Seven East Palo Alto City Council candidates seek to set city on a promising path

This fall, seven candidates running for East Palo Alto City Council not only want to tackle some of their community’s more evergreen issues — which have worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic — but also to set a promising path for a city in flux.

The incumbents — Lisa Gauthier, Larry Moody and Carlos Romero — are each seeking to secure a third term on the council to continue their work on affordable housing, job opportunities and commercial development, among other issues.

But as the city grapples with one of the highest rates of COVID-19 cases in San Mateo County, some of its persistent issues — resident displacement, job losses, supporting youth and seniors, and public safety and health — have become more urgent.

First-time challengers Stewart Hyland, Webster Lincoln, Antonio Lopez and Juan Mendez want to ensure that residents are protected during the health crisis and are included in the city’s future. They are all well-versed in the city’s issues as well as its potential and hope to build upon the work of their predecessors, but with different solutions.

Read our profiles of the seven candidates:

• Lisa Gauthier: Shaping an East Palo Alto for her family

• Stewart Hyland: If there’s a nonprofit, there’s a way

• Webster Lincoln: East Palo Alto’s homegrown data scientist

• Antonio Lopez: Uplifting the community, starting from the bottom

• Juan Mendez: ‘A new perspective’

• Larry Moody: Embracing East Palo Alto as a Silicon Valley city

• Carlos Romero: Longtime activist sees city’s potential beyond COVID-19

More election coverage:

• Election Guide 2020

We’ve compiled an election guide so local voters can educate themselves about the candidates and measures on the Nov. 3 ballot.

• Voter resources

A contentious general election in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought rise to another issue: casting a ballot. Here’s what you need to know about voting by mail this fall.