# Beaumont City Council Compare records and positions simply between Lloyd White, Carlos Cueva, Mike Lara, and 3 more for Beaumont City Council at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. 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. - Jurisdiction: City of Beaumont - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Seats: 3 - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/beaumont-city-council - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: September 3, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 88 out of 100 (Strong), across 10 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Lloyd White** — Beaumont Councilmember/Businessman · Incumbent - **Carlos Cueva** — Director, Design Development - **Mike Lara** — Incumbent - **Jessica Voigt** — Mayor/Registered Nurse · Incumbent - **Joseph Mathews** — Youth Commission Coordinator - **Jim Mercado** — Retired Retail Sales A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. 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 White is an incumbent and serves on the council now. Their ballot designation is "Beaumont Councilmember/Businessman." Their filed Candidate's Statement cites turning an $11 million budget deficit into strong financial reserves. They also cite cutting Community Facilities District taxes by nearly $4 million for about 12,000 homeowners. They say they nearly tripled the city's sales tax revenue. They point to Beaumont's first street maintenance program and the opening of Fire Station 106. They also cite over a decade representing Beaumont on the Riverside County Transportation Commission, including as its Chair. **Strengths:** A specific record built on numbers, covering the budget turnaround and the tax cuts. White also held a regional transportation role for more than a decade. **Trade-offs:** The statement is all about what they have done. It names general priorities going forward. Those are traffic, public safety, infrastructure, and fiscal stability. It adds no new specifics. **Keep in mind:** All three incumbents, White included, are running together and not against each other. The real choice is whether one of the three challengers should replace one of them. ## Jessica Voigt Voigt is an incumbent and serves as Mayor now. The council's annual rotation swore Voigt in on Dec. 3, 2025. Their ballot designation is "Mayor/Registered Nurse." They are a Registered Nurse, California license #731749, at Desert Regional Medical Center since 2008. Their filed Candidate's Statement cites four years on the council. It notes they have been married 22 years to a firefighter. Their priorities are public safety, local businesses and jobs, traffic and infrastructure, fiscal responsibility, and "Beaumont's family-centered quality of life." **Strengths:** A health care career alongside four years on the council. Voigt also holds the council's rotating Mayor post this cycle. **Trade-offs:** Voigt's priorities are broad and shared with their running mates. Their statement does not name a policy area where their nursing background would change a council vote. **Keep in mind:** All three incumbents, Voigt included, are running together and not against each other. The real choice is whether one of the three challengers should replace one of them. ## Mike Lara Lara is an incumbent. Their ballot designation is "Incumbent." Their filed Candidate's Statement describes 12 years on the Beaumont City Council. It also describes a 35-year public service career with the County of Riverside. They cite working to "stop the corruption that once damaged public trust." They also cite balancing the city's budget and hiring 42 more police officers. They say they rehabilitated more than 65% of Beaumont's streets and opened a new fire station. **Strengths:** The longest council tenure in this field at 12 years. Lara also has a 35-year career in county government. **Trade-offs:** A long incumbency is itself a trade-off for voters who want a fresh council voice. Lara's safety and street figures are not checked beyond what they report. **Keep in mind:** All three incumbents, Lara included, are running together and not against each other. The real choice is whether one of the three challengers should replace one of them. ## Joseph Mathews Mathews is a challenger. Their ballot designation is "Youth Commission Coordinator." That is their job with Riverside County since 2023. In their filed Candidate's Statement they describe themselves as a U.S. Navy veteran. They are also Chair of the Beaumont Economic Development Committee. Their priorities are attracting quality jobs, responsible growth, and public safety. They also list "transparent government, fiscal responsibility, and making decisions that put residents first." **Strengths:** Military service plus a current county youth programs job. Mathews also chairs an unpaid city economic development committee, direct exposure to Beaumont's civic bodies without holding office. **Trade-offs:** Mathews has held no elected or appointed government job. Their priorities are jobs, growth, safety, and transparency. They are stated in general terms with no specific plan. **Keep in mind:** Mathews is one of three challengers running against three incumbents who are not opposing each other. The real choice is which challenger, if any, should unseat a sitting member. ## Jim Mercado Mercado is a challenger. Their ballot designation is "Retired Retail Sales." Their filed Candidate's Statement says they moved to Beaumont eight years ago. Guided by their Mexican heritage and Catholic faith, they founded an outreach ministry that welcomes new members into the church. Their platform centers on managing Beaumont's rapid growth. They want roads, water and schools to keep pace with development. They want developers "giving back" through local jobs and community benefits. They want a downtown Beaumont "residents can be proud of." They want residents "heard before the vote, not after." **Strengths:** A clearly stated platform on managing growth. It stands apart from the broader messaging of the other two challengers. Mercado also has a community ministry background. **Trade-offs:** Mercado has held no elected or appointed government job. They have the shortest local tenure in this field at eight years. The incumbents have 12 or more, and Cueva has 15 or more. **Keep in mind:** The city's own chart lists Mercado as "James Mercado." Their own filings and campaign site use "Jim Mercado." This page follows their own spelling. ## Carlos Cueva Cueva is a challenger. Their ballot designation is "Director, Design Development." That is their job at Riverside University Health System since 2024. Their filed Candidate's Statement says they have served on Beaumont's Planning Commission for almost two years. It says they have lived, worked and