Candidates Norma Campos Kurtz, Ryan Balius, and Kristen Maahs emerged with early leads in the Anaheim City Council elections on Tuesday night. The elections span three council districts—District 1, District 4, and District 5—and are set to introduce at least two new faces to the city's leadership. Anaheim is divided into six districts, each electing their own representative to the City Council, along with a mayor elected by the entire city. The councilmembers serve four-year terms. In District 1, candidates Ojaala Ahmad and Ryan Balius are competing. Ahmad has experience serving on Anaheim’s Housing & Community Development Commission, while Balius chairs the Parks and Recreation Commission.

Both candidates are addressing homelessness as a significant city issue. In District 4, incumbent Norma Campos Kurtz is challenged by Francisco Rosas, a Navy veteran and cath lab aide. This district includes the resort area and parts of the Platinum Triangle. Kurtz, appointed to the council in early 2023, is seeking her first full term. District 5 sees a three-way race between Kristen Maahs, Cristal Ruiz, and Andrew Sarega. Kristen Maahs is an associate director at Alzheimer’s Orange County and has been involved with the Anaheim Historical Society. Cristal Ruiz works at Disneyland and represents its biggest union, while Andrew Sarega is a former La Mirada councilmember who recently moved to Anaheim.

As the first results came in, Maahs, leading in District 5, expressed enthusiasm about voters’ willingness to elect councilmembers capable of forming coalitions. “To meet our biggest challenges, we need to work together collaboratively,” she noted. The elections hold significant implications for Anaheim’s future, especially regarding how the city will address pressing issues like the rising cost of living and homelessness. Additionally, councilmembers will decide how to allocate over $100 million annually starting in 2028, as funds become available after the city repays bonds from the 1990s related to expanding the resort area. Public safety and homelessness were recurrent themes throughout the campaigns, with each candidate expressing a commitment to tackling these challenges should they be elected to the council.