Marina friends, with our upcoming Mayoral Candidates Forum this Saturday, September 12 at 10:30 AM at the Marina City Council Chambers, I thought this would be a good opportunity to learn a little more about the three people asking us to trust them with Marina’s next chapter.
This election is particularly significant because, for the first time since 2008, Marina will elect a new mayor. Mayor Bruce Delgado is retiring, and the City of Marina has officially qualified three candidates for the November 3 election:
- Ana Luz Acevedo-Cabrera
- Mike Moeller
- Liesbeth Visscher
I have been doing some research before the forum because, quite frankly, I am still weighing the options myself. I wanted to know more than names and campaign signs. What are their backgrounds? What issues are they emphasizing? Where do they differ? And, although this is officially a nonpartisan position, what, if anything, can actually be verified about their political affiliations?
An important reminder before getting into that last question: Marina Mayor is a nonpartisan municipal office. California law defines municipal offices as nonpartisan, and candidates do not run on the ballot as the official nominee of the Democratic, Republican or another political party. Party history and political endorsements can provide additional context about a candidate, but they do not change the nonpartisan responsibilities of the office.
Ana Luz Acevedo-Cabrera
Background: Acevedo-Cabrera is a Hartnell College professor with a background in engineering, technology and entrepreneurship. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from UC Berkeley and has been involved in Monterey County organizations dealing with affordable housing, workforce development, disaster resilience, health care access and other community issues.
Earlier this year, she ran for California’s 19th Congressional District before entering the Marina mayoral race.
What she is emphasizing: Acevedo-Cabrera has highlighted Marina’s cost of living, workforce housing and public safety as significant issues. Her engineering background is a central part of her pitch: approaching city problems analytically and looking for practical solutions.
She has also been critical of what she sees as a disconnect between Marina’s government and the economic realities facing many residents.
Measure Q: Acevedo-Cabrera agrees that Marina’s existing police and fire facilities are inadequate, but she believes the proposed 7% Utility Users Tax is too high. She has suggested that the existing public safety building may have potential for another municipal use, such as City Hall, rather than simply abandoning all existing facilities.
Party Background and Political History
Of the three mayoral candidates, Acevedo-Cabrera has the clearest publicly documented party history because her 2026 congressional candidacy triggered California’s official 10-year candidate party-preference disclosure. According to the California Secretary of State, her registration history during that period was:
- 2016 to 2020: Democratic Party preference, registered in San Francisco County.
- 2020 to 2026: No Party Preference, registered in Monterey County.
This provides more definitive information than trying to determine political affiliation from endorsements, associations or policy positions. It is the official party-preference history published by the State of California in connection with her congressional candidacy.
Her 2026 congressional campaign provides further context. California’s official candidate list identified Acevedo-Cabrera as No Party Preference, while her Federal Election Commission filing categorized her candidacy as Independent.
Acevedo-Cabrera also publicly presented herself as an independent during the congressional campaign. At an April 2026 congressional candidate forum, she was identified as an Independent and framed her candidacy as being less about traditional left-versus-right politics and more about addressing problems and making government work for people.
That distinction is important when considering her political background. While Acevedo-Cabrera has a documented history with the Democratic Party, she has not had a Democratic Party preference since 2020. She has instead maintained No Party Preference for approximately six years and ran for Congress in 2026 as an Independent.
I also looked for significant Democratic, Republican, labor or other partisan endorsements from her 2026 congressional campaign. I did not find evidence of a major party endorsement that would contradict her Independent/NPP positioning.
In summary: The most accurate description of Acevedo-Cabrera’s documented political history appears to be Independent/No Party Preference, formerly Democratic. She had a Democratic Party preference from 2016 through 2020, changed to No Party Preference in 2020 and remained NPP through 2026. Her subsequent congressional campaign was filed federally as Independent.
As with all three candidates, it is important to remember that Marina Mayor is a nonpartisan municipal office. Her previous and current party preferences provide political background for voters, but she is not running for Mayor as the nominee of a political party.
