Mission Viejo puts all five council seats on ballot

All five Mission Viejo City Council seats are on this year's ballot as the city works to establish staggered elections after years of legal fights over how its leaders are chosen, according to Voice of OC.

The election guarantees at least three new council members because incumbents are termed out, giving Orange County voters in Mission Viejo a rare citywide reshaping of local government.

Voice of OC reported that Districts 1, 3 and 5 will elect council members to standard four-year terms, while Districts 2 and 4 will choose members for two-year terms to create staggered elections. All council seats are expected to return to four-year terms in 2028.

District 1 features incumbent Bob Ruesch against writer Kristen Wilcox, while District 2 has Saga Conroy and Peter Molinari. District 3 features incumbent Cynthia Vasquez against Bryan Zahn, District 4 has Laura Lacko and James Morrison, and District 5 has one unopposed candidate, Steven Thornton, according to Voice of OC.

Ruesch has raised more than $16,000, including $5,900 from the CA Real Estate PAC, while Wilcox filed a Form 470 indicating she received less than $2,000, Voice of OC reported. Conroy has received more than $24,000, including $5,900 from the CA Real Estate PAC and $6,000 from the Republican Party of Orange County, while Molinari has raised more than $21,000, including $5,900 from the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association PAC and $5,900 from the CA Real Estate PAC.

In District 3, Vasquez has raised just over $22,000, including $5,000 from the Canyon Democrats, $1,000 from the Democratic Women of South Orange County and $1,250 from the Women in Leadership PAC, according to Voice of OC. Zahn has raised more than $28,000, including $5,900 from the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association PAC; Lacko has raised nearly $12,000; Morrison has raised just over $13,000, including $5,900 from the firefighters PAC; and Thornton has raised just under $5,000.

The election follows years of disputes over Mission Viejo's voting system. Voice of OC reported that the city previously pursued cumulative voting instead of district elections, but then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla rejected the proposal because it had not been approved by the state Legislature; an Orange County Superior Court judge later ordered all five council members to stand for election in November 2022.

"Because three of the five members are termed out, it’s actually a chance to rejuvenate the council and get some fresh perspectives from people from the outside," Mission Viejo resident Cathy Palmer told Voice of OC in a Monday phone interview. Palmer added, "This is our chance to get more people to vote in local elections, this is our chance to actually change the pattern so that we have three seats up in the presidential and two seats up in the midterm"

The results will determine how Mission Viejo moves into its next election cycle and how quickly the new staggered system takes hold.