LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA – Lafayette has canceled the City Council portion of its November election after three candidates qualified for exactly three available seats.
The Lafayette City Council voted during a special meeting on August 20 to appoint incumbents Jim Cervantes and Stella Wotherspoon, along with incoming Councilmember Mario DiPrisco, instead of placing their uncontested races on the ballot.
In a statement sent to the Bay Area Telegraph, city officials said canceling the uncontested council election will save Lafayette at least $48,000 in election expenses.
The three appointments are:
- Jim Cervantes — four-year term ending in 2030
- Stella Wotherspoon — four-year term ending in 2030
- Mario DiPrisco — two-year term ending in 2028
The council formally made the appointments by adopting Resolution 2026-50.
According to the city’s official election notice, the extended candidate nomination period closed on August 12 without more candidates than available offices.
A fourth potential candidate, Brian Parsons, received nomination documents for the two-year seat on August 11 but elected not to complete the nomination process, the city’s candidate filing records show.
Under Section 10229 of the California Elections Code, a city council may appoint qualified candidates when the number of candidates does not exceed the number of available offices. The council could also have chosen to proceed with the election.
Once appointed, the councilmembers take office and serve exactly as they would if elected by voters. The city clerk can no longer accept write-in candidates for the canceled races.
Cervantes joined the council after winning a two-year seat in the November 2024 election. Before entering elected office, he spent 34 years working in public finance and served on Lafayette’s General Plan Advisory Committee. He also chairs the California Housing Finance Agency.
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Wotherspoon was unanimously appointed to the council in July 2025 after Councilmember Gina Dawson resigned. Her initial appointment was scheduled to last only until the November 2026 election. She has previously served on Lafayette’s Planning Commission and other local committees.
DiPrisco, the only new member in the latest round of appointments, currently serves on Lafayette’s Transportation and Circulation Commission. He is a longtime Lafayette resident and spent 26 years working in investment management. He also previously served on the City Council from 2000 to 2002.
The appointments will also mark the departure of Councilmember Susan Candell, who chose not to seek another term. Candell has served on the council since 2018 and was selected as Lafayette’s mayor in 2021 and 2024.
The city has not yet announced the date of the swearing-in ceremony. The three appointees are expected to take office in December.
Although Lafayette’s council races have been removed from the ballot, the decision does not cancel the broader election. Lafayette residents will still be able to vote on federal, state, regional and other local contests during the Tuesday, November 3, 2026, general election.
Voting and registration are administered by Contra Costa County. Additional election information is available through the Contra Costa County Elections Division.
