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November 3, 2026·Filing Deadline: August 7, 2026·Seats on ballot: Mayor + Districts 2, 3, 6
Anaheim is Orange County’s largest city (~350,000 residents) and home to the Disneyland Resort, Angel Stadium, and Honda Center — three major venues whose political relationships with City Hall have been under heightened scrutiny since a 2021–2022 FBI corruption probe exposed a Disney-connected influence network that coordinated campaign spending and city-contract decisions. Mayor Ashleigh Aitken was elected in November 2022 as part of a reform wave following that scandal.
The November 2026 ballot will decide the Mayor’s seat and three City Council districts (2, 3, and 6) — four of the seven seats on the council. The outcome will determine whether the reform coalition holds a majority or whether resort and development interests reclaim influence over land-use decisions, stadium lease negotiations, hotel worker protections, and the city’s multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects.
Districts 1, 4, and 5 were decided in November 2024 and are not on the 2026 ballot. The filing window for 2026 candidates opens summer 2026; no challengers had publicly declared as of April 2026.
Citywide — elected at large by all Anaheim voters
Incumbent
First woman mayor in Anaheim's 167-year history. Elected November 2022. Current four-year term ends December 2026. Term limit: two consecutive four-year terms.
Incumbent — re-election status unconfirmed as of April 2026
Declared Challengers
No challengers have publicly declared as of April 2026. Candidate filing window opens summer 2026.
Data coverage: SoCal Public Ledger will track mayoral campaign finance once committees file disclosures through the CAN NetFile portal.
West Anaheim, covering areas west of Beach Blvd and north of Lincoln Ave, including west Anaheim residential neighborhoods.
Incumbent
Mayor Pro Tem 2026. Elected November 2022. Current four-year term ends December 2026. Has opened a 2026 re-election campaign committee (votecarlosleon.com).
Incumbent — declared re-election candidate
Declared Challengers
No challengers have publicly declared as of April 2026. Candidate filing deadline is August 7, 2026.
Data coverage: SoCal Public Ledger will track District 2 campaign finance through the CAN NetFile portal once 2026 filings are available.
Central Anaheim, including the downtown corridor and areas in and around the Anaheim Resort district.
Incumbent
Elected November 2022 with 57.8% of the vote. Retained seat in the June 2024 recall election. Current four-year term ends December 2026.
Incumbent — re-election status unconfirmed as of April 2026
Declared Challengers
No challengers have publicly declared as of April 2026. Candidate filing deadline is August 7, 2026.
Data coverage: SoCal Public Ledger will track District 3 campaign finance through the CAN NetFile portal once 2026 filings are available.
East Anaheim, covering areas east of SR-55 toward the city's eastern boundary.
Incumbent
Elected November 2022, defeating Hari Lal. Current four-year term ends December 2026.
Incumbent — re-election status unconfirmed as of April 2026
Declared Challengers
No challengers have publicly declared as of April 2026. Candidate filing deadline is August 7, 2026.
Data coverage: SoCal Public Ledger will track District 6 campaign finance through the CAN NetFile portal once 2026 filings are available.
These council members were elected in November 2024 and serve until December 2028.
Officials and candidates with campaign finance or voting data tracked in this system.
Listed alphabetically
These groups are active in Anaheim and are likely to play a role in the 2026 election cycle through voter outreach, endorsements, or candidate accountability campaigns.
Community-labor alliance founded 2005 with a focus on Anaheim and Santa Ana. Runs voter-engagement programs in working-class and immigrant neighborhoods, advocates on economic opportunity and housing, and conducts candidate accountability work. Has historically been a counterweight to Disney and resort-industry political spending in Anaheim.
Hotel and food service workers union representing thousands of workers at Disneyland and Anaheim-area hotels. Has been a significant force in Anaheim elections, particularly on living wages, hotel worker protections, and holding the resort industry accountable. Backed Ashleigh Aitken in 2022.
The AFL-CIO central labor council for Orange County. Coordinates endorsements and electoral activity across member unions. Labor-endorsed candidates in Anaheim council races typically align with hotel worker and public employee union priorities.
Nonprofit investigative news outlet covering Orange County. Has extensively documented Anaheim's 2021–2022 FBI corruption probe involving a Disney-connected influence network, and continues to cover the city's political spending patterns and transparency reforms.
Sources: City of Anaheim City Clerk’s Office (anaheim.net/Elections). Voter registration and vote-by-mail dates are estimates based on California Elections Code; confirm at ocvote.gov.
Anaheim’s current council majority emerged from a pivotal 2022 election following a federal corruption probe that exposed a network of Disney-connected political operatives, consultants, and city officials — including the city’s then-mayor — who coordinated to influence elections, city contracts, and stadium negotiations. Several individuals faced criminal charges or civil proceedings.
The 2022 election brought in Mayor Aitken and council members Leon, Rubalcava, and Meeks as reform-oriented candidates. In 2024, the same reform coalition backed candidates who won Districts 1, 4, and 5. In 2026, the incumbents from the 2022 class face their first re-election tests — and the resort and development sectors are expected to field or back challengers.
In January 2024, Anaheim adopted a new campaign finance ordinance capping individual contributions at $1,000 per cycle and banning contributions from lobbyists and city contractors.
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