Member, City Council, District 4
My vote power
High
Election date
November 3, 2026 · General election
This seat represents District 4, not the whole district above. We can’t match an address to an area this small, so this race may not be on your ballot.
How do we calculate my vote power?
What determines the vote power rating: Representation: how much weight one vote carries here compared with a statewide vote — the smaller the district, the more each vote counts. Decisiveness: how likely this race is to be close, based on past results or current analyst ratings, plus whether more candidates are running than there are seats.
Representation: High · 74 out of 100
This district is a small slice of its state, so each vote here carries much more weight than a vote in a statewide race. About 177,090 people live here.
Show the representation math
score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(39,287,377 ÷ 177,090) ÷ ln(50,000) = 74.96, measured against a statewide vote in CA (grades: 66+ high, 55+ above average, 33+ average, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No analyst ratings or past results for this contest yet.
High representation → My vote power: High.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information and capped at "High".
What does this office do?
- Passing city laws, called ordinances
- Approving the city budget
- Funding city services, such as police, trash, and parks
Affects: Environment and Public Health, Government Efficiency, Government Spending Reduction,
Who is running?
Nonpartisan
Melanie Jones-Carter chairs Santa Rosa's Design Review and Preservation Board and retired after more than 30 years in business operations and management. Her priorities are housing affordability, including help for first-time home buyers, and repairing roads and sidewalks.
Records: Housing Affordability 4 for, Government Spending Reduction 1 for
Nonpartisan
Terry Sanders is a second-term Santa Rosa Planning Commissioner and a retired Oakland firefighter and paramedic whose Fountaingrove home burned in the 2017 fires. His priorities are the city budget and public safety.
Records: Environment and Public Health 1 for, Housing Affordability 1 for, Public Safety and Crime Control 1 for
Source: sonomacounty.gov
Last updated September 26, 2026.