Verification: California Secretary of State 10-Year Party Preference History | California Secretary of State 2026 Candidate List | Federal Election Commission Candidate Record | KSQD 2026 Congressional Candidate Forum
Learn more: Ana Luz Acevedo-Cabrera for Mayor
Mike Moeller
Background: Moeller is a respiratory care practitioner working in public health care and has increasingly become involved in Marina civic life over the past several years.
His community involvement includes Marina in Motion, Repair Café Marina, the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District Citizens Oversight Committee, Marina’s All-Inclusive Playground effort and other local projects. He was also a member of Marina’s City Facilities Citizens Advisory Committee.
Professionally, Moeller says he has been an SEIU member for 15 years and is a former union steward. His campaign emphasizes public safety, transparency, fiscal responsibility, supporting local businesses, practical improvements and thoughtful growth.
Measure Q: Moeller opposes the proposed 7% Utility Users Tax as currently written. He argues that Marina needs improved public facilities, but believes the city should rely more heavily on responsible planning, economic growth and smarter budgeting rather than placing another permanent tax on residents.
Party Background and Political Support
I also could not find an authoritative public voter-registration record establishing Moeller’s current or previous personal party registration. There is, however, substantial public evidence showing that his political support network is closely aligned with Democratic and organized-labor organizations.
- The Monterey County Democratic Party has officially endorsed Mike Moeller for Mayor in 2026.
- The Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO has given Moeller its sole endorsement in the Marina mayoral race.
- Moeller is a longtime SEIU member and former union steward, according to his campaign media kit.
I think it is also worth noting that Mike Moeller and Athena Burciaga, who is running for Marina City Council District 4, share several organizational endorsements in the 2026 Marina election, particularly because these political relationships may not be immediately apparent from the candidates’ public-facing campaign materials.
- The Monterey County Democratic Party has endorsed Mike Moeller for Mayor and Athena Burciaga for Marina City Council District 4.
- The Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO has also given each candidate its sole endorsement in their respective Marina races.
- In addition, the California Democratic Party Renters Council endorses both Moeller for Mayor and Burciaga for District 4.
- Burciaga’s own political background provides additional context. Monterey County NOW identifies her as co-chair of the Central Coast Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
These shared endorsements show that Moeller and Burciaga have support from several of the same Democratic and organized-labor political organizations. However, I have not found verifiable evidence that Moeller personally endorsed Burciaga, is affiliated with DSA, identifies as a Democratic Socialist, or shares Burciaga’s political ideology. An organization’s decision to endorse two candidates does not establish that those candidates endorse one another or hold the same political views.
I think that distinction is important. My purpose in including these endorsements is to provide voters with additional, verifiable information about the political organizations and coalitions supporting the candidates, not to assign an affiliation or ideology to a candidate when I cannot document one.
Taken together, these endorsements and Moeller’s labor background demonstrate a clear Democratic and organized-labor political coalition supporting his candidacy. However, that is still different from establishing his personal voter registration or assuming that he agrees with every position held by the organizations endorsing him.
Bottom line: Moeller’s personal party registration remains unverified. What can be documented is that his mayoral campaign has significant support from Democratic and labor organizations. That information can help voters understand the political coalition around his campaign while remembering that the Marina Mayor’s office itself remains officially nonpartisan.
Learn more: Mike Moeller for Mayor
Liesbeth Visscher
Background: Visscher is the only current City Council member in the mayoral race. She was elected to Marina City Council in 2022 and currently serves as Mayor Pro Tem.
Her professional and educational background includes architecture, building technology and accounting. Before joining the Council, she was heavily involved in Marina water issues and chaired Citizens for Just Water from 2020 to 2022 in opposition to Cal Am’s proposed desalination project and groundwater extraction.
What she is emphasizing: Of the three candidates, Visscher is most clearly running on continuity with Marina’s current direction combined with completing projects already underway.
Her priorities include replacing or improving Marina’s aging police, fire and municipal facilities; protecting Marina’s water supply; developing workforce or “missing middle” housing at Cypress Knolls; completing an aquatics and sports center; expanding athletic facilities; developing a long-term maintenance plan for city property; and making Marina’s downtown safer and more walkable.
