Menifee’s growth should make life better for the people who already call it home. That means safer trips to school, roads that keep up with our neighborhoods, and more opportunities to work and enjoy time with our families here. As your District 2 council member, those are the results I want our decisions measured against.

Public safety starts with supporting our police officers and firefighters, but it also requires addressing problems before another family is hurt. I have requested a council discussion about strengthening our e-bike ordinance. I want clear, enforceable rules, parent and student education, and attention to dangerous riding. We also need safer connections between neighborhoods and schools, including sidewalks and bike lanes, and cooperation with school districts on transportation options.

Traffic requires the same practical approach. Residents deserve to know which improvements are coming, how they will be funded, and what is holding them up. I want infrastructure discussions to include clear priorities and understandable progress updates. When development is proposed, we should scrutinize the timing of required improvements as carefully as the improvements themselves. A promise on paper does little for someone sitting through another backed-up intersection.

In Quail Valley, basic infrastructure deserves sustained attention. Roads, sewer access, public safety, and places for children to play must remain priorities beyond election season. These needs require coordination among the city, service providers, and funding partners. I will keep pressing for specific next steps, realistic funding plans, and regular communication with residents about what can move forward and what still needs work.

Battery storage is another issue where residents deserve specifics. I want to bring forward comprehensive safety standards for council consideration before additional facilities are approved. That discussion should include appropriate locations, fire prevention, emergency access, monitoring, and clear responsibilities if something goes wrong. I want firefighters and qualified technical experts involved in developing those standards, with residents able to understand and question the protections being proposed.

I also believe Menifee should have a stronger voice in decisions about its future. In September, I represented our city as its voting delegate at the League of California Cities and voted to support restoring greater local input in housing decisions. Communities should have a meaningful say in how growth fits their infrastructure and neighborhoods. I will continue advocating for that voice while working through the responsibilities we have today.

Economic development should give residents more choices and strengthen the city’s ability to provide services. As a local small-business owner, I know the importance of clear requirements, timely answers, and a city that helps people navigate the process of opening or expanding a business. Restaurants, entertainment, and recreation can bring customers to existing businesses as well as new ones. Every major proposal also needs an honest accounting of construction, ongoing maintenance, and the burden on taxpayers.

Some of the work I value most is more personal. When Santa’s Workshop needed space to store toys, I advocated for using the old Quail Valley fire station, followed up, and encouraged staff to find a workable solution. It took cooperation. That experience reflects how I approach this job: Understand the problem, bring people together, and keep working until there is an answer.

Six years on the Planning Commission and my service on the council have taught me how much preparation and persistence these decisions require. My work as an attorney has taught me to examine details, ask difficult questions, and explain the consequences of a decision. I bring those habits to City Hall.

You should be able to reach your council member, get a straight answer, and disagree without being dismissed. I will explain my votes, listen when residents challenge my assumptions, and remain willing to reconsider when the facts warrant it.

I’m asking for your vote to continue serving District 2 with careful judgment, practical solutions, and follow-through. I love this community, and I want our progress to be something you can see in your everyday life.

Tom Fuhrman

Retired Business Owner

Fuhrman did not submit a statement.

Laz C. Peterson

Business owner

Laz C. Peterson is a technology entrepreneur, community leader, youth volunteer, and devoted father of five running for Menifee City Council, District 2.

Living with his wife in Audie Murphy Ranch since 2015 (and now with five young children ages 4 to 11), Laz’s drive is rooted in the daily realities facing local working families — from navigating overcrowded parks and scarce sports fields to driving 30 to 60 minutes out of town for specialized pediatric healthcare, youth activities, dining, and retail (and fun). Rather than waiting for others to continue ignoring these growing pains, Laz is stepping forward to get it done:

— Vice Chairman of the City of Menifee’s Parks, Recreation & Trails Commission

— Treasurer of the Taawila Elementary School PTA

— Menifee Youth Soccer Coach (players ages 4 to 16)

(None of these current positions reflect any endorsement for Laz. But Laz works with many local organizations … Most importantly the youth development organizations that he loves.)

