Special coverage: November 2026 general election in Vallejo and Benicia
Twenty candidates are running for to represent Vallejo, Benicia, and Solano County.
While several candidates on the Vallejo City Council and the school boards were up for reelection this year, many of them declined to run again, clearing the way for some fresh faces to join after the Nov. 3 election.
On the Vallejo City Council, Councilmember Peter Bregenzer declined to run and three new candidates are running for his seat. And on the school board, Trustees Carlos Flores and Glenn Amboy also declined to seek reelection, and five candidates are running for the two seats.
In Benicia, two school board members declined reelection, and two candidates are running for one of the seats. Two other Benicia school board races are uncontested.
On the Benicia City Council, Councilmembers Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye are both seeking reelection, and will be challenged by software engineer Justin Zollars.
Solano County voters will decide whether to re-elect Lori Wilson for another term in the California State Assembly. Congressman John Garamendi is also up for reelection, running for his third term as representative of District 8 — which now leans slightly more red and includes parts of Contra Costa, Yolo, and San Joaquin counties due to Proposition 50.
Benicia voters will weigh in on two different tax measures, and one city charter measure, as the city grapples with how to close an $8 million deficit. Similarly, Solano County voters will have to decide if they want to pass a business license tax and a transient occupancy tax for unincorporated areas.
Three Vallejo City Council seats are up for election in November. Both Districts 4 and 5 have three candidates competing. In District 2, Councilmember Diosdado "J.R." Matulac is running unopposed.
Vallejo City Council District 4
Charles Palmares, Brianna Rogers, and Chris Platzer are running to represent District 4 on the Vallejo City Council.
District 4 represents Vallejo’s downtown area, Mare Island, and the city’s waterfront areas.
Incumbents Glenn Amboy and Carlos Flores have declined to run for reelection for the Vallejo school board and three candidates are running for Flores’ seat and two for Amboys. In Trustee Area 5, incumbent John Fox is running unopposed.
Vallejo school board Trustee Area 1
Reba ‘Jill’ Brown, Judith Lerner, and Clarence Martin are running for Vallejo City Unified School District Trustee Area 1.
Three political newcomers – Reba ‘Jill’ Brown, Judith Lerner, and Clarence Martin – are vying to be a member of Vallejo City Unified School District’s Board of Education. The winner will represent Trustee Area 1, which covers most of West Vallejo, Mare Island, and part of South Vallejo. Incumbent Carlos Flores is not seeking reelection after serving a single term.
Irene Reynolds and Rizal Aliga face off to represent Vallejo City Unified School District Trustee Area 3.
Two first-time political candidates, Rizal Aliga and Irene Reynolds, are running for Vallejo City Unified School District’s Board of Education. The winner will represent Trustee Area 3, which covers most of East Vallejo, and replace current school board representative Glenn Amboy.
Terry Scott, Kari Birdseye, and Justin Zollars compete for two seats on Benicia City Council.
All Benicia City Councilmembers are elected at large, meaning they are elected by the entire city. Councilmembers Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye are both up for reelection and facing a challenge from software engineer Justin Zollars. The top two vote getters will be on the council next year.
Barbara Jones and Dan Smith compete to represent Trustee Area 1 on the Benicia school board.
Two long time Benicia residents, Barbara Jones and Dan Smith, are competing to serve on the Benicia Board of Education as the Trustee Area 1 representative. The winner will replace Sheri Zada, who is not seeking reelection after serving on the board for two terms starting in 2019.
Incumbent Lori Wilson is challenged by Jenny Leilani Callison for State Assembly District 11.
California’s Eleventh State Assembly district covers all of Solano County and small sections of Sacramento and Contra Costa counties. State Assembly members are elected for two-year terms and they can serve a total of 12 years in the state legislature. The 80 Assembly members work alongside the governor of California to create laws and establish a state budget.
U.S. House of Representatives, 8th Congressional District
Rudy Recile challenges Congressman John Garamendi for the chance to represent District 8.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are elected every two years, and there are no term limits. Due to the passage of Proposition 50 last November, the 8th Congressional District now includes Vallejo, Richmond, Fairfield, Dixon, Rio Vista, and parts of Lodi. Congressman John Garamendi has been representing District 8 since 2022.
Measure X is a business license tax. Measure X would restructure the city’s business license taxes to be calculated by the types of business, such as retail, contractor, or industrial. It would exempt businesses with $100,000 or less in annual receipts, and set tax rates by business category ranging from $0.25 to $1.25 per $1,000 in receipts, capping those annual taxes at $1,500 in the first year with 10% annual increases until the cap is $25,000. The Marine Terminal rate of $3 per $100 in receipts would generate approximately $1.6 million in the first year.
Measure Y would establish the City of Benicia as a charter city in order to pass a property transfer tax through Measure Z.
Measure Z would impose a property transfer tax within the city of Benicia. Residential property built before January 1, 2027, and sold for less than $2 million will not be taxed under this measure. All other property would be taxed at a rate of four-tenths of a percent of a sale price under $2 million, six-tenths of a percent of a sale price between $2 million and $10 million and eight-tenths of a percent of a sale price over $10 million.
Solano County Measures
Measure E would update Solano county’s business license tax to include data centers taxed at $5 per square foot, commercial solar energy systems taxed at $0.00008 per kWh, battery energy storage systems taxed at $1.50 per MWh and it will raise the existing tax oncommercial wind turbines from $0.00003 to $0.00008 per kWh. The measure is expected to generate $353,000 in additional revenue annually.
Measure H would increase Solano County’s transient occupancy tax from a rate of 5% to 12% of rents charged at hotels and other temporary lodging facilities in unincorporated areas of the county. The tax doesn't apply within city boundaries. This measure is expected to generate $58,500 in revenue annually.
Natalie Hanson
Gretchen Smail
Zack Haber
Zack Haber
Isidra Mencos
Zack Haber
Gretchen Zimmermann
Gretchen Zimmermann
Natalie Hanson
Natalie Hanson
Natalie Hanson
