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November 3, 2026·Filing Window: ~July–August 2026·NetFile Agency: CGG
Garden Grove (~175,000 residents) is Orange County’s fourth-largest city and home to the largest Vietnamese American community in the United States, centered on Little Saigon along Bolsa Avenue. The city also has significant Latino and Korean American populations and sits within California Assembly District 68 — the open-seat race between Jessie Lopez and David Penaloza.
The November 2026 ballot covers four of seven council seats: the Mayor at-large plus Districts 1, 3, and 4. Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein, elected in 2024 as the city’s first female mayor, faces a rematch challenge from Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen, a former councilmember and cancer scientist who narrowly lost in 2024. The three district seats are held by incumbents elected in 2022; no challengers have declared as of April 2026, though the July 2026 nomination window will determine whether any of these seats become contested.
Campaign finance for Garden Grove committees is tracked via the CGG NetFile portal. SoCal Public Ledger will ingest 2026 committee filings once the nomination period opens.
Citywide — elected by all Garden Grove voters. Garden Grove is Orange County's fourth-largest city (~175,000 residents), with a large Vietnamese American community and significant Latino and Korean populations.
Incumbent
First elected female mayor of Garden Grove. Elected in November 2024 to fill the open seat left by Mayor Steve Jones. Former District 5 councilmember since 2016. FPPC committee 1458612 (2024 campaign).
Incumbent — up for re-election November 2026
Declared Challengers
Data coverage: SoCal Public Ledger tracks campaign finance for Garden Grove committees through the CGG NetFile portal. 2026 committees will appear once FPPC registration is complete (typically after the July 2026 nomination filing window opens).
Northwestern Garden Grove. Incumbent George Brietigam has represented this district since 2018.
Incumbent
Mayor Pro Tem and District 1 representative. First elected November 2018; re-elected November 2022. Attorney (Deputy District Attorney, Ventura County). Current four-year term ends December 2026.
Incumbent — re-election status unconfirmed as of April 2026
Declared Challengers
No challengers have publicly declared as of April 2026. Filing window opens approximately July 2026.
Data coverage: FPPC committee ID for Brietigam is TBD — will be retrieved from the CGG NetFile portal once confirmed.
Central Garden Grove. Cindy Ngoc Tran won a competitive 5-candidate race in 2022.
Incumbent
District 3 councilmember. First elected November 2022 in a competitive field of five candidates. Current four-year term ends December 2026.
Incumbent — re-election status unconfirmed as of April 2026
Declared Challengers
No challengers have publicly declared as of April 2026. Filing window opens approximately July 2026.
Data coverage: FPPC committee ID for Tran is TBD — will be retrieved from the CGG NetFile portal once confirmed.
Eastern Garden Grove. Joe DoVinh won a close race in 2022, leading by 162 votes on election night.
Incumbent
District 4 councilmember. Elected November 2022 in a close two-candidate contest. Current four-year term ends December 2026.
Incumbent — re-election status unconfirmed as of April 2026
Declared Challengers
No challengers have publicly declared as of April 2026. Filing window opens approximately July 2026.
Data coverage: FPPC committee ID for DoVinh is TBD — will be retrieved from the CGG NetFile portal once confirmed.
These three seats were elected in November 2024 and are next up in November 2028.
These officials have campaign finance or other data tracked in this system. Click any name to view their full profile.
Listed alphabetically
Filing window dates are estimated based on the 2024 cycle (July 15 – August 9, 2024). Confirm official dates at ggcity.org/city-clerk/election-information.
Get alerts when candidates file
We’ll notify you when Garden Grove candidates register committees or file campaign finance disclosures through the CGG NetFile portal.