detection challenge page instead of results for a direct filer search against each of the four candidates' surnames (Valero, Ortiz, Guerra, Diaz) this session, the same recurring bot-detection failure mode documented elsewhere in this dataset. Cal-Access covers only state-level committees in any case, not local city-council candidates. Documents the absence of a reachable financial-disclosure source for this contest, not any candidate's actual finances

Last updated September 1, 2026.