Review note: Cara Stewart's own campaign site ("Cara Stewart for City Council"): her own framing of her District 3 candidacy, background, and platform and Daniel Morgan's own campaign site ("Morgan for Costa Mesa"): his own framing of his District 3 candidacy, background, and platform may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- ocvote.gov (opens in a new tab)OC Registrar of Voters — Contest/Candidate Proof List, General Election 11/3/2026 (169 contests, 430 candidates filed)
- costamesaca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Costa Mesa — Mayor & City Council page: term limits (Mayor, 2-year terms, 2-term cap; Council, 4-year terms, 2-term cap) and the sitting roster (Mayor John Stephens; Council Members Mike Buley D1, Loren Gameros D2, Andrea Marr D3, Manuel Chavez D4/Mayor Pro Tem, Arlis Reynolds D5, Jeff Pettis D6)
- latimes.com (opens in a new tab)LA Times/Daily Pilot — "Costa Mesa Council race will see 8 candidates square off for 4 open seats, including mayor": confirms 4 council members terming out in December and 8 total candidates across the 4 open seats, all already serving in city civic roles; retrieved as search-engine snippets, latimes.com itself is not directly fetchable in this pass
- ocregister.com (opens in a new tab)Orange County Register — "Candidate fields take shape for city council elections in Orange County": names Mike Buley and Loren Gameros for Costa Mesa Mayor and Cara Stewart and Daniel Morgan for the open District 3 seat; retrieved as a search-engine snippet, ocregister.com itself is not directly fetchable in this pass
- caraforcostamesa.com (opens in a new tab)Cara Stewart's own campaign site ("Cara Stewart for City Council"): her own framing of her District 3 candidacy, background, and platform
- morganforcostamesa.com (opens in a new tab)Daniel Morgan's own campaign site ("Morgan for Costa Mesa"): his own framing of his District 3 candidacy, background, and platform
Last updated August 31, 2026.
City of Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa City Council, District 3
This person holds your district's seat on Costa Mesa's 6-member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside the citywide-elected mayor. The term is four years, capped at two consecutive terms.
Cara Stewart and Daniel Morgan are running for Costa Mesa's District 3 council seat. The seat is open. Incumbent Andrea Marr is term limited and cannot run again. Whoever gets the most votes on November 3 wins. There is no runoff.
This person holds District 3's seat on Costa Mesa's 6-member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. They serve alongside the mayor, who is elected citywide. The term is four years. It is capped at two terms in a row.
Both candidates already sit on city advisory committees. Both campaign on similar priorities. Those are public safety, fiscal responsibility, and support for local business. Their professional backgrounds differ. Stewart's is communications and consulting. Morgan's is real estate and finance. Morgan also opposes the Fairview Developmental Center Specific Plan. He cites traffic and emergency response concerns. No comparable position from Stewart on that plan was found.
Cara Stewart
Cara Stewart is founder and CEO of WunderMarx. It is a strategy consulting firm. Her campaign centers on transparency, fiscal responsibility, and community engagement. She once worked as a reporter for the Orange County Register.
Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan is Managing Principal of Marterra Real Estate and Marterra Properties. His campaign focuses on helping local businesses. He also wants to keep the city budget responsible. He once served as an Orange County Planning Commissioner.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.