Explore Los Banos voter guides, local civic context and official resources for Merced County campaigns, with dated population and registration facts.
At a glance: Los Banos is an incorporated city in Merced County. Population: 49,255 (California Department of Finance estimate as of January 1, 2026). Registered voters: 22,917 (California Secretary of State, as of September 4, 2026).
Los Banos is an incorporated western Merced County city near Dos Palos, Gustine and Santa Nella. Its September 2025 LAFCo service review describes Highway 152 as crossing the city and connecting Interstate 5 to the west with Highway 99 to the east. That east-west regional connection distinguishes its setting from the Highway 99 cities farther east. The review explains that the city adopted its 2042 General Plan in 2022 and that the plan addresses housing, jobs, quality of life and environmental protection. Its land-use figures distinguish city limits from proposed sphere-of-influence changes. A proposed sphere expansion is therefore not reported here as an already completed annexation. Los Banos provides the broad group of municipal services evaluated in the review: water, wastewater, storm drainage, police, fire, parks and recreation, and general government. The report organizes these into service-specific chapters, making it useful for understanding the infrastructure behind growth proposals. A planning review is nevertheless not a live guarantee of capacity at any individual property. The September 2025 review also evaluates parks and recreation alongside the utility systems behind urban development. Its land-use and service chapters let residents distinguish an existing public facility from planned growth and future financing. For a specific project or parcel, use the adopted city and LAFCo records; a review’s forecast or proposed sphere change is not a completed annexation or a guaranteed connection.
The 2025 review identifies Highway 152, connecting I-5 westward with Highway 99 eastward.
The review identifies the 2042 General Plan, adopted in 2022.
Water, wastewater, storm drainage, police, fire, parks and recreation, and general government, organized into service-specific chapters.
No. The 2025 review’s proposed sphere-of-influence changes are planning steps; adopted city and LAFCo records establish actual boundary changes.
22,917 (California Secretary of State, as of September 4, 2026).
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