Sylvia Lemus

Background

Sylvia Lemus worked for the County of Sonoma for more than 33 years, specializing in human resources and communications, according to the City of Cotati. KRCB reported that her county work included the Human Services Department and managing programs in the Human Resources Department, and that she runs a small family-owned wine business. She is a mother of two. She is a founding member of Los Cien Sonoma County and of Santa Rosa's Cinco de Mayo celebration, and KRCB lists leadership roles with Sonoma Clean Power, the Sonoma County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Community and Local Law Enforcement Task Force. She joined the Cotati Planning Commission in February 2020 and chaired it in 2022.

In office

Lemus was appointed to the Cotati City Council in 2022 for a full four-year term ending in December 2026. The city calls her the first Latina councilmember in its history. Her listed goals include housing affordability, climate, community safety, support for small businesses and work across jurisdictions.

In December 2025 the council chose her, then vice mayor, as mayor for 2026, on a nomination by Councilmember Susan Harvey. Handing over the post, outgoing Mayor Ben Ford said the city was "in good hands," The Community Voice reported. The Community Voice reported that she planned to work more with neighboring cities, notably Petaluma, and with the Specialized Assistance for Everyone team.

At an April 29, 2026 candidate forum hosted by Los Cien in Petaluma, she said Cotati has nearly three times its state-assigned housing numbers in the development pipeline and asked why some of those units could not be transferred to the county, as Santa Rosa had done. She also called for expanding community emergency drills, drawing on her county emergency response work.

On the ballot

Lemus's ballot designation is Councilmember/Business Owner. Supervisor David Rabbitt, who has held the seat for four terms, did not run and endorsed her. Certified June 2 results gave Joanna Paun 14,118 votes (41.3 percent) and Lemus 8,572 (25.1 percent), ahead of Shelina Moreda and John E. King. KRCB reported that the Farm Bureau, Sheriff Eddie Engram and the deputy sheriffs' and firefighters' associations also back Lemus, while Paun is endorsed by Assemblymembers Damon Connolly and Chris Rogers and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond. The Press Democrat editorial board endorsed Lemus on October 12. The winner takes office in January 2027.