A month after Election Day, the official Orange County election results have been certified and two audits have been completed to verify the results.
More than 1.4 million people in Orange County cast ballots and voter turnout was 76.1%, according to Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page.
Of course, most of the attention for this election centered around top-of-ballot races for the president and Congress. But, across the county, voters also decided on dozens of city council races, in several cases adding new faces to the local dais.
Many of those races were close, decided by hundreds of votes or less.
Here’s a bit to know about who won council races this year (races without challengers are not included). You can also learn more about their policy platforms on the OC Register’s 2024 Voter Guide available at ocregister.com/voter-guide:
Aliso Viejo
• District 1: Tim Zandbergen, a lifelong resident of Orange County and newcomer to the council, is a certified financial planner and small business owner.
• District 5: Mike Munzing, who has been on the council since 2013.
Anaheim
• District 1: Ryan Balius has been serving as a city Parks and Recreation commissioner.
• District 4: Norma Campos Kurtz was appointed in 2022.
• District 5: Kristen M. Maahs is chair of the Anaheim Cultural and Heritage Commission and president of the Anaheim Historical Society.
Brea
Christine Marick and Marty Simonoff are both incumbents who bested a field of five running for two at-large seats.
Buena Park
• District 2: Carlos Franco is an advertiser who has been a Community Development Block Grant commissioner.
• District 3: Susan Sonne was first elected to the council in 2020.
• District 4: Laimya Hoque is an educator and former Centralia Elementary School District trustee.
Costa Mesa
• Mayor: John Stephens was a councilmember from 2016 to 2020 and became mayor in 2021.
• District 1: Mike Buley is an attorney who handles business litigation
• District 2: Loren Gameros, the incumbent and an educator, ran unopposed.
• District 6: Jeff Pettis, a Veterans Health administrator, unseated Jeffrey Harlan.
Cypress
• District 3: Kyle Chang, a public health statistician, narrowly won his seat by 29 votes over second-place finisher Mark H. Plager.
• District 4: Leo Medrano, a businessman, won the District 4 seat by a wider margin.
Fountain Valley
• Ted Bui and Glenn Grandis, both incumbents first elected in 2020, topped a field of five running for two at-large seats.
Fullerton
• District 1: Fred Jung will be starting a second council term
• District 2: Nick Dunlap was first elected in 2020.
• District 4: Jamie Valencia, a registered nurse, bested a field of for candidates seeking to replace Bruce Whitaker, who termed out.
Garden Grove
• Mayor: Stephanie Klopfenstein, a sitting councilmember, will be the city’s next mayor.
• District 2: Phillip Nguyen is a business owner.
• District 5: Yesenia Muneton is a substitute teacher.
• District 6: Ariana Arestegui serves on the Democratic Party of Orange County Central Committee, elected March in 2024.
Huntington Beach
Chad Williams, Butch Twining and Don Kennedy topped a field of eight running for three at-large seats to represent Huntington Beach. They successfully unseated three incumbents: Natalie Moser, Dan Kalmick and Rhonda Bolton. Williams is a Navy SEAL speaker; Twining and Kennedy are planning commissioners.
Irvine
• Mayor: Larry Agran, a longtime staple of Irvine politics and sitting councilmember, will once again become the city’s mayor.
• District 1: Melinda Liu, a city commissioner and attorney, won a close race to represent District 1 on a two-year term as the city transitions from at-large to district elections.
• District 2: William Go, a business owner, beat a field of five in District 2.
• District 3: James Mai, a city commissioner, topped the field of three candidates.
• District 4: Mike Carroll, a sitting councilmember, won his head-to-head race in District 4, defeating Ayn Craciun.
Laguna Beach
Bob Whalen, the incumbent, retained his seat while Hallie Jones, a city commissioner, defeated three other candidates, including incumbent George Weiss, to take the second of two at-large seats available in Laguna Beach.
Laguna Hills
Jared Mathis, a business owner, will join incumbent Don Caskey on the Laguna Hills City Council after the two of them bettered a third candidate in the city’s race for two at-large council seats.
Laguna Woods
Incumbents Shari L. Horne and Cynthia S. Connors retained their seats. Eun Ju “Pearl” Lee will join them on the council.
La Habra
Incumbents Daren Nigsaraian and Rose Espinoza retained their seats. They’ll be joined by newcomer Del Lampkin, a deputy sheriff with the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
Los Alamitos
• District 1: Tanya Doby, an incumbent, defended her seat in a race decided by fewer than 40 votes.
• District 2: Gary Loe, a city planning commissioner, unseated Trisha Murphy.
• District 3: Jordan Nefulda, an incumbent, ran unopposed.
Newport Beach
• District 2: Michelle Barto is a small business owner and previously served as a Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustee
• District 5: Noah Blom is starting his second term on council.
• District 7: Sara J. Weber is a certified public accountant who has been serving on the city’s Park, Beaches, and Recreation Commission.
Placentia
• District 1: Thomas Hummer is an educator and father of four.
• District 3: Jeremy Yamaguchi was first elected to the council in 2008 at age 19.
• District 5: Ward L. Smith, a former police chief in the city, was first elected to the council in 2016.
Rancho Santa Margarita
• Mayor: Tony Beall is currently a city councilmember.
• District 3: Keri Lynn Baert is a former nonprofit executive.
San Clemente
• District 3: Rick Loeffler, an incumbent, faced competition from three challengers.
• District 4: Zhen Wu is an architect and the first Asian-American elected to the council.
San Juan Capistrano
Incumbent Sergio Farias defended his District 1 seat in a head-to-head race against Jesse “Chip” Nelson.
Santa Ana
• Mayor: Valerie Amezcuawon a second term as mayor.
• Ward 1: Thai Viet Phan was first elected to the council in 2020.
• Ward 3: Jessie Lopez, an incumbent, won a race that flip-flopped at times as the votes were counted, besting Jeffrey Katz by more than 400 votes in the end.
• Ward 5: Johnathan Ryan Hernandez will be starting his second term on the council.
Stanton
• District 2: Victor Barrios is an educator.
• District 4: John Douglas Warren is a city commissioner.
Tustin
• District 1: Lee Fink is an attorney and Orange County Waste and Recycling commissioner.
• District 2: John Nielsen is an East Orange County Water District director.
• District 4: Ryan Gallagher was first elected in 2020.
Villa Park
Robert Brackelton, a small business owner, and Kelly McBride, a building repair contractor won the two at-large council seats at stake in the election.
Westminster
• District 2: Carlos Manzo was first elected in 2020.
• District 3: Mark Nguyen is a Midway City Sanitary District director and an engineer.
Yorba Linda
Incumbents Tara Campbell and Peggy Huang retained their seats. Shivinder Singh, a planning commissioner, won the third at-large seat, beating Jess Battaglia by 65 votes.
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