District 2 Candidate Jacky Elizalde is campaigning on emergency response, everyday services and budget scrutiny. Her proposals deserve the same close reading as the incumbent’s record.
Jacky Elizalde has already come close to taking Victor Preciado’s seat. In November 2022, she received 1,109 votes to his 1,216. The margin was 107 votes. She returns to the District 2 contest with experience around government and a platform built around services residents use every day. [1]
Her campaign describes her as a longtime Pomona resident, mother, labor advocate and former congressional district representative. She is challenging an incumbent, but she has worked inside government herself. The April 2024 Congressional Directory lists Jacqueline Elizalde as a field representative in U.S. Representative Norma Torres’s Ontario district office. [2][8]
Her earlier work included county services. An October 2020 Campus Times profile, published during her run for Pomona mayor, reported that she worked for San Bernardino County’s Human Services Department, helping families living in poverty with housing and grants. The same profile described human trafficking as one of her campaign concerns; the issue remains part of her 2026 safety platform. [4][9]
Mt. San Antonio College independently lists Jacqueline Elizalde as a Pomona at-large representative on its Citizens’ Oversight Committee. The committee monitors the proper use of campus construction bond money and informs the public about those expenditures. Its members are appointed by the college’s trustees. [3]
Her public-safety platform gives voters a specific proposal to examine: making the reopening of Fire Station 181 a priority. She also calls for improved emergency response, neighborhood partnerships and pedestrian safety. Her published safety page does not supply a reopening cost, staffing plan or timetable. Those details would help residents judge what she could deliver. [4]
Her public-services proposals concern ordinary problems: maintained park restrooms, repaired streets, working lights and an accessible library. These commitments are easy to understand. They still require budgets, staff and decisions about which work happens first. [5]
In an Inland Valley Daily Bulletin candidate questionnaire, Elizalde grouped homelessness, housing affordability and public safety among the city’s connected problems. She supported a mix of housing options, including paths to ownership; said warehouses have a purpose but should not be overconcentrated in any community; and said local government should uphold the law while protecting residents and staying in contact with county, state and federal officials on immigration. The answers establish a direction, but not measurable targets or an implementation plan. [12]
Regarding finances, Elizalde proposes an annual, in-depth forensic review of the City’s budget. She also calls for eliminating spending that no longer serves a clear purpose and pursuing outside funding. Her fiscal platform does not identify particular cuts or explain the proposed review’s scope and cost. A promise to reduce waste becomes more useful when a candidate identifies the waste. [6]
However, her own public-service record also requires scrutiny. The City’s August staff report described three unexcused Parks and Recreation Commission absences in 2026. A July 16 motion recommending her removal failed on a 3–3 vote. Councilmember Elizabeth Ontiveros-Cole, who had appointed her, then requested council consideration. On August 3, the Council removed Elizalde in a 5–0 vote. Preciado recused himself; Mayor Tim Sandoval was absent. [7][10]
Elizalde addressed the absences in an August 26 campaign statement. She said some involved childcare responsibilities and caring for a sick child, and accused the Council of treating her differently from other commissioners. Her statement acknowledged the Council’s independent removal authority under the Charter. Those are her explanations and allegations, rather than a City finding about its motives. [11]
The attendance record and her explanation belong together. Voters can assess both while asking how she would manage the demands of a council seat. The Council’s handling of her removal does not answer that question for her.
Elizalde’s campaign offers proposals voters can question directly: how to improve emergency response, maintain public spaces and examine City spending. Winning an argument against the incumbent would only get her into the seat. Carrying out those proposals would be the job.
REFERENCES
1. Los Angeles County, November 2022 final official election results, page 85.
2. Elizalde campaign biography. Personal background and employment descriptions are attributed to her campaign.
3. Mt. San Antonio College Citizens’ Oversight Committee membership and responsibilities.
4. Elizalde public-safety platform.
5. Elizalde public-services platform.
7. City of Pomona, August 3, 2026 removal agenda file 26-1585 and staff attachments.
8. Congressional Directory, April 25, 2024, California’s 35th District staff listing. Lists Elizalde as a field representative in Torres’s Ontario office; it does not establish her complete employment dates.
9. Campus Times, October 16, 2020, “ULV student runs for Pomona mayor,” page 2.
10. The Pomonan, reporting on Elizalde’s removal and the Council vote.
11. Elizalde campaign statement, August 26, 2026, reproduced by The Pomonan. The statement supplies her explanation and allegations; it is not an independent determination of political retaliation.
12. Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, May 5, 2026, Elizalde primary-election candidate questionnaire.
Editor’s note: The Pomonan invited both District 2 candidates to submit an op ed or participate in a written interview. Neither responded by the stated deadline. Their positions are drawn from public records, campaign materials and published questionnaires.
The Pomonan is an independent publication of essays, criticism, photography, and cultural commentary.
