menifee.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Menifee -- City Clerk "Notice of Election" (Notice of Election - 2026): a General Municipal Election will be held Nov. 3, 2026 for exactly two offices, "One (1) Member of the City Council -- District 2" and "One (1) Member of the City Council -- District 4," each a full 4-year term; signed by City Clerk Stephanie Roseen.
menifee.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Menifee -- City Clerk "Notice of Nomination Papers Issued" (as of Aug. 4, 2026): confirms the City Clerk issued nomination papers to "the eligible incumbent for the District 2 office" and that "there is no eligible incumbent for District 4," and that redistricting did not affect either incumbent's eligibility to run.
menifee.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Menifee -- City Clerk "Notice of Nominees for Public Office": the certified, final list of qualified candidates for the Nov. 3, 2026 General Municipal Election -- District 2 (Laz Peterson, Ben Diederich, Thomas Fuhrman) and District 4 (Frank Sandoval, Daniel Stephens, Randy Madrid), each race "vote for no more than one (1)"; signed by City Clerk Stephanie Roseen.
menifee.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Menifee -- "Election and Voter Information" page: hosts a live "City Council Candidate Activity" table (name, district, date papers pulled, date qualified, and a link to each filed candidate statement) plus the Notice of Election, Notice of Nomination Papers Issued, and Notice of Nominees documents; the table's 6 rows (3 per district) match the certified Notice of Nominees exactly.
menifee.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Menifee -- "City Council" government page: current roster confirms Ricky Estrada is a directly elected, at-large Mayor (next up in 2028, not this cycle); Bob Karwin (District 1, Mayor Pro Tem) and Dan Temple (District 3) are also not up this cycle; Ben Diederich is the sitting District 2 councilmember and Dean Deines the sitting District 4 councilmember.
menifee247.com (opens in a new tab)Menifee 24/7 -- "Election for council Districts 2, 4 set for Nov. 3, applications open July 13": explains Menifee's structure directly -- a directly elected, citywide Mayor (Ricky Estrada, up in 2028) plus 4 district councilmembers on staggered 4-year terms; District 4's Dean Deines "has termed out" (but remains eligible to run for Mayor in 2028, a separate office); District 2's Ben Diederich was appointed by the City Council in January 2025 to fill the vacancy created when Estrada was elected mayor, and was "expected to run for a full term"; candidate statements are capped at 200 words under a policy the Council approved June 3, 2026.
menifee247.com (opens in a new tab)Menifee 24/7 -- "City Council hopefuls to appear at Sept. 23 Candidates Forum": independently names all 6 qualified candidates by district (District 2: Ben Diederich, Tom Fuhrman, Laz Peterson; District 4: Randy Madrid, Frank Sandoval, Daniel Stephens) ahead of a Menifee 24/7-sponsored forum at Liberty High School.
menifee247.com (opens in a new tab)Menifee 24/7 -- "Meet the candidate: Ben Diederich, Menifee City Council District 2" (Ashley Beebe): on-the-record interview -- Diederich was appointed to the council in January 2025, previously spent 6 years on the Planning Commission, ran for the D2 seat in 2022 and lost to now-Mayor Ricky Estrada, attended Mt. San Jacinto College and law school before returning to open a small local law firm (10+ years); discusses his votes on warehouse projects, support for Flock license-plate cameras with safeguards, and priorities (amphitheater completion, a regional park, the city's infrastructure backlog).
menifee247.com (opens in a new tab)Menifee 24/7 -- "Meet the candidate: Laz Peterson, Menifee City Council District 2" (Ashley Beebe): on-the-record interview -- Peterson has served on the Parks, Recreation and Trails Commission since 2023, previously served on the committee that became the Measure DD Quality of Life Oversight Committee, owns three technology businesses (internet hosting, application development, IT support/network security), and discusses priorities (youth amenities, warehouse land-use, and conditional support for Flock cameras).
menifee247.com (opens in a new tab)Menifee 24/7 -- "Meet the candidate: Tom Fuhrman, Menifee City Council District 2" (Ashley Beebe): on-the-record interview -- Fuhrman is a retired tool-and-die specialist who has ranched in Menifee 36 years and served on the City Council from 2010 to 2014; he opposes further warehouse development and the city's amphitheater spending; separately discloses that in 2014, while a sitting councilmember, Fuhrman was arrested on a conflict-of-interest charge, pleaded guilty, served one year of probation plus 100 hours of community service, and had the felony expunged after a year -- a case that did not disqualify him from future office.
menifee.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Menifee -- Ben Diederich's filed 200-word Candidate Statement (District 2): cites 6 years on the Planning Commission, vice-chair of the Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Rosa Academy board, and council-term accomplishments (a balanced budget with reserves, $113M+ budgeted for public safety, a SafeWise top-20-safest-CA-city ranking).
menifee.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Menifee -- Laz Peterson's filed Candidate Statement (District 2): self-describes as a father of 5, Vice Chairman of the Parks, Recreation and Trails Commission, and a business owner, running on youth/open-space amenities and economic development.
menifee.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Menifee -- Tom Fuhrman's filed Candidate Statement (District 2): self-describes as a 33-year Menifee rancher who "served 4 years as the people's champion and waste watchdog for District 2" on the council; criticizes city spending, the Salt Creek overpass, City Hall rent, and a highly paid assistant-to-the-assistant-city-manager position.
netfile.com (opens in a new tab)City of Menifee NetFile public campaign-disclosure portal — candidate and committee filing search

Last updated September 3, 2026.

City of Menifee

Menifee City Council, District 2

This person holds your district's seat on Menifee's five-member City Council. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. The term is four years. Only two of the four district seats are up in any given November. Menifee's Mayor is directly elected citywide to a separate seat. An appointed city manager runs daily operations.

Three candidates are running for Menifee's District 2 seat on November 3, 2026. Incumbent Ben Diederich is seeking a full term. He was appointed to the seat in January 2025. The winner gets a 4-year term, with no primary or runoff.

Menifee's City Council has 5 seats: a directly elected, at-large Mayor (not up this cycle) and 4 district councilmembers elected to staggered 4-year terms, of which Districts 2 and 4 are up in 2026. The council sets city ordinances, the budget, and land use; day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager.

Diederich did not win this seat by election: the City Council appointed him in January 2025 to fill the vacancy left when Ricky Estrada, District 2's prior holder, was elected mayor. Diederich ran for the seat in 2022 and lost to Estrada before that appointment. Independent, on-the-record local reporting (Menifee 24/7) interviewed all three candidates directly; one profile below also discloses a 2014 conflict-of-interest case from a prior council term.

Laz Peterson

Laz Peterson is a challenger. He has served on Menifee's Parks, Recreation and Trails Commission since 2023. He owns three tech businesses. They cover internet hosting, application development, and network security. He has lived in Menifee since 2015 with his wife and five children.

Ben Diederich

Ben Diederich has run a small law firm in Menifee for over a decade. He was appointed to the seat in January 2025. Ricky Estrada, the prior holder, was elected mayor. He served six years on the Planning Commission. He lost to Estrada in 2022.

Thomas Fuhrman

Thomas Fuhrman goes by "Tom." He is a retired tool-and-die specialist. He has ranched in Menifee for 36 years. He served on the City Council from 2010 to 2014.

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