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City of Lake Forest · Statewide General Election

Lake Forest 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 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, Amy Stevens and Shari M. Rhodes, are running for Lake Forest City Council District 4's open seat. Incumbent Mark Tettemer 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 4'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 second of Lake Forest's two open seats this cycle: no incumbent is on the ballot. Beyond each candidate's own filed occupation, no campaign site, news coverage, or other independent source could be found for either candidate despite a real search effort -- documented below as a gap, not filled in with speculation.

Amy Stevens

Filed her candidacy under the ballot designation "Mother/Communications Consultant." 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 communications-consulting background suggests experience with public messaging and outreach relevant to representing a district's constituents.

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.

Shari M. Rhodes

Filed her candidacy under the ballot designation "Lake Forest Business Owner." 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 locally-based business-ownership background, distinct from Stevens's communications-consulting profile in this race.

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.