Review note: Kelly Brown's own campaign site ("Kelly for Costa Mesa"): her own framing of her District 5 candidacy, Parks Commission role, and platform and Costa Mesa First (FPPC #1332564, a registered PAC operating savecostamesa.com) -- Candidates for District 5 page: ages, occupations, and platform detail for Steve Smith (Animal Services Committee since Apr. 2025, Fairview Park public-access position, structural budget deficit) and Kelly Brown; the group describes itself as openly opinionated about candidates, cited here only for independently-checkable factual detail beyond each campaign's own site 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
- kellyforcostamesa.com (opens in a new tab)Kelly Brown's own campaign site ("Kelly for Costa Mesa"): her own framing of her District 5 candidacy, Parks Commission role, and platform
- savecostamesa.com (opens in a new tab)Costa Mesa First (FPPC #1332564, a registered PAC operating savecostamesa.com) — Candidates for District 5 page: ages, occupations, and platform detail for Steve Smith (Animal Services Committee since Apr. 2025, Fairview Park public-access position, structural budget deficit) and Kelly Brown; the group describes itself as openly opinionated about candidates, cited here only for independently-checkable factual detail beyond each campaign's own site
Last updated August 31, 2026.
City of Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa City Council, District 5
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.
Kelly Brown and Steve Smith are running for Costa Mesa's open District 5 seat. Incumbent Arlis Reynolds is term limited, cannot run again, and has endorsed Brown. Whoever gets the most votes on November 3 wins, with no runoff.
This person holds District 5'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.
Both candidates already sit on city commissions -- Brown chairs Parks and Community Services, Smith serves on Animal Services -- and both campaign on public safety and fiscal transparency. Brown's platform leans further into housing, small-business support, and the city's Climate Action Plan; Smith's leans further into preserving public access to Fairview Park (including for recreational activities like RC glider flying) and addressing what he describes as the city's structural budget deficit.
Kelly Brown
Kelly Brown is Director of Media Relations and Communications for UC Irvine's School of Humanities. Her platform centers on thriving communities, public safety, and government transparency. She is endorsed by incumbent Arlis Reynolds and U.S. Rep. Dave Min.
Steve Smith
Steve Smith is a technology consultant. His campaign centers on public safety, fiscal responsibility, and government transparency. He has served on the city's Animal Services Committee since April 2025.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.