Review note: David Chura for RPV City Council -- campaign site: biography (retired executive/entrepreneur, six years on the RPV Planning Commission) and Issues page (a landslide-funding strategy -- modernizing the Hazard Abatement Districts, competitive contracts, a visitor-only hotel tax -- plus local control against state housing mandates, infrastructure, and finishing the city's Public Safety Department's integration with the Sheriff's station) may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- rpvca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Rancho Palos Verdes — November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election page: three (3) City Council seats, full 4-year terms; nomination period extended through Aug. 12, 2026 because no incumbent filed; Qualified Candidates List (David Chura, Michele Carbone, John Cruikshank, Matthew Brach, Tina L. Funiciello Esq., Jessica Vlaco, each marked Yes/qualified); Secretary of State randomized-alphabet ballot order (Chura, Michele Patrick Carbone, Cruikshank, Brach, Jessica Patton Vlaco, Tina Funiciello, Esq.), drawn Aug. 13, 2026
- rpvca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Rancho Palos Verdes — City Council page: current roster (Mayor Paul Seo, Mayor Pro Tem Stephen Perestam, Councilmembers David L. Bradley, Barbara Ferraro, George Lewis) and Council Member Term Limits table, showing Bradley and Ferraro each first elected 11/05/19 with a term limit of 'November 2026,' and Seo first elected 11/08/22 with a term limit of 'November 2030' (not term-limited this cycle)
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State — CAL-ACCESS filer search, run 2026-08-31, for each of the six qualified candidates: active 2026 committees found for David Chura ('Chura for RPV City Council 2026,' Filer 1492159) and John Cruikshank ('Cruikshank for RPV City Council 2026,' Filer 1484367), neither with an electronically filed Form 460/461/450 on record for this cycle as of this retrieval; no CAL-ACCESS entity found for Michele Carbone, Matthew Brach, Jessica Vlaco, or Tina Funiciello under any spelling searched. Also confirms Chura's terminated 2024 committee and a 2024 joint slate committee, 'Perestam, Lewis and Chura for City Council 2024, sponsored by Long Point Development, LLC,' and Cruikshank's terminated 2017, 2020, and 2024 (LA County Supervisor) committees
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — John Cruikshank: civil engineer (own engineering firm since 1996; USC B.S. 1988, graduate degree 1994), former Rancho Palos Verdes city councilmember and mayor pro tem, ran for the LA County Board of Supervisors, District 4, in the March 5, 2024 primary and lost outright to incumbent Janice Hahn (57.8%), finishing third with 14.1% behind Alex Villanueva (28.1%)
- dailybreeze.com (opens in a new tab)Daily Breeze / Palos Verdes Peninsula News (Michael Hixon) — "Here's where city council, school board races stand on the Peninsula": Rancho Palos Verdes' Nov. 5, 2024 council election (two seats), naming George Lewis and Stephen Perestam as the top finishers, David Chura (described as a technology engineer and sitting Planning Commissioner) third at 22.74% — 225 votes behind Lewis — and Michele Carbone (a health care industry professional) last at 11.21%
- laist.com (opens in a new tab)LAist (Yusra Farzan) — "A landslide brought it down: How Rancho Palos Verdes' beloved trails have been forever altered": by the end of the current fiscal year the city will have spent close to $65 million on the Portuguese Bend landslide since October 2022, against an annual operating budget of around $40 million; lost parking revenue, red-tagged homes, and a voluntary buyout program, per City Manager Ara Mihranian
- electdavidchura.com (opens in a new tab)David Chura for RPV City Council — campaign site: biography (retired executive/entrepreneur, six years on the RPV Planning Commission) and Issues page (a landslide-funding strategy — modernizing the Hazard Abatement Districts, competitive contracts, a visitor-only hotel tax — plus local control against state housing mandates, infrastructure, and finishing the city's Public Safety Department's integration with the Sheriff's station)
- dailybreeze.com (opens in a new tab)Daily Breeze (Mark Edward Nero) — "Incumbent, Redondo teacher appear to get on Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified school...": names Matthew Brach, who runs a real estate development company, among the winners of three seats on the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Board of Education in the Nov. 6, 2018 election
- soleado.pvpusd.net (opens in a new tab)Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, Soleado Elementary — a Feb. 22, 2021 parent letter listing the district's Board of Education: Matthew Brach, President; Megan Crawford, Vice President; Linda Reid, Clerk; Jeff Frankel and Richard Phillips, Members. Cited only for Brach's board tenure and a documented instance of the board presidency — not a claim about who holds that title in 2026
Last updated August 31, 2026.
