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City of Costa Mesa · Statewide General Election

Costa Mesa City Council, District 4

Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

This person holds your district's seat on Costa Mesa's 6-member City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside the citywide-elected mayor. A 4-year term, capped at two consecutive terms.

Angely Andrade Vallarta and Fisher Derderian are running for Costa Mesa City Council District 4's open seat -- incumbent and Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Chavez is term-limited and can't run again. Whichever candidate gets the most votes on November 3 wins outright; there's no runoff.

This person holds District 4's seat on Costa Mesa's 6-member City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside the citywide-elected mayor. A 4-year term, capped at two consecutive terms.

Both candidates already sit on city commissions -- Andrade Vallarta on Planning, Derderian on Arts -- and both campaign on neighborhood safety and quality of life, with Andrade Vallarta's platform leaning more toward housing and infrastructure and Derderian's toward fiscal accountability and city-hall responsiveness.

Angely Andrade Vallarta

Director of Corporate Engagement at Orange County United Way and a sitting member of the city's Planning Commission; her background includes public-policy and government-finance work, including with the Hawaii State Senate. A working mother and PTA member, she's bilingual. "You deserve a city that feels safe, affordable, and well-run," she says. Her platform centers on affordable housing for families and seniors, public safety, walkable neighborhoods, youth and community spaces, parks and green space, and fiscal responsibility; she says she has supported planning decisions for affordable senior housing, homeownership programs, and expanded parks in the city.

Strengths

A Planning Commission seat gives her direct, current exposure to the land-use and housing decisions she's campaigning on.

Trade-offs

No prior elected office; her day job (a nonprofit focused on education, housing, and job access) overlaps with several of her priorities -- relevant expertise, or a values-alignment to weigh.

Keep in mind

No CAL-ACCESS record was checked for her campaign in this pass -- see Financial info.

Fisher Derderian

Founder of Dux Culturae, a consulting firm, and President of the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation; he serves on the city's Arts Commission (previously as Vice Chair) and helped establish Costa Mesa's Poet Laureate Program. A longtime resident raising five children with his wife, Maxine, in District 4. His platform centers on neighborhood safety, smart and livable growth, and quality of life for families and renters. "The measure of leadership isn't how bold an idea sounds, but whether it results in safer streets, better public spaces, and a city that works more reliably for the people who live here," he says, adding that he ran in part because "District 4 often feels overlooked."

Strengths

An Arts Commission tenure that includes a concrete, checkable accomplishment (helping establish the city's Poet Laureate Program), plus nonprofit-fundraising and institutional-management experience.

Trade-offs

No prior elected office and a professional background (cultural nonprofit management) less directly tied to budgeting or land use than his opponent's Planning Commission seat.

Keep in mind

No CAL-ACCESS record was checked for his campaign in this pass -- see Financial info.

Source review: Strong (80/100) · 5 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context; advocacy or endorsement sources are treated as attributed perspective.

Review note: Angely Andrade Vallarta's own campaign site ("Angely Andrade Vallarta for Costa Mesa City Council- District 4"): her own framing of her candidacy, Planning Commission role, and platform and Fisher Derderian's own campaign site ("Fisher Derderian for Costa Mesa City Council District 4"): his own framing of his candidacy, Arts Commission role, 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
  • angely4costamesa.com (opens in a new tab)Angely Andrade Vallarta's own campaign site ("Angely Andrade Vallarta for Costa Mesa City Council- District 4"): her own framing of her candidacy, Planning Commission role, and platform
  • fisher4costamesa.com (opens in a new tab)Fisher Derderian's own campaign site ("Fisher Derderian for Costa Mesa City Council District 4"): his own framing of his candidacy, Arts Commission role, and platform

Last updated August 31, 2026.