Professionally, Laz brings 28 years of technology leadership and entrepreneurship. Beginning his career in the late 1990s with networks like AT&T and EarthLink, he founded his own technology company in 2009 and has built three successful businesses out of that, specializing in cloud, IT, and analytics. His career in technology requires rigorous data analysis, personal accountability, and pragmatic problem-solving—principles he will directly apply to municipal governance.

What Laz is about …

Laz will rightly represent the people who trusted the reactive, developer-driven growth — with proactive, long-term master planning that puts residents first. His platform centers on building a self-sufficient, family-friendly Menifee community where quality of life keeps pace with population growth.

1. Unbought, Independent Leadership

Laz has established a strict standard against “politics as usual”: A total refusal of PAC money, developer checks, and transactional endorsements. He believes backroom, political horse-trading produces beholden politicians who sacrifice neighborhoods to special interests. Laz accepts endorsements solely as unbought votes of confidence with zero dollars attached—ensuring his loyalty belongs 100 percent to Menifee residents. Check https://lazpeterson.com/ for more information.

2 Youth Development & Park Expansion

Menifee currently has (debatably) only 2.24 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents — well below the city’s 5.0-acre target and the national 10.0-acre gold standard. Laz is committed to:

— Expanding Athletic Facilities:Adding lights to multipurpose sports fields, synthetic turf, and safe evening recreation hubs for teens.

— Accelerating a Regional Sports Complex: Creating a premier and central (to LA/OC/SB/SD/Riv counties) sports venue that keeps local teams here at home, and also attracts regional tournaments and fuels local commerce.

— Neighborhood Upgrades: Installing playground shade sails for 100°F+ summers, improving park parking, fortifying e-bike safety, and demanding that open-space metrics reflect usable youth fields rather than inaccessible mountain ridgelines.

— Collaborative Valley-Wide Annexation: Building a data-driven, respectful partnership with Valley-Wide Recreation to unify fragmented tax assessments and protect league field access without costly adversarial conflict.

3. Infrastructure-First Economic Development

Laz advocates for a diversified economy that stops sales-tax leakage while safeguarding the city’s character:

— Opposing Heavy Logistics & Datacenters: Rejecting high-traffic diesel warehouses and resource-draining datacenters that strain water and electrical grids without creating meaningful local jobs or tax revenue.

— Adaptive Reuse: Repurposing vacant industrial buildings into indoor sports academies and entertainment centers while attracting healthcare specialists, professional offices, and trade/vocational schools.

— Infrastructure Before Density: Meeting state housing mandates on Menifee’s terms through (well-planned) master-planned, walkable commercial corridors with roads and utilities built before occupancy—strictly opposing developer shortcuts that shoehorn high density into mature single-family areas or cut roads through community parks (such as Boulders II).

4. Public Safety, Neighborhood Equity & Fiscal Prudence

— Municipal Fire Department Feasibility: Laz wants an independent study to evaluate whether a municipal Menifee Fire Department offers superior response times and taxpayer value over county contracting.

— Protecting Local Tax Dollars: Demands comprehensive accountability provisions so local bond revenues (such as PUHSD Measure AA) stay dedicated to Menifee high schools (Liberty, Paloma Valley, and Heritage).

— Rural District 2 Equity: Ensuring historic communities like Quail Valley and West Menifee receive equitable attention from City Hall: Dependable dirt road grading and paving schedules (or maybe legit roads), safe pedestrian routes along Goetz Road in QV, and establishing active city partnerships with EMWD to resolve decades-old septic tank issues in all parts of Menifee.

My name is Laz Peterson, and I am here to serve. Thank you for your vote.