She also points to Marina’s recent economic development, new businesses, affordable housing and Joby Aviation expansion as accomplishments that she wants to continue building upon. Retiring Mayor Bruce Delgado has endorsed Visscher as his preferred successor.
Measure Q: Visscher supports Measure Q and argues that Marina’s existing municipal and public-safety facilities are inadequate for a city that has grown considerably since those facilities were constructed.
She believes the proposed Utility Users Tax provides a realistic funding mechanism for those projects. She has also said that, if the measure passes and circumstances eventually allow it, she would look for opportunities to reduce the tax rate.
Party Background and Political History
Visscher’s political-party history is more difficult to document than Acevedo-Cabrera’s. I could not locate an authoritative public record establishing Visscher’s current or previous voter registration as Democratic, Republican, No Party Preference or another political party.
That means I don’t think it would be responsible to simply label her a Democrat or assign another party affiliation based on her policy positions. There are, however, several publicly documented political and ideological associations that provide additional context.
Visscher’s emergence into Marina politics grew substantially out of environmental and water advocacy. Before being elected to City Council, she was involved with Citizens for Just Water and served as its chair from 2020 through 2022. The organization opposed Cal Am’s proposed desalination project and groundwater extraction in Marina. Correspondence submitted to the California Coastal Commission documents Visscher advocating against the project and framing the issue in terms that included environmental justice and protection of Marina’s diverse community.
During her successful 2022 campaign for Marina City Council District 4, Visscher also received an endorsement from BAYMEC, the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee, an LGBTQ-focused political organization that supports candidates and policies aligned with LGBTQ equality and related civil-rights priorities.
There are additional indications of where Visscher places herself on some public-policy issues. In her own public social media profile, she identifies herself as a supporter of LGBTQ rights, DEI, environmental justice, abortion rights, public transit, affordable housing, pedestrians and bicyclists, and recycling. These are her publicly stated policy positions and provide more useful information about her political outlook than trying to infer a voter-registration status that I could not verify.
Visscher has also participated in the broader network of local and regional elected officials. In 2024, for example, she endorsed Marina City Council candidate Jenny McAdams, whose endorsement coalition also included Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte, BAYMEC and numerous local elected officials.
At the same time, Visscher’s record includes a strong emphasis on economic development and private-sector growth. Her current mayoral campaign highlights Joby Aviation’s expansion and hundreds of jobs, new businesses and restaurants, Trader Joe’s, housing development and Marina’s broader economic growth as accomplishments she wants to continue building upon.
Her 2026 campaign also has the strong support of retiring Mayor Bruce Delgado, who has endorsed Visscher as his preferred successor.
In summary: Visscher’s actual political-party registration remains not publicly verified based on the records I was able to locate. Her public record does, however, demonstrate connections to environmental and progressive causes, including environmental justice, LGBTQ rights, DEI, abortion rights, affordable housing and public transit. She received BAYMEC’s endorsement during her 2022 City Council campaign and has participated in a network of local candidates and elected officials with similar policy priorities.
Those associations can reasonably provide voters with context about her political outlook, but they should not be presented as proof that she is or has been a registered Democrat.
As with the other candidates, it is also important to remember that Marina Mayor is a nonpartisan municipal office. Whatever Visscher’s personal voter registration may be, she is not running for Mayor as the nominee of the Democratic, Republican or another political party.
Verification: BAYMEC 2022 General Election Endorsements | California Coastal Commission, Citizens for Just Water Correspondence | Liesbeth Visscher for Mayor | Jenny McAdams 2024 Endorsements
Learn more: Liesbeth Visscher for Mayor
Where the Candidates Seem to Differ Most
One thing I found interesting while researching these candidates is that the differences aren’t easily explained by traditional Republican-versus-Democrat politics.
All three acknowledge that Marina faces legitimate challenges involving aging public-safety facilities, housing affordability, growth and infrastructure. Their differences seem to be more about how to solve those problems and how to pay for them.
Measure Q provides one of the clearest examples.
- Visscher supports Measure Q as a way to finance Marina’s needed public facilities.
