With Mayor John Franklin not seeking re-election, Vista voters must choose a replacement from a pair of challengers this fall, though incumbents hope to retain both City Council seats on November ballots.
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Franklin is finishing his first term as mayor after eight years on the council. A bid to replace county Supervisor Jim Desmond ran aground in the June primary, but the mayor did not cite that outcome as his primary reason for stepping away from city politics after a dozen years at the dais.
He said he is proud of the city’s recent accomplishments but believes it is simply time to give somebody else a turn.
“We’ve delivered historic surpluses and also added more deputy sheriffs and firefighters to keep our city safe,” Franklin said. “While there is much work remaining to be done, I believe in self-imposed term limits.
“No one should serve for decades on end; we need new, fresh leadership with new perspectives for our city.”
However, one of the two choices for mayor will be quite familiar for anyone who follows city politics.
Joe Green, who served eight years on the Vista City Council but declined to seek a third term in 2024, is in the running for mayor. He faces Kenneth Zuniga, a current member of the city’s Homelessness Commission.
Green, a real estate broker and loan officer, owns Green Team Realty in Vista. Zuniga works as a photographer for Fashionphile, a Carlsbad-based company that buys and resells used luxury goods.
In his candidate statement, Zuniga states he is a small-business owner, though no business is listed in his economic interest disclosure form. In an email, the candidate said that he takes on project work outside his regular employment.
“I describe myself as a small business owner because of the independent client work I take on outside of my W-2 employment,” Zuniga said.
He did not respond to whether this work takes place under the auspices of a licensed business or as an independent contractor.
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It is clear that the San Diego State graduate does have significant support in his bid to win the mayor’s seat. He is endorsed by Vista School Board members Cipriano Vargas and Martha Alvarado and several organizations, including the San Diego County Democratic Party.
Green has won the endorsements of the local firefighters and deputy sheriff’s associations and of LIUNA, the Laborers’ International Union of North America.
Green currently has the campaign fundraising edge. His most recent disclosure, covering the first six months of 2026, lists $26,785 in available funds, including nearly $11,000 in donations and personal loans raised in 2025. Zuniga had $6,304 available, but also listed $2,141 in nonmonetary contributions to his campaign.
Incumbent Corrina Contreras currently represents Vista’s District 1, which straddles North Santa Fe Avenue, including its Townsite neighborhood, one of the most diverse in the city, and Guajome Park, a cultural and recreational asset.
Contreras, first elected in 2018 and seeking her third term on the council, will face challengers Yolanda Kenniston Alvarez and Frank Nuñez. Nuñez is a sales manager for Valley, a Los Angeles-based fruit and produce wholesaler and owns a local video production business. Kenniston Alvarez lists work with the League of United Latin American Citizens and Head Start among her areas of civic engagement during 40 years living in Vista.
Nuñez, a member of the Vista Irrigation District board of directors, is endorsed by Mayor Franklin and by council member Jeff Fox, who represents Vista’s District 2. Contreras is endorsed by the Democratic Club of Vista. Kenniston Alvarez lists no endorsements on her website or in her candidate statement.
In terms of campaign funds, filings show that Nunez had a $14,082 ending cash balance as of June 30, with Contreras listing a personal loan of $900 and Kenniston Alvarez $308.
Vista’s District 4 lies south of State Route 78 and includes the city’s Shadowridge development. Incumbent Dan O’Donnell, according to his city disclosure statement, is a client relationship manager for Florida-based Boarshead Brands and serves on several governing boards including the League of California Cities and the Vista Communities Development Association. He faces Josh Davis, a software product manager for Motorola Solutions and, according to his conflict of interest disclosure, a co-founder of Butter People, a company that manufactures “premium butter and compound butter.”
O’Donnell listed an ending campaign cash balance of $10,510 as of June 30. Davis, who filed his nomination papers on Aug. 3, will be required to file a finance disclosure statement when his campaign spends or receives more than $2,000.
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