City Council

Overview of the City Council

The Visalia City Council serves as the community’s elected legislative body, setting the direction, priorities, and funding for all City services. The City Council, as the legislative body, establishes policy that is administered and implemented through full time staff under the Council-Manager form of government. The Council is also responsible for establishing land use policies through the General Plan and zoning regulations. 

Current Council Members

Brett Taylor — Mayor (District 2)

Liz Wynn — Vice Mayor (District 1)

Steve Nelsen — Council Member (District 5)

Brian Poochigian — Council Member (District 3)

Emmanuel Hernandez Soto — Council Member (District 4)

Would you like to connect with your City Council?

Send them an email at [email protected]

Elections and Districts 

Visalia voters elect a 5-member Council to serve as the City's legislative and governing body. The members represent the City and their respective Districts, serve four-year terms and they select one member to serve as mayor and one to serve as vice-mayor. A general municipal election is held every two years in November, alternating between two and three positions each cycle.

The City of Visalia is comprised of five City Council Districts. The City moved to District elections in 2016, and the City adopted a new map in February 2022 after going through a redistricting process. 

City Council Districts Map (PDF)

Interactive City Council Districts Map 

Additional Info

Charter of the City of Visalia - The City of Visalia is a Charter City, as opposed to a General Law City. The City Charter is a written document approved by the electorate and acts as a "constitution" for the city. Amendments, revisions and repeals of a charter are subject to the vote of the people.

Form of Government - Under the Council-Manager form of government, the City Council provides policy direction to the City Manager, who is responsible for administering City operations. In setting policy, the Council works closely with citizen advisory commissions and committees, considers staff information and recommendations, and receives comments from the general public.

Frequently Asked Questions - We understand that citizens have questions about the salaries of City staff, how Council members are compensated, along with other questions. Visit our page on City Salary Information.

Questions? For more information, contact Reyna Rivera, City of Visalia Chief Deputy City Clerk at 713-4512 or [email protected]. For information on the election process, or to see the list of city council seats for each district in each city and the beginning and ending term dates for each seat, visit the Tulare County Registrar of Voters online or contact them at 559-624-7300.

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