Two seats on the Visalia City Council were up for grabs in 2026. (Technically three, but nobody filed to run against incumbent District 3 council member Brian Poochigian, so he was reappointed in lieu of election for the next term.)

As of the Thursday, November 5, 2026 update, the Tulare County Registrar of Voters was reporting incumbent Emmanuel Hernandez Soto leading in District 4. Soto garnered 2,052 votes so far to opponent Nick Kastle’s 1,235 votes. Soto’s percentage vote is 62.43% to Kastle’s 37.57%, a lead unlikely to be significantly changed by still-uncounted mail-in ballots. Soto will return to the Visalia City Council for his second term.

In District 5, long-time incumbent Steve Nelsen is losing to challenger Esther Perez, 33.58% to her 44.48% (1,198 to 1,587 votes). Nelsen faced three challengers, and I expected him to coast to an easy win with the opposition votes split between the three, leaving him in a substantial lead. It appears the residents of District 5 have had enough of Nelsen’s leadership style, which can be assertive, and, frankly, whining at times, along with his issues surrounding the Downtown Visalians, of which he recently resigned as CEO. Even with three candidates opposing him, he still fell short.

Tulare County has until December 3, 2026 to certify the election returns. California will publish certified returns by December 11, 2026.