7 candidates qualify to run for Costa Mesa City Council

As Election Day draws near, seven candidates have been qualified to run for four seats on the Costa Mesa City Council, including three incumbents wishing to continue their work on the dais and challengers seeking to chart a new course.

Resident voters will be asked to support candidates for four-year terms in council districts 1 and 6, while District 2 Councilman Loren Gameros is running unopposed. The mayoral seat, an at-large elected position with a two-year term, will also see a contest. Here’s a quick look at the contenders.

John Stephens — a one-term council member who lost a 2020 bid for reelection but was one year later appointed to fill a vacancy left by former Mayor Katrina Foley — handily won another reelection attempt two years ago over challenger John Moorlach, a former state senator.

Running on a theme of “continuing successes for Costa Mesa,” Stephens’ campaign website points to the city’s multi-pronged approach to addressing homelessness, its recent receipt of a AAA credit rating and the ongoing development of affordable and senior housing.

“We’ve seen improvements to our infrastructure, traffic calming measures, public safety innovations and responsible fiscal management,” he states. “Through the hard work of many, the state of Costa Mesa is better than ever.”

Stephens is up against newcomer James Peters, a licensed financial planner and small business owner who’s been hitting the campaign trail with Republican hopefuls in other races and who sees the current state of civic affairs in a different light.

Calling the current council configuration “weak and ineffective” on his campaign website, Peters specifically points to problems with crime, homelessness and overdevelopment as issues he’d address in office.

“Sadly, City Hall has neglected to do their job in addressing these issues,” reads his website. “Costa Mesa can be a much better place. We need leaders that are willing to stand up and have strong and effective solutions.”

In the city’s Council District 1, which includes the Mesa Verde and State Streets neighborhoods, a Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner and a civil litigation attorney seek to fill a vacancy left by Councilman Don Harper, who announced his intention to step down from office in February but remains in office.

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Environmental consultant Adam Ereth was appointed to the planning commission in 2021 and has served on Costa Mesa’s Finance and Pension Advisory Committee and a surplus land committee formed by Newport-Mesa Unified School District to develop priorities for an underused 11-acre parcel near Newport Beach’s Randall Preserve.

“I’m a proud, local business owner, and I have extensive experience in local, county and state government,” he writes in his campaign statement. “As chair of our Planning Commission, I have a deep understanding of our city’s government, and I’ve made a career cutting red tape.”

Ereth cites his ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders, along with a belief in transparency in government and creating a clear vision for smart development, as core values of his council campaign.

Running against the commissioner is attorney Mike Buley, who, like Peters, cites problems with homelessness, crime, the proliferation of cannabis dispensaries next to residential areas and developments’ overburden on local infrastructure as reasons for throwing his hat into the ring.

Endorsed by the conservative Harper, Buley cites his volunteerism as a youth basketball coach and Financial Advisory Board member for St. John the Baptist and the Costa Mesa American Little League as examples of giving back to the community.

“As a neighbor, parent, attorney, and businessman, I will use my professional skills and abilities to represent you,” his campaign statement states.

Costa Mesa’s east-side 6th Council District will see a race between two candidates who faced off in 2020, as Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Harlan campaigns for reelection against challenger Jeff Pettis.

A land use attorney who came to the council from the city’s Planning Commission, Harlan has advocated for enhanced and expanded use of public parks and local infrastructure projects, like bike lanes, and played a role in establishing the city’s housing policies.

Harlan’s key priorities in this year’s campaign include preserving the character of east-side Costa Mesa while planning for smart development citywide and focusing on creating economic development in the years ahead.

“District 6 needs a serious leader with the experience, expertise, and dedication to continue our progress and keep Costa Mesa thriving,” his candidate statement reads. “I would be honored to remain the trusted voice and choice of the Eastside.”

Pettis, a deputy chief nurse for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, was one of three Republican-backed candidates when he lost to Harlan in 2020. Now, he’s focusing on issues with homelessness, public safety, efforts to increase high-density housing and fiscal responsibility.

With more than a decade working as a sales manager in the business industry, Pettis said he’d use his private and public sector experience to help run the city more like a business.

“My vision of fiscal responsibility in Costa Mesa would be about promoting fiscal discipline, accountability, and transparency in government spending,” his campaign website reads, “while fostering an environment conducive to economic prosperity and opportunity for all residents.”