- ocvote.gov (opens in a new tab)OC Registrar of Voters -- Contest/Candidate Proof List, General Election 11/3/2026 -- City of Brea section (pages 77-79 of 188, downloaded directly and parsed locally with pypdf since a plain fetch returns undecodable PDF stream data): confirms Member City Council (Contest 5012, District ID *505 Brea) as the city's single November 2026 race -- not split by district, Vote for 3, 5 qualified candidates -- naming incumbents Cecilia Hupp, Steven C. Vargas and Blair Stewart, and each candidate's filed ballot designation and filing date
- cityofbrea.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Brea -- Elections page: confirms "a five-member City Council that is elected at-large," 4-year terms, three at-large seats up in the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election, and names all five qualified candidates (Andrew Herrera, Cecilia Hupp, Blake Perez, Blair Stewart, Steven C. Vargas)
- cityofbrea.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Brea -- City Council page: names the sitting five-member at-large council (Mayor Cecilia Hupp, Mayor Pro Tem Marty Simonoff, Christine Marick, Blair Stewart, Steven Vargas)
- cityofbrea.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Brea -- Districting Background page: a May 2019 notice alleged the city's at-large system violated the California Voting Rights Act; the city explored a by-district transition rather than litigate, but at its April 5, 2022 meeting the City Council voted not to proceed, leaving the city fully at-large
- cityofbrea.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Brea -- Mayor Cecilia Hupp official council-member biography: first elected Nov. 2014, re-elected 2018 and 2022, Mayor in 2017 and 2022; co-founder of S&S Home Loans (1983); housing and infrastructure record (La Floresta, Brea Place, Central Park Village, the Tracks at Brea trail, 57/Lambert interchange); regional committee seats
- cityofbrea.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Brea -- Blair Stewart official council-member biography: elected Nov. 2022, Mayor in 2025; 25-year Hazardous Materials Firefighter for Torrance Fire Department; U.S. Marine Corps veteran; Brea Olinda High School graduate; city and regional committee seats
- cityofbrea.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Brea -- Steven Vargas official council-member biography: council service 1998-2002 and again from Nov. 2014 (re-elected 2018, 2022), Mayor in 2021; prior County of Orange and federal staff roles; two decades as a Construction Safety Specialist at Chevron; U.S. Navy Reserve Lieutenant Commander, activated five times since 9/11 including a 2008-09 Iraq deployment
Last updated August 31, 2026.
City of Brea
Brea City Council
This person holds one of three at-large seats on Brea's City Council. These seats are up this cycle. The council has five members in all. Terms are four years and staggered. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. An appointed city manager runs day-to-day operations. The council picks one of its own members to serve as Mayor. Brea elects its whole council at-large. In 2022, the City Council considered switching to district elections. This followed a 2019 California Voting Rights Act challenge. The council voted against the switch.
Five candidates are running for three at-large seats on Brea's council. The incumbents are Cecilia Hupp, Blair Stewart, and Steven C. Vargas. The challengers are Andrew Herrera and Blake Perez.
Council seats carry 4-year terms; winners join two sitting councilmembers not up for election this year to make five votes on city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside an appointed city manager who runs day-to-day operations. The council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor. Brea elects its council entirely at-large: in 2019 the city received a notice alleging its at-large system violated the California Voting Rights Act, and rather than litigate it explored switching to by-district elections -- but at its April 5, 2022 meeting the City Council voted not to proceed with that change, so all five seats remain citywide races.
Three incumbents are seeking new terms against two challengers for the same three seats: Mayor Cecilia Hupp (first elected 2014), Blair Stewart (elected 2022) and Steven C. Vargas (elected 2014 after an earlier 1998-2002 term) all filed for re-election, facing Andrew Herrera, a consumer relations manager, and Blake Perez, a public affairs manager. With three incumbents and two challengers competing for three seats in an at-large, vote-for-up-to-three contest, the practical choice is less which incumbent to keep and more whether either challenger should displace one of them.
Cecilia Hupp
Cecilia Hupp is Brea's Mayor. She was first elected to the council in 2014. She and her husband own S&S Home Loans. She has worked in mortgages for decades. She says she has championed affordable housing. She calls herself a fiscal conservative.
Blake Perez
Blake Perez is a challenger whose ballot title is Public Affairs Manager. They qualified for the ballot on July 23, 2026. They hold no city office. No other background was found for them.
Andrew Herrera
Andrew Herrera is a challenger whose ballot title is Consumer Relations Manager. They qualified for the ballot on July 28, 2026. They hold no city office. No other background was found for them.
Blair Stewart
Blair Stewart was elected to the council in 2022. He served as Mayor in 2025. He has spent 25 years as a firefighter for the Torrance Fire Department. He is also a Marine Corps veteran who served eight years.
Steven C. Vargas
Steven C. Vargas served on the council from 1998 to 2002. He was elected again in 2014 and re-elected in 2018 and 2022. He served as Mayor in 2021. He spent two decades as a construction safety specialist at Chevron. He holds the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
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A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.