Skip to main content

Beaumont City Council

This is a sample · See your full ballot

✕

City of Beaumont

Beaumont City Council

This person holds one of three at-large seats on Beaumont's City Council. These seats are up this cycle. The council has five members in all. They vote on the city budget, zoning, land use, and city laws. The term is four years. The council does not elect its mayor directly. Members rotate the ceremonial Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem titles each year. Each term can last up to two years in a row. An appointed city manager runs day-to-day operations.

Six candidates are running for Beaumont's three at-large City Council seats. The incumbents are Lloyd White, Jessica Voigt, and Mike Lara. The challengers are Joseph Mathews, Jim Mercado, and Carlos Cueva. Vote for up to three. There is no primary and no runoff.

Council seats carry 4-year terms. The five-member council sets the city budget, zoning and land-use rules, and municipal ordinances; day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager. The council doesn't elect a mayor directly — members rotate the largely ceremonial Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem titles among themselves each year, for up to two consecutive one-year terms.

All three incumbents are seeking re-election together, so the practical choice in a three-seat field of six is whether any of the three challengers should replace a sitting member rather than which incumbent to keep. The candidate-information chart and city document filenames list one challenger as "James Mercado," but Mercado's own filed paperwork and campaign site consistently use "Jim Mercado" — this page follows their own spelling.

Lloyd White

Lloyd White is an incumbent. Their ballot title is Councilmember and Businessman. They say they turned an $11 million budget deficit into strong financial reserves. They chaired the Riverside County Transportation Commission. They spent over a decade representing Beaumont there.

Jessica Voigt

Jessica Voigt is the incumbent Mayor. Their ballot title is Mayor and Registered Nurse. They have been a nurse at Desert Regional Medical Center since 2008. Their statement cites four years on the council. Their priorities include public safety and infrastructure.

Mike Lara

Mike Lara is an incumbent. Their ballot title is Incumbent. Their statement cites 12 years on the council. It also cites 35 years working for Riverside County. They cite hiring 42 more police officers. They also cite fixing over 65% of Beaumont's streets.

Joseph Mathews

Joseph Mathews is a challenger. Their ballot title is Youth Commission Coordinator. They have held that job with Riverside County since 2023. They are a U.S. Navy veteran. They chair the Beaumont Economic Development Committee.

Jim Mercado

Jim Mercado is a challenger. Their ballot title is Retired Retail Sales. They moved to Beaumont eight years ago. They founded a church outreach ministry. Their platform focuses on managing growth. They want roads, water, and schools to keep up.

Carlos Cueva

Carlos Cueva is a challenger. Their ballot title is Director of Design Development. They have held that job at Riverside University Health System since 2024. They have served on Beaumont's Planning Commission for almost two years.

Your picks · choose up to 3

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

This is one race on your ballot. Vote or Else shows every contest you will vote on — Congress, the Legislature, your county, city, and school board — each broken down the same way. Enter your address to see your full ballot.