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 -- "Menifee 24/7 profiles of local candidates continue": states directly that Daniel Stephens, the only qualified District 4 candidate not yet profiled at that point, "has not responded to repeated requests for an interview."
menifee247.com (opens in a new tab)Menifee 24/7 -- "Meet the candidate: Frank Sandoval, Menifee City Council District 4" (Ashley Beebe): on-the-record interview -- Sandoval's family has lived in Menifee since 1990, he owns a technology consulting firm and previously owned a San Diego staffing/recruiting company; says he would have voted against the 830,000-square-foot Heritage Valley Business Center warehouse the Council approved in June; wants business parks/light-industrial space over more warehouses and infill development near existing infrastructure.
menifee247.com (opens in a new tab)Menifee 24/7 -- "City Council candidate Madrid's residency status under investigation" (Doug Spoon): reports, from emails the paper obtained, that Madrid asked the City Clerk on Aug. 17 how to withdraw from the District 4 race after the county's withdrawal deadline had passed; Madrid told the paper he does not currently live in District 4 and is trying to buy a home there after an earlier purchase fell through; the Clerk's Aug. 19 written reply says the Registrar of Voters ruled there is no late-withdrawal option; two sources told the paper the Riverside County District Attorney's Office was investigating after a private party's report to the FPPC; the DA's office would not confirm or deny an investigation.
menifee247.com (opens in a new tab)Menifee 24/7 -- "Madrid gave false info on election forms under penalty of perjury" (Doug Spoon): reports that election documents show Madrid listed an Oasis-community address on his Candidate Intention Statement (Form 501), signed under penalty of perjury, at which a property search found he is not the owner and which has not recently been in escrow; confirms Dean Deines "is terming out" of District 4 and that Madrid, a Planning Commissioner appointed in 2016 (reappointed by Deines) and president of RM Project Development, remained listed as a District 4 candidate as of the ballots being printed Aug. 31, 2026 alongside Frank Sandoval and Daniel Stephens; notes that if Madrid won while ineligible it would likely trigger a special election.
menifee.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Menifee -- Frank Sandoval's filed Candidate Statement (District 4): self-describes as a small-business owner raising his family in Heritage Lake, running on "growth that pays its own way," youth programs/parks, and a fully funded police department.
menifee.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Menifee -- Randy Madrid's filed Candidate Statement (District 4): self-describes as a Planning Commissioner who "supported responsible development" including Barons Market and new sit-down restaurants; discloses endorsements from former Mayor Bill Zimmerman, Councilmember Dean Deines, and Menifee Senior Advisory Committee Chairwoman Gloria Sanchez.
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 4

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 4 City Council seat on November 3, 2026. It is an open race because incumbent Dean Deines is term-limited. 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.

One qualified candidate, Randy Madrid, told Menifee 24/7 he does not currently live in District 4 and asked the City Clerk to withdraw after the county's withdrawal deadline had passed; the Clerk's office said no late withdrawal was possible, and two sources told the paper the Riverside County District Attorney's Office was investigating a report to the state's political-ethics regulator. Madrid remained on the printed ballot. A second candidate, Daniel Stephens, filed no candidate statement and did not respond to the paper's repeated interview requests. Both are described further below.

Frank Sandoval

Frank Sandoval is a challenger whose family has lived in Menifee since 1990. He owns a technology consulting firm and previously ran a staffing company in San Diego. He lives in Heritage Lake with his wife and young son.

Daniel Stephens

Daniel Stephens is a challenger who qualified for the ballot. They did not file a candidate statement with the city. They are the only one of six District 2 and 4 candidates who skipped it.

Randy Madrid

Randy Madrid is a challenger and a Menifee Planning Commissioner, appointed in 2016. He was reappointed under District 4 councilmember Dean Deines. He also leads a real estate firm called RM Project Development. His eligibility to run in District 4 was later disputed.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

This is one race on your ballot. Vote or Else shows every contest you will vote on — Congress, the Legislature, your county, city, and school board — each broken down the same way. Enter your address to see your full ballot.