- ocvote.gov (opens in a new tab)OC Registrar of Voters -- Contest/Candidate Proof List, General Election 11/3/2026 -- City of Laguna Hills section (fetched directly and parsed locally with pypdf across all 188 pages): confirms exactly two "CITY OF LAGUNA HILLS Member, City Council" contests -- District 1 (Vote for 1, 2 qualified candidates) and District 4 (Vote for 1, 4 qualified candidates) -- with every candidate's filing date and filed ballot designation, District 1's incumbent field blank and District 4's marked "Vacant"; no District 2, 3, or 5 contest, and no at-large or Mayor contest, appears anywhere in the section
- lagunahillsca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Laguna Hills -- City Council page: confirms the sitting 5-member at-large council (Mayor Don Caskey and Mayor Pro Tem Jared Mathis, both through December 2028; Erica Pezold, Joshua Sweeney, and Dave Wheeler, terms expiring December 8, 2026) -- cited to independently confirm none of the six District 1 or District 4 candidates is a current councilmember
- maplh.org (opens in a new tab)City of Laguna Hills districting site (maplh.org, the redirect target of lagunahillsca.gov/603/Districting): the City Council adopted "Map 108" by ordinance effective December 9, 2025, replacing citywide at-large City Council elections with by-district elections starting in 2026; 5 districts total, with Districts 1, 2, and 4 holding their first elections in 2026 and Districts 3 and 5 following in 2028
Last updated August 31, 2026.
City of Laguna Hills
Laguna Hills City Council, District 1
This person holds your district's seat on Laguna Hills's five-member City Council. They vote on the budget, land use, and city laws. An appointed city manager runs daily operations. This is Laguna Hills's first-ever district election. The city adopted by-district voting for the 2026 cycle. It replaces citywide, at-large elections. Districts 1, 2, and 4 vote first. Districts 3 and 5 follow in 2028. The term is four years.
The city is switching from citywide council elections to elections by district this cycle. District 1's seat is on the ballot for the first time, on November 3. Two candidates filed, Harry Huggins and Laura Thies. Whoever gets the most votes wins outright, with no runoff.
Whoever wins joins a five-member council that sets the budget, land use, and city ordinances, with an appointed city manager handling day-to-day operations. This is Laguna Hills's first-ever district election: the City Council adopted a district map by ordinance in December 2025, replacing citywide elections in which every voter chose every councilmember. Districts 1, 2, and 4 vote first in 2026; Districts 3 and 5 follow in 2028. The term is four years.
Because the district system is brand new, District 1 has no sitting district officeholder -- the county's own candidate filing leaves the incumbent field blank, and the city's current at-large council roster (Mayor Don Caskey, Mayor Pro Tem Jared Mathis, and members Erica Pezold, Joshua Sweeney, and Dave Wheeler) includes neither Huggins nor Thies. This is an open-seat race between two first-time district candidates, not an incumbent defending a district seat.
Harry Huggins
Harry Huggins's ballot title is Laguna Hills Nonprofit President. No one could confirm which nonprofit they lead, or their background and platform. No campaign website, city biography, or news coverage about them was found.
Laura Thies
Laura Thies filed for City Council with no ballot designation. No one could confirm their job, background, or platform. No campaign website, city biography, or news coverage about them was found.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.