Skip to main content

City of Lake Forest · Statewide General Election

Lake Forest City Council, District 2

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 Lake Forest's 5-member City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside an appointed city manager who runs day-to-day operations. Lake Forest is a general-law city with no separately, citywide-elected Mayor -- the council chooses a Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem from among its own members each year. Not all five council districts are elected the same year -- only Districts 2, 3, and 4 have terms expiring in 2026. A 4-year term.

Incumbent Benjamin Yu is running for a second term against four challengers: Giurguis "George" Azer, Becky Keene, Brandon Council, and Brittany Thompson. Whichever candidate gets the most votes on November 3 wins outright; there's no runoff.

This person holds District 2's seat on Lake Forest's 5-member City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside an appointed city manager who runs day-to-day operations. Lake Forest is a general-law city with no separately, citywide-elected Mayor -- the council chooses a Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem from among its own members each year. Not all five council districts are elected the same year -- only Districts 2, 3, and 4 have terms expiring in 2026. A 4-year term.

This is the only one of Lake Forest's three 2026 council races with an incumbent on the ballot. Beyond each candidate's own filed occupation, no campaign site, news coverage, or other independent source could be found for any of the five despite a real, per-candidate search effort -- the city's own elections page confirms it published an individual candidate statement for each of them, but every one of those nine statement PDFs (across all three Lake Forest races) 404s on the city's document system. Documented below as a gap, not filled in with speculation.

Benjamin Yu

First elected to the council in November 2022, Yu is seeking a second term. His filed ballot designation is "Councilmember, City of Lake Forest/Businessman." No campaign site, news coverage, or other independent source describing his platform or business background could be found in this pass despite a real search effort (the city's own council roster page confirms his district, election date, and term-expiration only).

Strengths

One full term of council experience, running as the only incumbent among Lake Forest's three 2026 races.

Trade-offs

No campaign statement or platform was found in this pass beyond his ballot designation, so voters have no confirmed sense of what he'd prioritize in a second term.

Keep in mind

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

Giurguis "George" Azer

Filed his candidacy under the ballot designation "Small Business Owner." No campaign site, news coverage, or other independent source describing his background or platform could be found in this pass despite a real search effort.

Strengths

A small-business background suggests direct familiarity with the local economy and regulatory environment.

Trade-offs

No campaign statement or platform was found in this pass, so voters have no confirmed sense of his priorities beyond his listed occupation.

Keep in mind

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

Becky Keene

Filed her candidacy under the ballot designation "Systems Analyst." No campaign site, news coverage, or other independent source describing her background or platform could be found in this pass despite a real search effort.

Strengths

A systems-analysis background suggests process- and data-oriented experience relevant to municipal operations.

Trade-offs

No campaign statement or platform was found in this pass, so voters have no confirmed sense of her priorities beyond her listed occupation.

Keep in mind

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

Brandon Council

Filed his candidacy under the ballot designation "Mechanical Engineer." No campaign site, news coverage, or other independent source describing his background or platform could be found in this pass despite a real search effort.

Strengths

An engineering background suggests technical and infrastructure-oriented experience relevant to public works and capital projects.

Trade-offs

No campaign statement or platform was found in this pass, so voters have no confirmed sense of his priorities beyond his listed occupation.

Keep in mind

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

Brittany Thompson

Filed her candidacy under the ballot designation "Community Volunteer." No campaign site, news coverage, or other independent source describing her background or platform could be found in this pass despite a real search effort.

Strengths

A community-volunteer background suggests direct, hands-on familiarity with local civic and nonprofit organizations.

Trade-offs

No campaign statement or platform was found in this pass, so voters have no confirmed sense of her priorities beyond her listed occupation.

Keep in mind

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

Source review: Mixed (74/100) · 4 cited sources

Only procedural records are cited (candidate lists, results, finance filings); no source describes the candidates, so the score is capped.

Review note: No cited source describes the candidates; add descriptive coverage to lift the cap.

  • ocvote.gov (opens in a new tab)OC Registrar of Voters -- Contest/Candidate Proof List, General Election 11/3/2026 -- City of Lake Forest section (pages 121-126 of 188): confirms City Council District 2 (5 qualified candidates), District 3 (2), and District 4 (2) as the city's three November 2026 races, each Vote for 1, with incumbent flags and every candidate's filed ballot designation
  • lakeforestca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Lake Forest -- City Council page: the full sitting 5-member roster and district assignments (Mayor Robert Pequeño, District 5; Mayor Pro Tem Doug Cirbo, District 1; Mark Tettemer, District 4; Scott Voigts, District 3; Benjamin Yu, District 2) -- confirms which three districts (2, 3, 4) have terms expiring in 2026 and that Districts 3 and 4's incumbents, Voigts and Tettemer, are not among the qualified 2026 candidates for their own seats
  • lakeforestca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Lake Forest -- Elections page: confirms Districts 2, 3, and 4 are up in the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election (consolidated with the Orange County Registrar of Voters), the district-based nomination structure, and the candidate-filing timeline (nomination period July 13 - August 7, 2026)
  • lakeforestca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Lake Forest -- "List of Candidates for Members of the City Council -- Districts 2, 3, and 4," dated 8/7/2026 (the city clerk's own PDF): every qualified candidate's name, district, and filing dates for all 9 candidates, plus one withdrawn filer (Bob Stuart, District 2, pulled papers but never filed) -- independently matches the county's Proof List exactly

Last updated August 31, 2026.