- Moeller opposes the current 7% proposal and favors exploring a smaller or more targeted approach along with other funding strategies.
- Acevedo-Cabrera also opposes the 7% rate while agreeing that Marina’s public-safety facilities need significant attention.
The candidates also bring three very different types of experience to the race: Visscher brings current City Council and municipal-government experience; Moeller brings health care, labor and extensive community-organizing experience; and Acevedo-Cabrera brings engineering, education, nonprofit and broader regional policy experience.
Those are meaningful differences, and Saturday’s forum should give us an opportunity to hear each candidate explain those differences in their own words.
Why I Wanted to Share This
I love Marina, and I think this is an important election.
I also don’t think we do ourselves any favors by immediately placing candidates into political camps and then deciding whether we like them based on the camp we put them in.
Yes, political history, endorsements and affiliations are legitimate information for voters to consider. That’s why I included them. But this is also a nonpartisan local office, and whoever becomes our next mayor will have to deal with very Marina-specific issues: public safety, housing, water, economic development, infrastructure, our airport, local businesses, parks, traffic, city finances and the quality of life all of us share.
Personally, I am still weighing the candidates. I’m looking forward to hearing what each of them has to say Saturday and learning more as we get closer to November.
I hope we hear real plans, and not just goals. After all, we all want to make housing more affordable, but how you plan to do it can be completely different from someone elses idea on how to do it. And that is where we differ and what voters need to know.
If you’re available, I encourage my Marina friends to attend:
Marina Mayoral Candidates Forum
Saturday, September 12, 2026
10:30 AM
Marina City Council Chambers
211 Hillcrest Avenue, Marina
Come listen. Ask questions. Do your own research. And most importantly, vote.
Sources & Further Reading
I encourage everyone to verify information and learn more directly from the candidates and independent sources:
- City of Marina Candidate Watch, official list of qualified 2026 candidates.
- California Secretary of State, Nonpartisan Offices, California’s definition of municipal offices as nonpartisan.
- Monterey County NOW, Marina Mayoral Race, September 3 reporting and interviews with all three candidates.
- Mike Moeller Campaign Website
- Liesbeth Visscher Campaign Website
- Ana Luz Acevedo-Cabrera Campaign Website
- California Secretary of State, 10-Year Party Preference History, official record documenting Acevedo-Cabrera’s Democratic and later No Party Preference history.
- Federal Election Commission, Ana Luz Acevedo-Cabrera, records her 2026 congressional candidacy as Independent.
- Monterey County Democratic Party, 2026 Endorsements, documents the party’s endorsement of Mike Moeller for Marina Mayor.
- Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, 2026 Endorsements, documents its endorsement of Mike Moeller.
Research & AI Disclosure: I used AI as a research assistant to help gather, organize and cross-reference publicly available information for this post, including official government records, candidate websites, election records, news reporting and organizational endorsements. I reviewed the findings and have included links wherever possible so readers can verify the information and draw their own conclusions. This post is not intended to promote, oppose or endorse any candidate. I am personally still weighing the candidates myself and am sharing this in the interest of encouraging informed, respectful community discussion before the upcoming candidate forum and November election. If any candidate believes something here inaccurately represents their background or position, I welcome the correction and will update it.
Geno Quiroz serves on the Marketing & Technology team at IPX1031, a Fidelity National Financial company and a national leader in 1031 tax-deferred exchange services. In his current role, Geno focuses on website architecture, design, development, SEO/AIO, and digital marketing strategy. His work helps strengthen the company’s digital presence, improve user experience, and ensure that IPX1031’s online platforms effectively support client engagement and long-term growth.
Concurrently, Geno continues to lead Monterey Premier, the web design and strategic consulting firm he founded in 2015. Through Monterey Premier, he partners with entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and growing organizations to design high-performance websites, refine digital sales funnels, and implement conversion-focused strategies.
His hands-on experience building and scaling a client-facing agency has provided him with a real-world understanding of growth strategy, brand positioning, and the operational realities of business ownership — experience that now directly informs and strengthens his work in enterprise marketing technology.
