Costa Mesa council races could see crowded house of candidates vying for 4 seats

Costa Mesa’s election season is shaping up to be a busy one, with two city ballot measures under consideration and 10 would-be candidates announcing their preliminary intentions to run for four open City Council seats, including that of mayor.

Officials last month decided to examine the possibility of spurring city revenue by increasing an 8% transient occupancy tax charged on motel and hotel stays and through a hike in business license fees. The city has until August to place official language on the November ballot.

And while Orange County’s official candidate filing period for this year’s general election is still months away — running from July 13 through Aug. 7 — several Costa Mesans are already in the early stages of campaigning, according to the city’s online election portal.

So far, four individuals have filed candidate intention statements indicating their interest in the city’s at-large mayoral seat, which will be vacated by a termed-out John Stephens, including two who are currently serving on the dais.

Councilmember Loren Gameros, who represents the city’s 2nd Council District, submitted a statement on Oct. 23 announcing his plans to run for mayor, while District 1 Councilmember Mike Buley indicated his interest in the position in a Jan. 7 document.

Two newcomers have also filed intention statements in the race for mayor, including financial planner and small business owner James Peters, who ran unsuccessfully against Stephens in 2024, and UCLA student and Fairview Park Steering Committee member Jose Toscano who, about to turn 21, would be the youngest person elected to the Costa Mesa City Council.

Among the potential mayoral candidates, Gameros is the only one to have filed financial disclosure documents, which show the transfer of $1,100 in cash from a previous council campaign account and expenditures totaling $128.09.

Should a serving council member be elected to a two-year term as mayor, the vacated seat would likely be filled through council appointment or a special election, the latter of which could cost roughly $250,000, according to City Clerk Brenda Green.

Districts 3, 4 and 5

In addition to the position of mayor, three more seats in council districts 3, 4 and 5 will be up for grabs in November, as Councilmember Andrea Marr, Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Chavez and Councilmember Arlis Reynolds, respectively, term out after having first been elected in 2018.

In Council District 3, which includes the College Park and Mesa del Mar neighborhoods and a portion of the upper east side, two candidates could seek to replace Marr. Cara Stewart is vice chair of the city’s Animal Services Committee, while Daniel T. Morgan sits on the city’s Finance and Pension Advisory Committee.

Morgan, who filed a statement of interest early on, in January 2025, is the only candidate to report campaign contributions from last year, documents indicate.

A principal of Marterra Real Estate, Morgan took $23,805 in contributions, including $1,000 donations from former council members Jim Righeimer and Steve Mensinger; $2,950 from Darrell White, partner of Orange County law firm Kimura, London & White, LLP; $1,000 from real estate executive John R. Saunders and $1,500 from Stone Harbor Properties, Inc., among others.

Chavez’s District 4 seat, which represents a dense pocket of the city’s west side, south of the Fairview Developmental Center has also drawn interest from two civic-minded candidates — Arts Commissioner Fisher Derderian and Angely Andrade Vallarta, who’s served as a city planning commissioner since 2023.

District 5, bordered by Fairview Park to the north, the Santa Ana River to the west and Newport Beach to the south, could also see a contest between residents Steve Smith, who serves on the city’s Animal Services Committee and filed an interest statement last September, and Kelly Brown, chair of the Parks and Community Services Commission, who submitted a statement on Jan. 6.

Individuals who have submitted statements of intention but have not yet filed their candidacy with the county, are not yet official candidates on the November ballot, according to the city clerk.