Candidates for Carson’s Second and Fourth Council Districts will be on this year’s November ballot, incumbents and one challenger running for reelection in each race.
This year’s general election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and mail-in ballots have already been sent out.
District 2
Incumbent Jim Dear is running for another term as the District 2 council member against Carson resident Derek Haskell.
Haskell has not had a career in local politics, but said in the Southern California News Group’s Voter Guide that one of his biggest priorities, if elected, would be to invest in Carson’s youth.
Derek Haskell is a candidate for Carson City Council District 2 in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Derek Haskell’s campaign)
“As a City Council member, I would make youth development a major priority by connecting Carson’s young people with leadership opportunities, mentorship, career pathways, sports, volunteerism, civic engagement and international cultural exchange,” he said. “In my opinion, Carson’s biggest need is creating greater opportunity and improving quality of life for the next generation while keeping our community safe and financially strong.”
Dear, on the other hand, has had extensive experience in local government, having served as Carson mayor for 11 years. He said the biggest need facing Carson is transparency.
Jim Dear is running for re-election as Carson District 2 City Councilmember. (Photo courtesy of the City of Carson)
“It’s really important that we have transparency and accountability,” Dear said. “And right now, instead, we have a public relations propaganda machine operating. We have a lot of propaganda spewed out about Carson being the jewel of the South Bay, but we have air pollution, water pollution (and) ground pollution that exists in Carson.
“I don’t want to just say that things are wonderful,” he added. “I want things to become wonderful – creating jobs, creating opportunity for people, working with businesses and being business friendly. And Carson is not business friendly. The propaganda is that we are, but the reality is that we’re not.”
Dear said he believes it is important to work to attract more businesses to Carson to increase sales tax revenue because there is is low to no property tax in the city.
“Our property tax is less than 7%,” he said. “Torrance gets 19%, Long Beach gets 21%, Los Angeles gets 26%. So we are always looking for more revenue.”
Dear said he supports increasing commercial developments that will bring sales tax into the city.
Haskell agreed with this point, saying the city needs to grow revenue without relying on cuts or increasing taxes.
“This means supporting economic development, attracting quality businesses, filling vacant commercial properties, encouraging responsible development and creating jobs that expand Carson’s tax base,” he said. “As a City Council member, I would pursue three strategies simultaneously: protect essential services, responsibly address long-term obligations such as pension and debt liabilities, and maintain healthy reserves for emergencies.”
When it comes to the budget, Haskell added, transparency is of paramount. If elected, he said, he would advocate for “plain-language financial reporting,” timely updates on major expenditures and a clearer explanation of budget changes.
“Transparency starts with making government information easy to understand, easy to access and easy to question,” Haskell said. “I would also support regularly reporting measurable results — not just how much money was spent, but also what residents received for that investment. Residents should be able to track major projects from approval through completion.”
Haskell has received a total of $987 in donations, campaign finance documents show – all from local residents.
Dear, on the other hand, has received more than $10,000 in donations, according to campaign finance documents. Most of this has come from local individuals, though $1,000 came from the Biz Fed PAC, $1,000 came from ILWU Local 13 PAC Fund and $1,500 came from AFSCME Local 809.
District 4
Incumbent Arleen Rojas is running for a second term as the District 4 council member against entrepreneur and public works Commissioner John Hollaway.
Hollaway said he prides himself on his work in public service and community involvement.
John Hollaway is running for Carson District 4 City Councilmember. (Photo courtesy of John Hollaway’s campaign)
“John believes leadership is not about appearing when the cameras arrive,” says his campaign website. “It is about being present when someone needs help, when a neighborhood needs attention, when a senior needs assistance, or when a family simply needs to know that someone cares.”
Hollaway is running for council to “show up” for the community, he said. He said he feels District 4 has been neglected.
“It’s probably the part of the city that’s been neglected and the most overlooked,” Hollaway said during a Monday, Oct. 5, candidates’ forum. “So what I would do is make sure we bring that community together with town hall meetings and so forth and sit down at the table and find out what they want. We need to have a city where people don’t leave here to go to another city for something else.”
Rojas, on the other hand, said the biggest need she sees in Carson is a lack of comprehensive public safety.
Arleen Bocatija Rojas is a candidate for Carson City Council District 4 in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Arleen Bocatija Rojas’ campaign)
“Neighborhood security is the absolute foundation of a thriving city,” Rojas said in the Voter Guide. “To address this, I helped establish the city’s Public Safety Task Force, reactivated the Safety First Act Now initiative, and launched the Community Oriented Policing initiative to directly curb property crime and illegal street takeovers.”
Rojas added that she has proved her ability to manage the city’s budget while investing in critical infrastructure during her time on the City Council.
“My approach prioritizes expanding our local tax base by attracting high-quality commercial investments rather than cutting essential services,” she said. “On the City Council, I voted to revitalize the Avalon Boulevard and Main Street corridors, delivering streetscape and lighting enhancements that have drawn robust business to Carson. Additionally, I delivered $1 million in grants to help our small businesses grow.
“Crucially, I am fighting to strategically deploy our historic $370 million Tesoro/Marathon Petroleum settlement to fund long-term infrastructure and fortify our city reserves,” Rojas added. “By combining this settlement with major revenue-generating initiatives like our landmark 157-acre regional development project, we (will) secure the recurring revenue necessary to pay down long-term pension liabilities. This robust financial foundation allows us to maintain top-tier public services while keeping Carson genuinely affordable for our working families.”
Hollaway, meanwhile, said that while he has not had the experience of managing Carson’s budget specifically, his priorities would reflect what he hears from his constituents. He also added that he has been successful in managing his business.
“I’ve been very, very successful,” Hollaway said. “Managing the budget is personally very, very easy for me and I’ve mastered it. So, I’ll take that experience to City Council.”
Hollaway’s priorities, if elected, would include stronger public safety, supporting and engaging seniors, making Carson more affordable, and strengthening local businesses, according to his campaign website.
Hollaway has received $6,247 in campaign donations as of Sept. 19, campaign finance documents show. While some of this is from local individuals, he also received $3,000 from Casa Bella Realty Group, $1,000 from BizFed PAC and $1,500 from AFSCME Local 809.
Rojas’ campaign finance documents show that she has received more than $45,000 in campaign contributions. The vast majority of that, however, is money that she loaned herself.
How to vote and local polling locations can be found at lavote.gov.