Review note: Mark Saroyan for PVE City Council -- campaign site: platform (public safety/police retention, infrastructure, open space, opposing state housing mandates, the city's structural deficit and pension liability) and biography (Palos Verdes High School 1975, USC 1979, Tulane School of Medicine 1983, Harbor-UCLA surgical residency, retired chief of surgery at Kaiser South Bay) may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- pvestates.org (opens in a new tab)City of Palos Verdes Estates — City Clerk, Elections page: November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election for three (3) City Council seats, full 4-year terms; Candidate Nomination Status table (Victoria Lozzi, Mark Saroyen, Michael Kemps, each with issued/filed/qualified dates); Notice of Election and Notice of Extended Nomination Period (extended to Aug. 12, 2026)
- pvestates.org (opens in a new tab)City of Palos Verdes Estates — City Council roster and individual member bios: Mayor Michael Kemps, Mayor Pro Tem Derek Lazzaro, Councilmember Victoria A. Lozzi, Councilmember David McGowan, Councilmember Craig Quinn (McGowan's and Quinn's/Lazzaro's terms are not up in 2026)
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State — CAL-ACCESS campaign-finance filer search, checked by candidate name 2026-08-31: no active 2026 committee for Kemps, Lozzi, or Saroyan/Saroyen. Kemps: 'Kemps for PVE Council 2019' (Filer 1414925) and 'Kemps for PVE Council 2022; Re-Elect Michael' (Filer 1451378), both terminated. Lozzi: 'Lozzi for PVE City Treasurer 2017' (Filer 1394279), 'Lozzi for PVE City Council 2019' (Filer 1415198), and 'Lozzi for PVE City Council 2022; Re-Elect Victoria' (Filer 1454679), all terminated. No entity found for Saroyan or Saroyen.
- dailybreeze.com (opens in a new tab)Daily Breeze (Southern California News Group, via The Beach Reporter) — "Michael Kemps chosen Palos Verdes Estates mayor": Kemps named mayor at the Dec. 9, 2025 City Council meeting, succeeding outgoing Mayor Victoria Lozzi; independently names the full sitting council (David McGowan, Derek Lazzaro, Craig Quinn) present at the meeting
- mark4pve.org (opens in a new tab)Mark Saroyan for PVE City Council — campaign site: platform (public safety/police retention, infrastructure, open space, opposing state housing mandates, the city's structural deficit and pension liability) and biography (Palos Verdes High School 1975, USC 1979, Tulane School of Medicine 1983, Harbor-UCLA surgical residency, retired chief of surgery at Kaiser South Bay)
Last updated August 31, 2026.
City of Palos Verdes Estates
Palos Verdes Estates City Council
This person holds one of three at-large seats up this cycle. Palos Verdes Estates' City Council has five members. They vote on the city budget, zoning rules, and other city laws. The term is four years. The council does not elect its mayor directly. Members rotate the largely ceremonial title each December. An appointed city manager runs daily operations.
Palos Verdes Estates elects three City Council seats on November 3, 2026. Exactly three candidates qualified. There is no contest between rivals. Mayor Michael Kemps and Councilmember Victoria A. Lozzi are both seeking reelection. Mark Saroyan is a retired surgeon. Saroyan is running for the seat David McGowan is leaving.
Each winner serves a 4-year term on PVE's 5-member City Council. The council sets the city's budget, zoning and land-use rules, and municipal ordinances. The city has roughly 13,300 residents. The council does not elect its mayor directly. Members rotate the largely ceremonial title among themselves each December. Day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager. The job is one vote among five, not an executive post.
Every seat is effectively decided before Election Day. So the choice left to voters is narrower than usual. They can mark all three names, some of them, or none. Kemps and Lozzi represent continuity. Both already vote on the council today. Saroyan is the only clean changeover. Saroyan is taking the seat McGowan is leaving. They are not challenging a sitting member.
Michael Kemps
Michael Kemps is Palos Verdes Estates' sitting Mayor. They are seeking a third council term. They are running on fiscal responsibility and transparency. They also want to preserve the city's character. They founded a legal technology firm, Innovative Computing Systems, in 1989.
Victoria A. Lozzi
Victoria A. Lozzi is a second term councilmember. She is seeking a third term. She is running on fiscal discipline and efficiency. She draws on her 35 years as a banker. She earlier served as PVE's elected City Treasurer, from 2017 to 2019.
Mark Saroyan
Mark Saroyan is a retired vascular and general surgeon. They are from PVE's Malaga Cove neighborhood. They are running on public safety funding and pension costs. They also want to push back on state housing rules. They spent nearly three decades in surgery at Kaiser South Bay. They retired in 2019.
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A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.