San Juan Bautista Election 2026: Four Council Candidates for Three City Seats

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, San Benito County — October 15, 2026. Four candidates are seeking three four-year seats on the San Juan Bautista City Council in the November 3, 2026 general election, according to local candidate interviews published by nonprofit outlet BenitoLink. The San Benito County Registrar of Voters’ official election list independently confirms that the city has three four-year council positions scheduled for this election.

Who is running for the three City Council seats?

In its September 14 candidate questionnaire, BenitoLink identifies four candidates:

Elise Brentnall — planning commissioner and Historic Review Board chair, according to her candidate questionnaire;
Eddie Guaracha — a new candidate for city office;
Leslie Jordan — sitting mayor and council member;
Jackie Morris-Lopez — sitting council member.

These are candidate names reported by BenitoLink, not a reproduction of a certified county ballot. For ballot order, candidate designations and the final eligible names, use the Registrar of Voters’ official candidate-list page. California58 makes no endorsements.

Why does San Juan Bautista vote for three seats?

The county’s published November 3 contest inventory identifies City of San Juan Bautista — City Council, three seats, four-year terms. The positions are city offices. Being a San Benito County resident outside the incorporated city does not automatically give a voter a vote in the municipal election.

According to BenitoLink’s candidate coverage, current council member E.J. Sabathia is not running for re-election. Readers should separate that reporting from the county’s certified ballot and use the latter if there are later candidate changes.

What matters to local readers?

City Council members make decisions on municipal budgets, planning, roads, public services and community priorities. Residents comparing candidates may want to ask each person how they would approach downtown traffic and tourism, housing, infrastructure and preservation of the city’s historic character. These are issues to investigate and discuss, not assertions about any candidate’s views.

The original BenitoLink questions and answers provide direct candidate perspectives; the official county roster can be consulted for ballot status.

Which other elections are on residents’ ballots?

San Juan Bautista voters also have California statewide races and propositions and their assigned federal, state legislative and school/special district contests. For example, the county’s election contest list includes some Aromas–San Juan School District trustee areas; the precise trustee-area ballot depends on the voter’s registered address. See the San Benito County election guide and use the official sample ballot for a complete list of candidates and measures.

For November 3, the usual California polling hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The ordinary online registration deadline is October 19; eligible voters who miss it may register conditionally at a participating voting location.

Documents, candidate interviews and corrections

San Juan Bautista News welcomes official notices, candidate forum information, questions and corrections at california58com@gmail.com.

Independent election report reviewed October 15, 2026. Local candidate names are attributed to BenitoLink; county contest scheduling is attributed to the Registrar of Voters. For legally authoritative names and eligibility, follow the county’s official sample ballot.

Help independent local news grow Your contribution helps us build and sustain community reporting.

Support San Juan Bautista News

Choose how to support San Juan Bautista News:

Credit / Debit Card via Stripe

Choose an amount from $1. One-time support through the publisher's LINKERNO Stripe account.

Continue with PayPal

Zelle323-677-7643Open Zelle through your bank. Verify the recipient before sending.

Optional reader support. When possible, add “San Juan Bautista News” to the payment note. Contributions are not advertised as tax-deductible. Support does not influence editorial decisions.

San Juan Bautista News — Your Community Newspaper

Have a correction, news tip, local announcement, or story to submit? Contact our editorial team. All submissions are reviewed before publication.