Menifee City Council, District 4

Randy Madrid

Business owner

On Sept. 14, the DA’s office announced that Madrid was arrested and charged with four felony counts, including perjury and filing a false declaration of candidacy. He was released on bail and given an Oct. 23 court date to answer the charges. Although his name remains on the ballot, because Menifee 24/7 has proof of his false statements given under penalty of perjury, we have chosen not to include his statement here.

Frank Sandoval

Small business owner

Menifee turned 18 years old this month. My family moved here in 1990, when this was still a collection of neighborhoods, not an incorporated city. I grew up here, attended local schools, and now my wife Ana and I are raising our son in Heritage Lake. I’ve watched Menifee change for more than three decades. I want its next chapter to improve daily life for the people who call it home.

I entered the workforce at the beginning of the Great Recession and quickly learned that I was responsible for my own survival. I had to adapt, teach myself new skills, and create opportunities instead of waiting for them. Those lessons led me to start a side business, which I took full time in 2012. I’ve spent my career solving problems, managing resources, and taking responsibility for the results. I want to bring that same mindset to City Hall.

Our first challenge is traffic. Residents shouldn’t have to accept worsening congestion as the inevitable price of growth. The widening of McCall Boulevard east of the hospital is underway, and I want to see it through to completion to fix the two-lane bottleneck there. I’ll push to secure construction funding for the McCall Boulevard/I-215 interchange, including the bridge, freeway ramps, and nearby intersections. I’ll also prioritize efforts to include McCall Boulevard’s signals in the regional traffic-signal synchronization pilot authorized by AB 2307. Better signal coordination could reduce unnecessary stops and make better use of the roads we already have. Growth must pay for growth, with new development contributing its lawful share toward infrastructure.

Growth also has to respect our neighborhoods. Major projects should be evaluated based on their effects on roads, emergency services, and surrounding residents. I believe Menifee has enough logistics warehouses in its pipeline. I want future planning to favor smaller business parks, light manufacturing, and flexible commercial spaces that create jobs while limiting heavy-truck impacts on nearby neighborhoods. We must respect existing property rights while setting clear, lawful standards for future projects.

We need to give residents more reasons to stay off the freeways. City estimates show residents spend about $2.2 billion a year outside Menifee on shopping, dining, and entertainment. I want to bring more of that spending home. We also need nearby medical care for our seniors, childcare for young families, and quality local jobs. I’ll prioritize attracting private investment, expanding opportunities for small businesses, and encouraging the development of more move-in-ready commercial space. More choices close to home can mean fewer unnecessary trips, a stronger economy, and more local revenue to support city services.

Parks, trails, and open space matter too. As Menifee grows, we should make sure recreational opportunities keep pace and pursue responsible ways to protect the outdoor spaces residents value.

Public safety is a fundamental responsibility of local government. I support our police officers, firefighters, and first responders, with resources guided by response times and actual service needs. Effective crime-solving tools should come with clear privacy protections, transparent policies, and meaningful oversight.

I believe housing and land-use decisions should be made as close to residents as the law permits. In September, Menifee joined cities across California in voting to pursue stronger local control. I’ll work to turn that vote into continued action while keeping the city compliant with state law and protecting the authority we still have.

Fiscal responsibility and accountability run through everything I propose. Before asking residents, many on fixed incomes, for more taxes or fees, we should look for efficiencies and make the most of the resources we already have. I’ll prioritize responsible budgeting, careful oversight of public spending, and holding city projects accountable for their costs, timelines, and results. I’ll remain accessible to residents, listen to their concerns, and be transparent.

I’m honored to have earned the support of Mayor Pro Tem Bob Karwin, Council members Dean Deines and Dan Temple, and former Mayor Bill Zimmerman. Their confidence means a great deal to me, but the trust I want to earn is yours.

Menifee raised me. My family’s future is here. I’m running to protect what makes this city home and help build a Menifee where our children can thrive and our seniors can enjoy the retirement they earned. I respectfully ask for your vote by November 3.