The nominees are…
The City of Milpitas is accepting nominations for mayor and two city council seats in the Nov. 3 general election.
Mayor Carmen Montano, Vice Mayor Garry Barbadillo and Councilmember Hon Lien are all eligible for re-election. Montano, who in June lost her bid for the State Senate District 10 seat, announced earlier this month that she’s running for a third two-year term as mayor. Lien ran against Montano for mayor in 2024.
As of June 2, Seema Kanani, a licensed clinical social worker for Kaiser Permanente, and Bill Chuan, who has served a planning commissioner for the City of Milpitas, had announced that they are running for council.
Kanani is one of the delegates for the California Democratic party, and she’s a delegate for the South Bay Labor Council. Chuan first ran for a seat on the council in 2024, coming in a close third behind Evelyn Chua and William Lam in a field of six candidates.
Residents interested in running for mayor or city council must schedule an appointment with the city clerk’s office to receive nomination papers; the filing deadline is Aug. 7. Candidates must be registered voters residing in Milpitas at the time nomination papers are issued. If an incumbent eligible for re-election does not file nomination papers by the deadline, the nomination period for non-incumbent candidates only will be extended until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
Appointments are available Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last appointment of the day at 4 p.m. To schedule an appointment, contact the city clerk’s office at 408-586-3005 or cityclerk@milpitas.gov.
For more information and links to election notices and documents, visit https://www.milpitas.gov/1441/2026-Election.