City of Rancho Palos Verdes
Rancho Palos Verdes City Council
This person holds one of three at-large seats up this cycle. Rancho Palos Verdes' 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 year. An appointed city manager runs daily operations.
Rancho Palos Verdes fills three of its five City Council seats on November 3, 2026. None of the three sitting members whose terms end is on the ballot. That is a first in years. David Bradley and Barbara Ferraro hit the city's two term limit. Mayor Paul Seo was not term limited. He chose not to run again. Six candidates qualified for the three open seats. David Chura and Michele Patrick Carbone have run before. John Cruikshank is a former councilmember. Matthew Brach is a school board veteran. Jessica Patton Vlaco and Tina Funiciello, Esq. are first time candidates.
Each winner serves a 4-year term on RPV's 5-member City Council, setting the city's budget, zoning and land-use rules, and municipal ordinances for a city of roughly 40,000 residents. The council doesn't elect its mayor directly -- members rotate the largely ceremonial title among themselves each year, and day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager. The job carries outsized weight right now: the Portuguese Bend landslide has cost the city close to $65 million since 2022 against an annual operating budget of around $40 million, and whoever wins will keep voting on how the city pays for it.
The choice splits a few ways: whether you want a familiar face from City Hall's recent past -- Cruikshank served two prior council terms, including time as mayor -- or a clean start; how much weight to give a candidate who's already run and lost, twice in Carbone's case; and whether school-board or civic-committee experience (Brach's, Vlaco's) reads as preparation for a council seat none of the six currently holds.
David Chura
David Chura is a Planning Commissioner and a retired technology executive. This is their second run for City Council. They finished third in 2024. They are campaigning on a landslide recovery plan. It would update the city's Hazard Abatement Districts. It would tax hotel visitors rather than residents. They also want to resist state housing mandates. They want to finish the city's new Public Safety Department. In 2024, a slate committee backed their campaign and two winning candidates. A private developer, Long Point Development LLC, funded it.
Michele Patrick Carbone
Michele Patrick Carbone is a health care industry consultant. This is their third run for City Council. They finished last in both 2022 and 2024. They speak often at council meetings on local issues. No 2026 platform was found for them. Their name is on the city's list of qualified candidates.
John Cruikshank
John Cruikshank is a civil engineer and business owner. He served two terms on the City Council. He was mayor for part of that time. He hit the term limit in 2024. He is campaigning on that record. He frames his return after the required break as continuity, not a fresh start. In 2024 he also ran for the LA County Board of Supervisors. He lost, finishing third with 14% behind incumbent Janice Hahn.
Matthew Brach
Matthew Brach is managing director of a real estate development company. They have sat on the Board of Education for Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified since 2018. They have chaired that board as its president. This is their first run for City Council. They bring school district budget experience, not city hall experience. No 2026 platform was found for them. Their name is on the city's list of qualified candidates.
Jessica Patton Vlaco
Jessica Patton Vlaco is running for City Council for the first time. They sit on the city's Finance Advisory Committee. They represent the Ladera Linda neighborhood on the city's Council of Homeowners Associations. They are not on record taking public stands on landslide spending or other city issues. No 2026 platform was found for them. Their name is on the city's list of qualified candidates.
Tina Funiciello, Esq.
Tina Funiciello, Esq. is running for City Council for the first time. Their ballot listing carries the title Esq. That suggests a legal background. No bar record or law practice was confirmed. Funiciello and a family member have spoken at City Council meetings since at least 2020. The city's own minutes show that. They have a campaign Instagram account. Their name is on the city's list of qualified candidates. No other 2026 platform was found for them.
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A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.