Chavez is running unopposed for Costa Mesa’s Fourth District.
Manuel Chavez is the first Latino to be elected to the Costa Mesa City Council. The Westside native is currently a Constituent Services Manager for Supervisor Katrina Foley.
Chavez champions affordable housing for all income brackets in Costa Mesa through a number of housing initiatives. He would like to see rent costs go down and is a strong advocate for building more low cost housing within the city.
The Southern California Association of Governments determined that Costa Mesa’s share of affordable housing for Orange County includes the need for 4,713 low- and very low-income dwellings in the near future, an effort to attain “a more diverse, sustainable and balanced community through implementation of strategies and programs that will result in economically and socially diversified housing choices.”
“It is vital for our city that future generations can afford to live here, and Manuel will continue working to balance the needs of residents new and old,” Chavez’s campaign site states.
Chavez joined the City Council in 2018 following the city’s first cycle district elections, when he worked with other councilmembers to bring about bridge housing for the homeless. He was also an advocate for sourcing increased Permanent Supportive Housing and the reimagining of old motels, turning them into residences for the homeless.
Costa Mesans will have the opportunity to decide whether sole authority for housing decisions should be given to the Costa Mesa City Council, or whether voters should retain the right to vote on development, with Measure K on the ballot. A “Yes” vote for the measure gives the authority to the city council for final decision.
Chavez is endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County, the Orange County Labor Federation, and Planned Parenthood Community Action Fund, to name a few.
United States Rep. Katie Porter and Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley have also endorsed Chavez.
