Review note: Arcadia District 2, 3 and 5 candidates' own campaign sites and social pages (Burton Brink, Steve Rhee, Grace Arabella Lee) may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- arcadiaca.gov (opens in a new tab)Arcadia City Clerk — Nominations for Members of the City Council, November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election (Districts 2, 3, 5)
- arcadiaca.gov (opens in a new tab)Arcadia City Clerk — Elections information and Campaign Filings portal, November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election
- arcadiaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Arcadia — City Council member pages (Sharon Kwan, Michael Cao, and John Han's June 2026 appointment)
- burtonbrink.com (opens in a new tab)Arcadia District 2, 3 and 5 candidates' own campaign sites and social pages (Burton Brink, Steve Rhee, Grace Arabella Lee)
Last updated September 7, 2026.
City of Arcadia
Arcadia City Council, District 5
This person holds your district's seat on Arcadia's 5-member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use.
Michael Cao holds the District 5 seat. They are a cardiologist first elected in 2022. They face Steve Rhee, a local business owner. This is Rhee's second run for the council. Rhee ran in a different Arcadia district in 2024 and lost.
The winner serves a four-year term on Arcadia's five-member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the citywide budget, and land-use decisions, plus a share in the council's rotating mayor's chair.
Cao is running on a first term and a medical career that predates it, practicing cardiology and teaching at USC's Keck School of Medicine alongside their council seat. Rhee, self-funding his second campaign in two years, centers public safety and homelessness — the same issues they ran on in 2024. The choice is between a specialist's first-term record and a repeat challenger's persistence on a narrower set of concerns.
Michael Cao
Cao is the sitting District 5 councilmember and a cardiologist in private practice. They are an assistant professor of medicine at USC's Keck School of Medicine. They also practice at Arcadia Methodist Hospital. They were first elected in 2022. No separate platform for this term is documented.
Steve Rhee
Rhee is a local business owner and civic volunteer. They ran for a different Arcadia district in 2024 and lost. They are self-funding this campaign. They are not taking contributions. Their platform centers on public safety and homelessness.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.