Campaign filings shed light on Costa Mesa council hopefuls’ priorities, ambitions
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In the race for four seats on the Costa Mesa City Council, eight candidates are in the throes of campaigning, hosting fundraisers and accepting donations from residents, political figures and interest groups alike.
The latest round of campaign disclosures, released Thursday and reflecting activities current to Sept. 19, provide a snapshot of how much each hopeful has raised and spent on their political ambitions so far.
For the record:
5:40 p.m. Oct. 2, 2026An earlier version of this story indicated Angely Andrade Vallarta was a director at Orange County United Way. She left the organization earlier this year.
Documents detailing donations reveal backers whose views likely align with individuals’ values and priorities and who could potentially shape future councilmembers’ thinking on the dais in the years ahead.
Here’s a look at some of the findings from the latest disclosures posted on the city’s election portal.
Mayor (at-large)
The race to succeed outgoing Mayor John Stephens, who terms out in December, drew interest from councilmembers Mike Buley from District 1 and Loren Gameros, the District 2 representative.
A registered Republican and attorney with Irvine law firm Kimura, London and White, Buley has so far raised $66,735, including a $2,000 self loan, primarily from individuals and companies associated with real estate, law, development and finance.
He received $5,900 donations, the maximum single-source contribution allowed by the Fair Political Practices Commission, from employer Joshua Kimura and Allen Moznett, president of South Coast Toyota, as well as several limited partnerships, including Crown Building, River Knolls, Villa Buena, F.V. Senior Housing and Coast Business Center, Ltd.
Buley accepted $1,000 gifts from the Lincoln Club of Orange County State PAC, Fred Whitaker, former chair of the Republican Party of Orange County, and the Manufactured Housing Educational Trust PAC, along with a $1,500 donation from the National Assn. of Industrial and Office Properties.
Individual contributors include former Costa Mesa mayoral candidate Jim Peters ($2,500), District 3 contender Daniel Morgan ($5,450), Fisher Derderian, who’s running in District 4 ($200) and Stephen “Steve” Smith, campaigning in District 5 ($250).
Gameros — a Democrat with labor ties through his work with the California Nevada Operating Engineers Training Trust — has taken in $54,949 in monetary contributions so far this year, mostly from unions and building trade organizations and other public office holders.
He received $5,900 each from the International Union of Operating Engineers, Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, the L.A. and O.C. Building and Construction Trades Council PAC and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Local 324, which recently proposed regulating Costa Mesa grocery self-checkout stands.
Gameros also accepted $5,900 contributions from Dan Kang, Newport Beach chief executive of tech platform Berify, Ali Jahangiri, founder of the immigration-focused EB5 Investors, and Manny Khoshbin, who purchased the Trinity Broadcast Network building in 2021 and later sold the rezoned property to a housing developer.
He’s backed by Rep. Cottie Petrie Norris (D-Irvine), who contributed $2,500, and Stephens, whose law firm donated $1,000 in June.
District 3
Two candidates seek to replace outgoing Councilmember Andrea Marr — Daniel T. Morgan, who serves on the city’s Finance and Pension Advisory Committee, and Cara Stewart, an Animal Services Committee member.
A real estate business owner, Morgan has raised the most of all eight council candidates, amassing $58,254 in 2026, with a $2,000 self loan and a cash balance rollover from 2025. His contributions come largely from real estate, construction and development-related sources, as well as former Costa Mesa councilmembers Steve Mensinger and Jim Righeimer, who both donated $1,000 to his campaign.
The Republican candidate accepted $2,500 from the Apartment Assn. of Orange County PAC and $1,000 from the Lincoln Club O.C., along with $500 from attorney Shawn Steel, a member of the Republican National Committee. Campaign filings show Morgan donated $1,242 to the Costa Mesa Police Assn.
Stewart, a business owner, has taken in $43,192 this year, mainly in smaller donations from Costa Mesa residents, Democratic groups and others serving in local office, both at the city hall and Newport-Mesa Unified School District.
Her biggest backers include Khoshbin and UFCW, which both gave $5,900, local resident and safe streets advocate Flo Martin ($1,518), Finance and Pension Advisory Committee member Ralph Taboada ($1,007) and the Newport Beach Women’s Democratic Club and the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, which each gave $1,000.
Stewart also accepted donations under $500 from the Democratic Women of South Orange County, councilmembers Marr, Gameros and Arlis Reynolds, Planning Commissioner Jeffrey Harlan and NMUSD trustees Leah Ersoylu and Michelle Murphy.
District 4
Seeking to represent voters living in Costa Mesa’s West side are Angely Andrade Vallarta, a planning commissioner, and Fisher Derderian, an arts commissioner.
A former Orange County United Way director, Andrade Vallarta has this year raised $26,881, including a $300 self loan. Most of her war chest comes from political action committees, fellow Costa Mesa office holders and Democratic groups.
She accepted $5,900 from UFCW, along with $1,250 from the Women in Leadership PAC, two $1,000 donations from the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters and Newport Beach Women’s Democratic Club and $500 from Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties Community Action Fund.
Mayor Pro Tem Chavez, who represents District 4, donated $2,500 to Andrade Vallarta, while Reynolds has contributed $1,500 and Marr donated $100.
Derderian, president and executive director of the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation, trails his fellow candidates in fundraising, having taken in a reported $7,216 so far this year, plus a prior cash balance of $4,156.
His largest receipts are from the Apartment Assn. of Orange County, which gave $2,500, and retired Newport Beach real estate broker and property owner Fritz Hoelscher, who gave $2,000.
Planning Commissioner Rob Dickson contributed $250 to Derderian’s campaign, while District 1 Councilman Jeff Pettis donated $100 and fellow hopefuls Morgan and Smith offered a respective $250 and $150, according to filings.
District 5
Looking to succeed Reynolds are Kelly Brown, a parks commissioner who works at UC Irvine, and Stephen “Steve” Smith, a technology consultant serving on the Animal Services Committee.
As of Sept. 19, Brown had logged $42,398 in contributions, including $5,500 in self loans, primarily from associates at UCI and other universities, who mainly made donations under $500.
Brown is backed by Reynolds ($1,000) and recorded receiving $100 from Marr and $1,000 from Taboada. Former Costa Mesa Fire Chief Tom Arnold gave $1,000, while the Newport Beach Women’s Democratic Club contributed $1,000 to hercause.
Union groups comprise the largest donors to Brown’s campaign, with UFCW contributing $5,900 and the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters and United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers each giving $1,000.
Smith has raised $24,912 so far this year, recording a $2,500 donation from the Apartment Assn. of O.C., $1,000 from Peters and $1,000 each from Righeimer and Mensinger. He also accepted $1,000 donations from the Manufactured Housing Educational Trust PAC and from Newport Beach developer Buck Johns.
Former state Sen. John Moorlach gave Smith $500, while Commissioner Dickson contributed $1,000 and former mayoral hopeful Peters, who works in wealth management, gave $1,000, filings indicate.
