Candidates for City Council
Learn about candidates who have filed to run for City Council.
What this symbol means
Candidates and elected officials with this symbol took the GoodParty.org Pledge, promising to serve people first, independent of both major parties and big-money interests.
Who's currently in office
Learn about who represents you in Carlsbad.
What this symbol means
Candidates and elected officials with this symbol took the GoodParty.org Pledge, promising to serve people first, independent of both major parties and big-money interests.
- View profile
Melanie BurkholderDistrict 1Nonpartisan · Current term 2023 to 2026 - View profile
Kevin ShinDistrict 2Nonpartisan · Current term 2025 to 2028 - View profile
Priya Bhat-PatelDistrict 3Nonpartisan · Current term 2023 to 2026 - View profileTeresa AcostaDistrict 4Nonpartisan · Current term 2025 to 2028
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About City Council
About this position
- Office level
- City
- Election frequency
- Every 4 years
- Affiliation
- Nonpartisan
- Positions
- 1 open seat
Election type
- Partisan election (party labels appear on ballots)
- Run-off election
How to run for City Council
- Step 1
Meet eligibility requirements
Candidate must be an elector of the city at the time nomination papers are issued.
- Step 2
File for office
- Filing requirements
- Filing fee is $25; candidate can instead submit a petition containing three signatures of registered voters for each dollar of the filing fee, or 7% of the total of registered voters in the district in which he or she seeks nomination, whichever is less.
- Filing period
- July 13, 2026 - August 7, 2026
- Paperwork instructions
- Submit paperwork to the county registrar of voters' office.
- Where to file
- 5600 Overland Ave, San Diego, CA 92123
- Filing phone
- 858-505-7260
- Step 3
Launch your campaign
A real campaign starts with a real plan. Get a custom campaign plan from GoodParty.org, personalized for your race and district.
Get started
Need help? You don't have to run alone. Join the GoodParty.org Community to get advice from real independents who have run and won.
