Petaluma Mayor Kevin McDonnell is seeking a second four-year term on Nov. 3, 2026 against two challengers: small business owner John Hanania and Shelina Moreda, a motorcycle racer and dairy farmer. All four City Council seats on the ballot are contested: mayor, which is elected citywide, and Districts 1, 2 and 3.

Kevin McDonnell, incumbent

McDonnell was elected mayor in 2022 after joining the council in 2019. He told the Petaluma Argus-Courier that the city spent about $3 million a year on paving when he joined and about $15 million a year now. He also points to the planned police and fire station on a corner of the Fairgrounds parking lot and a bonded sewer pipeline project connecting to the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility. He warned that federal cuts to food assistance and Medicaid will become "a significant community issue in the New Year." On complaints about transparency, he said that when residents lost votes on the downtown hotel or the D Street bike lanes, "we listened; you just didn't win."

John Hanania

Hanania, 63, says in his ballot statement he has lived in Petaluma for 36 years and has attended council meetings since 1991. He last ran for council in 2022. He told the Argus-Courier the mayor and most of the council "do not listen to members of the community." On housing, he says the city has already met its state housing targets for several years and should focus on duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and ADUs rather than "high-rise, high-density apartment buildings." He wants a weekly streets crew fixing potholes, a downtown public restroom and more emergency preparedness, and he questions how Measure U sales tax money has been spent on staff.

Shelina Moreda

Moreda ran for county supervisor in the June primary and lost. She says she wants residents to "feel genuinely included in city decisions" and would prioritize small businesses. Her website promises long-term leases on the fairgrounds and speedway, retiming traffic lights and a city audit of the former animal services contract. Her campaign has drawn scrutiny: the city asked for proof of eligibility in August, and she provided a lease showing she moved into town before the deadline. Local outlets have also reported on a restraining order request from an ex-boyfriend in 2025 that was later dropped, and on past tax liens. Moreda says the liens were IRS errors resolved years ago.

City Council district races

  • District 1: incumbent Janice Cader Thompson, property manager Alan LaPierre and retail manager Nate Martin.
  • District 2: incumbent John Shribbs and environmental attorney Brent Newell.
  • District 3: incumbent Karen Nau and affordable housing advocate Eric Vazquez.

Voters can find their district on the city's elections page. Ballots mailed back must be postmarked by Nov. 3; drop boxes close at 8 p.m. that day.

Petaluma-area voters also decide two school bonds, Waugh's Measure E and Old Adobe's Measure O. See every race and measure in our Election 2026 guide.