The seven-member Costa Mesa City Council is set for a major overhaul after November’s election.
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Voters will be deciding winners in races for the District 3, District 4 and District 5 council seats — incumbents Manuel Chavez, Andrea Marr and Arlis Reynolds are termed out and could not run again.
But the race for the mayor seat will also leave a place open for a fourth new face. Councilmembers Mike Buley, who represents District 1, and Loren Gameros, who represents District 2, are vying for the seat.
For each of the three open councilmember seats, two residents have tossed their hats in the ring.
Vying for District 3 are Daniel Morgan, a businessowner and parent, and Cara Stewart, a businessowner and startup adviser; challenging each other for District 4 are Fisher Derderian, a businessowner and parent, and Angely Andrade Vallarta, a nonprofit director; and the contenders for the District 5 seat are Kelly Brown, a communications director and educator, and Steve Smith, a technology consultant.
We asked the candidates questions about housing, city finances, transparency, and more, which you can read in our voter guide.
Here is what each said was the biggest need facing the city and how they would address it:
District 3
Daniel Morgan: Costa Mesa’s two biggest needs are public safety and the permitting process.
Public safety has to come first because almost everything else is downstream from it. If residents do not feel safe, businesses are less likely to invest, families are less likely to stay, and the quality of life in our neighborhoods declines. As the city grows, we need to make sure police and fire staffing keeps pace, while also focusing on recruitment, retention, equipment, and aging facilities.
The second issue is permits. Too many residents and business owners spend months, and sometimes years, trying to get relatively straightforward projects approved. That delays home improvements, keeps businesses from opening, costs jobs, and ultimately costs the city tax revenue.
These are basic functions of local government. People should feel safe in their neighborhoods, and they should be able to get a permit without going through an endurance test. Those are two areas where I would expect measurable improvement from City Hall.
Cara Stewart: Costa Mesa’s biggest need is proactive, long-term planning. The city cannot keep responding after the fact, lurching from one emergency decision, lawsuit or costly repair to the next. Housing, traffic, infrastructure, public safety and economic development are interconnected, and we need to plan for them that way.
Our city is changing. We need homes young adults and working families can afford, options that allow seniors to remain in the community, thriving local businesses and infrastructure that keeps pace with growth. Major projects such as the Fairview Developmental Center will bring significant change whether we prepare for it or not.
If elected, I will bring residents, businesses, city staff and public-safety professionals into the process earlier. I will insist that major decisions account for traffic, streets, water, parks and emergency services upfront — not after problems emerge. I will also advocate for multiyear infrastructure and financial plans so we stop reacting to budgets or council terms one at a time.
Costa Mesa does not have to choose between preserving what people love and preparing for the future. We can do both with honest communication, meaningful public input and leadership focused on preventing problems, not simply managing the next crisis.
District 4
Fisher Derderian: Costa Mesa is an incredible place to live, but in my conversations, the biggest need I’ve found is a city that takes better care of the neighborhoods people already call home. Families tell me how expensive life has become. They also tell me about parks that need attention, speeding near schools, and homelessness affecting their homes and their streets. They want City Hall to take these problems seriously, too.
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I have seen residents form a committee to press for park improvements, neighbors organize after a mother said she was laughed at for reporting that someone had defecated on her lawn, and a resident lobby for speed bumps to address the speed of traffic next to two elementary schools. I respect their initiative and, in all fairness, the city has responded to some of it. But the fact is this: basic services should not depend on how effectively residents can organize. When someone raises a problem, they deserve a clear answer, a person responsible, and a timeline for action. I would make that kind of follow-through and focus a priority for the council. We can plan for Costa Mesa’s future while giving the people who live here a city that works for them today.
Angely Andrade Vallarta: I believe Costa Mesa’s greatest need is improving the quality of life for all residents by making our city safer, more accessible, and more affordable.
Public safety should include making our streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, improving traffic safety, and creating neighborhoods where people of all ages and abilities can move around safely. We also need to address affordability so that young families, working people, and older adults can continue to live, work, and thrive in the community they call home.
As a planning commissioner, I have seen firsthand how decisions about housing, infrastructure, parks, and mobility shape our quality of life. I would bring that experience to City Council by listening to residents, investing strategically in our neighborhoods, and ensuring our growth reflects the needs of the people who live here.
A successful Costa Mesa is one where everyone from young families to longtime residents can afford to stay, feel safe, and have access to the places and opportunities that make our community home.
District 5
Kelly Brown: There are two equally important priorities in Costa Mesa: the ability for our residents to afford to live and thrive in our city, and the ability for the city’s infrastructure (including our buildings, parks, etc.) to meet their needs. I want to make sure that Costa Mesa is a place where people at all ages and incomes thrive, and that the city can be counted on for high-quality infrastructure. This includes utilizing the city’s 2026 Facilities Assessment to make decisions on:
• Public safety projects, including the rehabilitation of aging fire stations, for example. And as we develop housing in the city, we need to address our public safety needs, including street improvement projects (including roadways, walkways, and medians).
• Aging parks, half of which are currently graded as a “C” in our parks assessment. We love our parks in Costa Mesa, as they are so important to our neighborhood identities. There needs to be a systematic plan for tackling park improvements alongside increasing green space for everyone.
• A citywide expansion of the tree canopy with attention to supporting residents with cooling zones.
• Digital infrastructure and privacy protections that extend across all digital systems in the city.
Steve Smith: Crime and homelessness. We face elevated levels of property crime, and homelessness continues to be a significant problem. Law enforcement should know that their city supports them, and that our priority is a safe Costa Mesa. The city should enforce anti-camping laws so we are not leaving the problem to run its course. We have tools on hand that we are not using.
Finance. Our city’s finances should be addressed so Costa Mesa can be a wonderful place to live in the years ahead. By being a friendly city to ambitious people who want to start a company, we will increase the sales taxes the city collects. Sales tax is one of our chief sources of revenue, and we need as many storefronts as possible filled with productive enterprises.
Development. Our city faces a difficult challenge: it is already considerably built out, yet we face significant pressure from the state to add more housing. Sacramento’s coercive model forces us to struggle with many of these issues. We must meet the state’s requirements on time where we must, keep maximum control over what they are compelling us to do so we can mitigate the effects, and make state authorities aware that Costa Mesa’s context makes many of their housing mandates difficult to comply with.8
Read more of the voter guide, including what the candidates said would make them good leaders and how they would represent the city’s diverse community at ocregister.com/voter-guide.
Ballots may be returned by mail (must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received within a week of Election Day) or to the OC Registrar of Voters’ drop boxes around town now, and the first vote centers will open for casting ballots in person on Oct. 24.
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