A new Costa Mesa City Council was sworn in on Thursday, Dec. 5 with voters re-electing Mayor John Stephens and Council Member Loren Gameros to District 2 and choosing new District 1 Council Member Mike Buley and new District 6 Council Member Jeff Pettis.

The new Council joins existing Council Members Andrea Marr, Arlis Reynolds and Manuel Chavez. The new Council also voted 6-0 for Manuel Chavez to be the next Mayor Pro Tem.

“I’d like to give a welcome to our two new council members Mike Buley and Jeff Pettis and a congratulations to Mayor Stephens and Council Member Gameros for winning their second terms,” City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison said. “Additionally, I want to thank our outgoing Council Members Jeff Harlan and Don Harper for their dedication over the last four years.”

 This is Stephens’ second term as Mayor after successfully running for the post in November of 2022.

“I am honored that the residents of Costa Mesa have trusted me with another two-year term as Mayor of this great City,” Mayor Stephens said. “With the help of my Council colleagues, we have already accomplished some great things and I plan to do even more in these next two years.”

For more information please visit Mayor Stephens’ webpage here.

Council Member Gameros ran unopposed for his District 2 seat, which he was first elected to in November of 2020. He was the first person to represent that district, which was created in a city-wide vote in 2018.

“It was a great honor to be elected to represent District 2 four years ago and I have enjoyed my service to the community,” Gameros said. “To run unopposed to me was a vote of confidence in my leadership and I look forward to the next four years.”

A 44-year resident of Costa Mesa, Gameros has more than two decades of experience with the Operating Engineers Training Trust Local 12, a nonprofit labor organization where he serves as an instructor of building inspectors.

Click here for more information on Council Member Gameros.

New Council Member Buley was elected to represent District 1, where he and his wife, Adriana, moved to 21 years ago and have raised three children there. 

“I feel a responsibility to my family, friends, neighbors, and supporters to work hard during my term to ensure that Costa Mesa continues to grow and thrive in such a way that it continues to be a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family,” Council Member Buley said. “I’ve been blessed to experience that with my wife and children over the last two decades we’ve lived here.”

Buley has served the community as a volunteer on the St. John the Baptist School’s advisory Finance Committee, coaching basketball and softball at SJB, and countless volunteer hours during the years his son played Costa Mesa Little League.

Buley has been a civil litigation trial attorney for over 30 years, the last 25 years as owner of his own firm. 

Click here for more information about Council Member Buley.

New Council Member Pettis was elected to represent District 6, where he has lived with his wife Kerry and three children for the last 13 years.

“I have long understood that there is a positive correlation between the strength of a community and the willingness of its residents to get involved,” Council Member Pettis said. “Involvement can be as simple as staying informed, or as major as philanthropic financial endeavors. I chose to run for elected office in Costa Mesa as a way to become involved in the community I call home.”

He is currently the Deputy Chief Nurse of Mental Health at the Long Beach Veterans Administration Medical Center and served on the VA’s Nurse Professional Practice Committee, where he developed, reviewed and enacted hospital policies for nursing professional practice.

Click here for more information about Council Member Pettis.