Political Landscape: Michelle Figueredo-Wilson seeks District 4 seat on Costa Mesa City Council

Westside Costa Mesa resident Michelle Figueredo-Wilson is the latest person to announce a bid for City Council in the November election.

In a commentary published in the Daily Pilot, Figueredo-Wilson — who holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s in public policy-urban affairs from the University of La Verne — said she’s running so “the Westside has a seat at the decision-making table.”

“For far too long, the Westside has been a dumping ground for trash and crime,” she wrote. “I will ensure the Westside is once again a safe and clean place to raise families.”

She added that the city needs “a mature leader with life experience who understands our community and will put Costa Mesans first” and work collaboratively to “bring safety and revitalization to our district without returning to the days of overspending and misaligned priorities.”

Figueredo-Wilson is the second declared candidate for Costa Mesa’s District 4, which covers a pocket of the Westside south of the Fairview Developmental Center, ranging from Harbor Boulevard west to Monrovia Avenue and south to West 17th Street.

The other is Manuel Chavez, a graduate of Estancia High School and UC Irvine who has been heavily involved with the local nonprofit Save Our Youth.

The Nov. 6 election is the first in which Costa Mesa council members will be chosen by districts, with residents in specified slices of the city electing one representative from their area.

Also up for grabs this year are seats in District 3 — which includes College Park, Mesa del Mar and a portion of the Eastside — and District 5, which includes the rest of the Westside and the downtown area.