All Five Mission Viejo City Council Districts In Play
The General Election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and Mission Viejo’s five City Council districts are on the ballot. Most of the campaigns are already in full swing.
Three longtime council members are term-limited and cannot seek reelection: Wendy Bucknum (District 5), Brian Goodell (District 2) and Trish Kelley (District 4). That means three districts will have new council members next year, while incumbents are seeking reelection in Districts 1 and 3.
Mission Viejo’s five council districts were established in March 2022 following years of discussion about how the city should transition to district-based elections. Residents were invited to submit proposed district maps before the City Council ultimately selected one created by a city-hired demographer.
Here are the candidates in each district:
District 1 covers the northeastern tip of the city down to Alicia Parkway.
👉 Robert “Bob” Ruesch (incumbent)
👉 Kristen Wilcox
District 2 covers the central-eastern residential tracts, bordered by Alicia Parkway to the north and Oso Parkway to the south.
👉 Saga Conroy
👉 Peter Molinari
District 3 encompasses everything south of Oso Parkway.
👉 Cynthia Vasquez (incumbent)
👉 Bryan Zahn
District 4 covers the south-central neighborhoods bordered by Oso Parkway to the south and Trabuco Road to the north.
👉 Laura Lacko
👉 James Morrison
District 5 encompasses north-central neighborhoods tucked between Jeronimo Road to the south and Santa Margarita Parkway to the north.
👉 Steven Thornton (running unopposed)
Next week we’ll take a closer look at the candidates.
