When it comes to the upcoming general election, to quote the late, great Glenn Frey, “The Heat Is On.”
That means the Nov. 3 ballot is coming into sharper focus, as the deadline passed Friday for candidates to run for several local offices in Merced County.
The only exception is those races where an eligible incumbent has not filed to run for reelection. In those races, the deadline to file will be Wednesday, Aug. 12.
Merced County Registrar of Voters Melvin Levey said the candidate filing period, particularly for the November general election, is always a busy time for his office. Plus, this was the first year his office held candidate filing appointments in Los Banos.
“It’s a lot of detailed work as we’re reviewing petition signatures and other things, making sure that the candidates are getting correct information, getting timely service, and so that’s what a large portion of the staff has done,” Levey said.
The registrar’s office will begin sending ballots to registered voters on Oct. 5, and most voters should begin receiving them on Oct. 7.
Levey said his office is also busy looking for volunteers to help with the upcoming general election. If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering, you can contact the Merced County Registrar of Voters Office at (209) 385-7541 or elections@countyofmerced.com.
Merced City Council District 6
One of the most closely-watched local races on the Nov. 3 ballot will be Merced City Council District 6, which includes the north Merced communities of Bellevue Ranch, El Redondo/San Augustine and several neighborhoods generally north of Buena Vista and Bellevue drives.
Up until this week, it was unknown whether incumbent Councilmember Fue Xiong would file for reelection. By happenstance, The Merced FOCUS was at city hall on Thursday, and encountered Xiong walking into the building, carrying his filing papers.
Xiong confirmed to The FOCUS he had been taking time to consider whether he’d run again, and decided relatively recently to run for a second term.
While Xiong is now qualified for the ballot, this time around he’ll face off against two opponents. Buhach Colony High teacher John Bliss Jr. and businessman Yader Zeledon are aiming to replace Xiong on the seven-member council.
Bliss is a familiar name locally because he ran against Delray Shelton for the District 6 seat in 2018, losing by a mere six votes.
Merced City Council District 2
Incumbent District 2 Councilmember Yang Pao Thao is running for his seat, though technically it’s not a reelection campaign. Thao was appointed to the seat, which covers southwest Merced, after Ronnie De Anda resigned at the end of 2025.
Thao, who works as a marketing director for a local financial services company, will have to hit the campaign trail in order to keep his seat. Felipe Rojas-Flores stepped forward this week to challenge Thao. Rojas-Flores, a public interest attorney, previously ran for District 5 against incumbent Councilmember Sarah Boyle in 2024, but dropped out of the race a month before Election Day. Boyle went on the defeat challenger Alex Carrillo.
Merced City Council District 4
Incumbent District 4 Merced City Council member Shane Smith will serve another term on the council. As of Friday, no candidates qualified to compete against Smith on the ballot.
Atwater mayor and city council
Incumbent Mayor Mike Nelson is running for a second four year term. He will compete against Roberto Montes-Yepez, described as an artist/utility worker. So far in Districts 3 and 4, where no incumbents are running for office, planning commissioner Shawn Conour and businessman Adam R. Conour filed respectively.
Livingston mayor and city council
Incumbent Mayor Jose Moran’s term is ending this year, which means Livingston residents will choose a new mayor.
Two current members of the city council are vying for the seat – Japjeet Singh Uppal and Jason Roth.
Uppal’s name is familiar to some voters. During the primary he ran for the 27th Assembly District seat, but was outpaced by Fresno County Supervisor Brian Pacheco and former Merced mayor Mike Murphy.
Because an incumbent is not running in the mayors’ race, there are still a few days left for candidates to file.
Livingston voters will also select two new city council members from a field of four candidates. Longtime incumbent Gurpaul Samra is running, competing against Uppal’s older brother Parwinder Singh Uppal and two other candidates: planning commissioner Mohinder Kanda and nonprofit manager Terika Degraw. Robert Wallis is on the ballot for a short term councilmember position.
Westside cities
In Los Banos, incumbent Mayor Michael Amabile is running unopposed, along with incumbent District 2 Councilmember Refugio Llamas. In District 3, incumbent Marcus Chavez is running against challenger Erasmo Viveros.
In Dos Palos, residents will vote on two council seats, and so far two candidates have stepped up: education administrator Laura Andrews and Brian Guerrero, a deputy planning commissioner.
In Gustine, incumbent Patrick Nagy is running unopposed. Residents will vote for two city council seats, and there are two candidates: incumbent Rich Ford and business owner Sherri Marsigli.