Lafayette will not hold a City Council election Nov. 3. The council appointed three members at a special meeting Aug. 20, saving the city at least $48,000 in election costs.

Incumbents Jim Cervantes and Stella Wotherspoon won four-year terms ending in 2030. Newcomer Mario DiPrisco received a two-year term ending in 2028, filling the seat left open by Councilmember Susan Candell, who chose not to seek re-election after serving since 2018.

The council adopted Resolution 2026-50 on a 3-0-1 vote, with one member abstaining, the Lamorinda Weekly reported. No source identified the abstaining member.

Only three candidates filed by the Aug. 12 deadline. City Clerk Joanne Robbins certified Aug. 13 that the number of qualified candidates did not exceed the number of open seats. Under California Elections Code Section 10229, that allowed the council to appoint rather than hold an election. Lafayette used the same procedure in 1993, 2014 and 2022.

The city said in a press release that canceling the uncontested race will save at least $48,000 in election expenses. Neither the press release nor other public records provided a breakdown of that figure.

DiPrisco's civic record

DiPrisco, a Lafayette resident since 2008, brings a long civic resume. He served on the Lafayette Transportation and Circulation Commission and the Advisory Fire Commission for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors appointed him in 2026 as an alternate trustee of the Contra Costa County Employees' Retirement Association (CCCERA), which oversees a $14 billion pension fund.

He also co-chairs the alumni committee for Lafayette Partners in Education (LPIE), sits on the Community Foundation for Lafayette board and belongs to the Lafayette Rotary Club.

Before Lafayette, DiPrisco spent 26 years at Dodge & Cox, one of the largest independently owned asset managers in the country, retiring in 2024, according to his website. In his early twenties he served on the Albany City Council.

On his website, DiPrisco called wildfire "the existential risk to this town, and unlike most existential risks, it is one we can actually reduce."

What this means for voters

Canceling the council race does not affect Lafayette residents' ability to vote Nov. 3. The General Election ballot will still include federal, state, regional and local measures. Voter information is available through Contra Costa County.

Candell served as mayor in 2021 and 2024, Patch reported. As of the city's Aug. 21 press release, no swearing-in date had been announced. DiPrisco's term begins in December.