Riverside County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

Steve Padilla is a sitting State Senator who previously served as Chula Vista's first Latino and first LGBTQ Mayor, per Padilla's campaign site. Padilla began a career as a Chula Vista Police Explorer Scout and became a police detective specializing in protecting seniors and children from abuse, per the same source.

Art Hodges is a Republican candidate for California's 18th Senate District and a retired pastor and bishop who oversaw 350 churches, pastors, and ministers in Southern California, per his campaign website. He has also served as a college class president, school principal, and college chancellor, per the same source.

Tiffanie Tate is a physician and community advocate, per her campaign site. She says her medical career has given her experience helping patients navigate complex health care systems, per the same source.

Kelly Seyarto is a sitting State Senator elected in 2022 who previously served in the Assembly's 67th District from 2020 to 2022, per Seyarto's campaign site. Seyarto is a retired firefighter and paramedic who spent 35 years with the Inglewood Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, retiring as a Battalion Chief in 2015, per the same source. Seyarto served on the Murrieta City Council beginning in 1997 and again from 2016, serving as Mayor four times, per the campaign site.

Ida S. Obeso-Martinez is a cardiovascular nurse practitioner at Imperial Cardiac Center who holds a doctorate in nursing practice from the University of Arizona, per the Calexico Chronicle. She serves as mayor pro tem of the city of Imperial and is a Democratic candidate for California's 36th Assembly District. No campaign website was found as of September 7, 2026.

Jeff Gonzalez is the Republican Assemblymember representing California's 36th Assembly District, per his campaign site. He served 21 years in the United States Marine Corps, including combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and later worked as a local pastor and small business owner.

Leila Namvar is a Democratic candidate for California's 47th Assembly District and has worked for the city of Indio since 2005, per her campaign website. She previously served as chapter president of SEIU 721 at the City of Indio and immigrated to the United States from Iran in 2002, per the same source.

Greg Wallis represents California's 47th Assembly District, covering the Coachella Valley. Before entering the Legislature, he served as chief advisor to a local lawmaker, focusing on healthcare access advocacy, per his campaign site. Wallis studied political science at California Lutheran University and is a member of the Bi-Partisan Problem Solvers Caucus, per his campaign site.

Clarissa Cervantes represents Ward 2 on the Riverside City Council, the first woman to hold that seat, per her campaign site. Cervantes previously worked as a campaign organizer on presidential, congressional, state legislative, county and municipal campaigns and served as a legislative field representative to a former Riverside councilmember, per the same source. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Cal State Northridge and a master's degree in urban and regional planning from Cal Poly Pomona, per her campaign site.

Leticia Castillo is the sitting Assemblymember for the 58th District seeking reelection, per Castillo's campaign site. Castillo worked as a licensed clinical psychotherapist for the Riverside County Department of Mental Health before opening a private practice, per the same source. Castillo holds a bachelor's degree in human services from the University of Phoenix and a master's degree in counseling psychology from National University, per the campaign site.

Delgado served 10 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and 25 years with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, rising to Assistant Sheriff overseeing the Corrections Division, per the campaign site. Delgado was elected to the Moreno Valley City Council in 2021 and holds a bachelor's degree in workforce education and a master's degree in management, per the campaign site.

Natasha Johnson is a small business owner with more than 26 years in the banking industry, per Johnson's campaign site. Johnson has served on the Lake Elsinore City Council since 2012, including three terms as Mayor, per the same source.

Akin has worked as a carpenter, steelworker, and steam engineer and is a lifelong community volunteer and member of four unions, per the campaign site. Akin has served on boards for nonprofits, religious congregations, and historic-preservation and neighborhood advocacy groups, per the campaign site.

JJ Galvez is the Democratic candidate for California Assembly District 71 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the Secretary of State's Certified List of Candidates for the General Election.

Kate Sanchez is the Republican candidate for California Assembly District 71 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the Secretary of State's Certified List of Candidates (ballot designation: California State Assemblywoman). Kate Sanchez is the incumbent, per the Secretary of State's list. No campaign website was found as of September 7, 2026.