Initial data from Tuesday’s election appears to show Suisun City voters favor incumbent Alma Hernandez to keep her seat as mayor for the next four years.
Hernandez was leading at 38% approval over City Councilmember Amit Pal, who netted 26% of votes, according to early results released by the Solano County Registrar of Voters Office.
Hernandez, elected mayor in 2022, is running against Pal, Michael Jefferson, Chauncey Banks and Lilia Dardon.
Suisun City is small, around 29,400 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It’s also incredibly diverse, with a population almost evenly split between Black, Asian, Latino and white residents. Candidates say revenue for the city is down and residents regularly leave town due to a lack of entertainment options.
The next mayor will play a crucial role in the fate of California Forever, a hotly debated, tech billionaire-backed real estate development launched in 2018 with plans to build 170,000 homes for a new “walkable” community on land poised for annexation, according to the proposal.
Hernandez, a born-and-raised Suisun City resident, is running on a platform of economic development and population growth. That primarily means support for the annexation effort, called the Suisun Expansion plan, which proposes to add 22,873 acres of unincorporated Solano County land owned by California Forever into Suisun City.
Hernandez was formerly the president of the Solano Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and part of numerous business organizations, according to her campaign. She is endorsed by a roster of unions and labor organizations, including SEIU Local 1021 and the Suisun City Police Officers Association. Her funders include state Assemblymember Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City, a real estate political action committee and several labor unions.
Pal, appointed to the City Council in 2023, grew up in Suisun City by way of India, from which he and his parents moved when he was a child. Pal’s backers include a long list of local South Asian business owners who run gas station convenience shops and corner stores.
For Pal, residents’ involvement in California Forever’s development process is paramount, and he has said the project’s plans need more transparency. One of his main concerns with California Forever, he said, is its proximity to Travis Air Force Base, a military center and one of the biggest employers in Solano County.
Jefferson, a vocal opponent of California Forever, is a political consultant who was part of an effort to recall Hernandez and the entire City Council in 2025 over claims that the City Council’s focus on the development sacrificed public safety to push plans through.
Jefferson also promoted a plan to expedite business permits to bring revenue to the city via the Suisun Renaissance Plan. Jefferson is endorsed by the Solano County Republican Central Committee and lists ex-Fairfield Mayor Cat Moy as a donor to his campaign alongside several anti-California Forever advocates.
Dardon is a retired special education teacher and former columnist for local news outlet Daily Republic, according to her candidate statement. She has not reported any campaign contributions so far.
Dardon has previously served on the Recreation, Parks, Marina & Arts Commission. Her campaign is grounded in religious ethics and a pledge to bring events like a farmer’s market and festivals back to Suisun City’s weary waterfront. Dardon is a vocal opponent of California Forever’s development plans.
Banks, a supporter of California Forever, is a local small-business owner who formerly ran the successful retail shop Fonky Chicken in Fairfield, which at one time was a hub for early 2000s Hyphy-era rappers, according to Banks.
“Suisun City is a dying breed right now,” he said, pointing to budget stagnation and the lack of new local businesses. Banks’ platform includes an emphasis on youth programs and economic development, which he plans to solve with a vast indoor water park and resort called Aqua Boogie, outfitted with a skate rink, museum and bowling alley.