Eight people so far have pulled nomination papers for the three full-time seats on the San Fernando City Council. Once the nomination period is over, their names will appear on the ballot for the city’s municipal election, which will now coincide with the statewide primaries.
The potential candidates include the incumbents – Mayor Joel Fajardo and Councilmembers Mary Solorio and Mary Mendoza – and five newcomers: Fernando Diaz, Sonia Navarro, Sean M. Rivas, Flor Sanchez and Michelle Vergara. If elected, each candidate will serve a four-year term. The election will cost $75,000.
In September 2025, the City Council began the process of moving their election date from November to instead align with the statewide primaries. Despite pushback from the community and a divided dais, the City Council moved ahead with drafting an ordinance.
In October, the council approved the ordinance and sent it to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for approval, which it received on Jan. 6. This shortened the terms for the three incumbents by five months.
The deadline to file nomination documents for incumbents is 5 p.m. on March 6. For newcomers, the nomination period will be extended until 5 p.m. on March 11.
If you’re interested in running for City Council, schedule an appointment with the city clerk to receive information and nomination papers by calling (818) 898-1204.
The most important factor is how long have those candidates lived in San Fernando I prefer voting for someone who has lived ten years or more. Some of those candidates use a temporary address to get elected.