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City of Lake Forest · Statewide General Election

Lake Forest City Council, District 3

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.

Two candidates, Anil D. Patel and Tom Grable, are running for Lake Forest City Council District 3's open seat. Incumbent Scott Voigts did not file for re-election. Whichever candidate gets the most votes on November 3 wins outright; there's no runoff.

This person holds District 3'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 one of Lake Forest's two open seats this cycle: no incumbent is on the ballot. The city's own Planning Commission roster independently confirms Tom Grable currently serves as the commission's Vice Chair, corroborating his filed ballot designation. No comparable independent detail was found for Anil D. Patel despite a real search effort.

Anil D. Patel

Filed his candidacy under the ballot designation "Project Manager/Businessowner." 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 project-management and business-ownership background suggests organizational and operational experience relevant to running a city department's 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.

Tom Grable

Filed his candidacy under the ballot designation "Planning Commissioner/Businessowner." The city's own Planning Commission roster page independently confirms Grable currently serves as the commission's Vice Chair, a term running through December 2028 -- meaning he already sits on the body that reviews Lake Forest land-use and development decisions before they reach the City Council. No campaign site, news coverage, or other independent source describing his business background or platform could be found in this pass despite a real search effort.

Strengths

Sitting Vice Chair of the city's Planning Commission, giving him direct, current exposure to Lake Forest land-use and development decisions before he'd even take a council seat.

Trade-offs

No prior elected office; a Planning Commission seat is appointed, not elected, so this is his first time on the ballot.

Keep in mind

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

Source review: Mixed (74/100) · 5 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
  • lakeforestca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Lake Forest -- Planning Commission page: confirms Tom Grable as the sitting Vice Chair (term through December 2028), corroborating his District 3 ballot designation ("Planning Commissioner/Businessowner")

Last updated August 31, 2026.