raised their family in the city for over fifteen years. They describe a work background in commercial and residential development and in bond financing. Their priorities are public safety, including community policing and emergency services. They also list spending on infrastructure and support for local businesses. **Strengths:** Current Planning Commission service. Cueva also has a career in development and finance that bears on a council seat's land use and budget work. **Trade-offs:** Cueva has not held elected office. Their Planning Commission tenure of about two years is shorter than the council tenures of the incumbents. **Keep in mind:** Cueva is one of three challengers running against three incumbents who are not opposing each other. The real choice is which challenger, if any, should unseat a sitting member. ## Sources 1. [City of Beaumont -- "Candidacy in a Municipal Election" guide (Nov. 3, 2026 General Municipal Election): confirms Beaumont is a General Law city with Council-Manager government, a 5-member at-large City Council, and a City Clerk and City Treasurer each elected at-large to 4-year terms, with Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem selected by the Council annually rather than directly elected; positions up in 2026: three Council seats, one City Clerk seat, one City Treasurer seat](https://www.beaumontca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40564/Beaumont-Elections-Flyer-2026) 2. [City of Beaumont City Clerk -- "2026 Candidate Information" page: the clerk's own chart of every campaign/nomination document received for the Nov. 3, 2026 Municipal Election, confirming the qualified roster for City Council (six candidates: incumbents Lloyd White, Jessica Voigt and Mike Lara, and challengers Joseph Mathews, "James Mercado" (his own filed documents and campaign site consistently spell it "Jim Mercado") and Carlos Cueva) and City Clerk (incumbent Elaine Morgan and challenger Kathleen Aguilar-Billinger); no City Treasurer section appears anywhere on the page as of retrieval (weeks after the Aug. 7/12 filing deadline), though the office was listed as up for election on the city's own election guide](https://www.beaumontca.gov/1133/2026-Candidate-Information) 3. [City of Beaumont -- Government and City Council pages: confirm the sitting council roster as of Aug. 2026 (Mayor Jessica Voigt, Mayor Pro Tem Lloyd White, and Councilmembers Mike Lara, Julio Martinez III and David Fenn) and that Mayor/Mayor Pro Tem rotate annually among the five at-large council members rather than being directly elected](https://www.beaumontca.gov/29/City-Council) 4. [City of Beaumont -- Alfred Lloyd White's filed Ballot Designation Worksheet (proposed designation "Beaumont Councilmember/Businessman"; justification cites his current council term, Jan. 2022-present) and Candidate's Statement for City Council: cites turning an $11 million budget deficit into reserves, cutting CFD taxes by nearly $4 million for about 12,000 homeowners, nearly tripling sales-tax revenue, Beaumont's first street-maintenance program, opening Fire Station 106, and over a decade representing Beaumont on the Riverside County Transportation Commission, including as Chair](https://www.beaumontca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40713/Lloyd-White-Candidate-Statement-08052026) 5. [City of Beaumont -- Jessica Voigt's filed Ballot Designation Worksheet (proposed designation "Mayor/Registered Nurse"; justification cites her current term as Mayor, sworn in Dec. 3, 2025 by the council's annual rotation, and her California RN license #731749 at Desert Regional Medical Center since 2008) and Candidate's Statement for City Council: cites four years on the council, 22 years married to a firefighter, and priorities of public safety, local businesses, traffic and infrastructure, fiscal responsibility, and family-centered quality of life](https://www.beaumontca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40707/Jessica-Voigt-Candidate-Statement-08032026) 6. [City of Beaumont -- Mike Lara's filed Ballot Designation Worksheet (proposed designation "Incumbent"; justification cites his current council term, Jan. 2022-Dec. 2026) and Candidate's Statement for City Council: cites 12 years on the Beaumont City Council and a 35-year public-service career with the County of Riverside, hiring 42 additional police officers, rehabilitating more than 65% of the city's streets, and opening a new fire station](https://www.beaumontca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40668/Mike-Lara-Candidate-Statement-07272026) 7. [City of Beaumont -- Joseph Mathews' filed Ballot Designation Worksheet (proposed designation "Youth Commission Coordinator"; justification cites his current job title, Riverside County Youth Commission Coordinator, since 2023) and Candidate's Statement for City Council: cites U.S. Navy veteran status, chairing the Beaumont Economic Development Committee, and priorities of quality jobs, responsible growth, public safety, and fiscal responsibility](https://www.beaumontca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40660/Joseph-Mathews-Candidate-Statement-07242026) 8. [City of Beaumont -- Jim Mercado's filed Ballot Designation Worksheet (candidate name and proposed designation "Retired Retail Sales" both self-filed as "Jim Mercado," though the city's own candidate-information chart lists him as "James Mercado") and Candidate's Statement for City Council, which opens "My name is Jim Mercado": cites moving to Beaumont eight years ago, founding a Catholic-church outreach ministry, and priorities of infrastructure keeping pace with growth, developer community benefits, and resident input before votes](https://www.beaumontca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40703/James-Mercado-Candidate-Statement-08042026) 9. [City of Beaumont -- Carlos Cueva's filed Ballot Designation Worksheet (proposed designation "Director, Design Development"; justification cites his current job title at Riverside University Health System since 2024) and Candidate's Statement for City Council: cites serving on the Planning Commission for almost two years, 15-plus years as a Beaumont resident, and a professional background in commercial/residential development and bond financing](https://www.beaumontca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40698/Carlos-Cueva-Candidate-Statement-08032026) 10. [City of Beaumont Electronic Filing System — public campaign-disclosure search](https://efile.beaumontca.gov/public/search/campaign) ## The rest of the ballot Beaumont City Council is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Beaumont City Council — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/beaumont-city-council (sources last retrieved September 3, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.