Steve Manos (Lake Elsinore City Council District 2, California, candidate 2024)

Steve Manos

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Lake Elsinore City Council District 2

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Temescal Valley Canyon High School

Personal

Birthplace

Santa Monica, Calif.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Real Estate Broker

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Steve Manos ran for election to the Lake Elsinore City Council District 2 in California. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Manos completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Steve Manos provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 10, 2024:

• Birth date: April 15, 1976
• Birth place: Santa Monica, California
• High school: Temescal Canyon High School
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Catholic
• Profession: Real Estate Broker
• Prior offices held:
  • Lake Elsinore City Council (2012-Prsnt)
• Incumbent officeholder: Yes
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook
• Campaign Instagram
• Campaign Twitter

Elections

General election

General election for Lake Elsinore City Council District 2

Marvin Andrade and Steve Manos ran in the general election for Lake Elsinore City Council District 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Marvin Andrade (Nonpartisan)
		Steve Manos (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Manos in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Steve Manos completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Manos' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Growing up in Lake Elsinore since 1987 gave me a sense of pride of my community and a desire to improve the city where I've been married 25 years, raised four children, and run a small business. It's been a dream come true to serve as Councilman and Mayor. Over the past 12 years Lake Elsinore has grown and there have been numerous improvements in the way the City and its facilities, infrastructure, and personnel are managed.

My guiding set of principles is to keep our city safe, keep our city clean, and keep our city's residents' first.

Our crime rates have improved significantly and we've held the line on California's homeless crisis - initiating numerous programs that have helped us reclaim our parks, beaches, and sidewalks from transients.

We've built or rebuilt numerous parks, rehabilitated our campground, and are now tackling lake water quality issues. Main Street is now thriving. We are expanding numerous freeway interchanges and adding new roads, like Terra Cotta Road and Camino Del Norte.

Twelve years ago people said it couldn't be done. With a cohesive council - every council member has endorsed my re-election this year - and a professional staff, we are getting all the things done!

Let's keep the city rolling in the right direction and vote Steve Manos for City Council.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We must keep a focus on public safety. The cornerstone of any quality community is its ability to respond to crisis. From every day quality of life problems to major disasters, like the Holy Fire and Holy Floods, or even just looking at the city spending 55% of revenue on fire and police services, the city of Lake Elsinore has always made public safety its number one concern.
• We must continue to attract quality businesses to the area, not only so that residents don't have to leave for the products and services that they desire, but so that we have quality local jobs that feed our residents and keep our local dollars local. I am proud to have played an important role in streamlining development processes while aggressively recruiting the businesses that people want.
• As a Mayor and Councilman I have been responsive and transparent by communicating openly and professionally by phone, text, email, and especially social media. As Mayor I produce both LE Live and Lake Elsinore Podcast.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public safety, business development, transparency and responsiveness, community events, promoting the city, and interacting with residents.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

A person is more likely to run into their local city council representative at the grocery store. The work of the people is done closest to home with city government. A good city government is far more responsive to local concerns that any other level of government.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My dad is my hero. He is far more patient and light-hearted than I am. He does not seek the spotlight. He's the kind of guy that would pull over to help you change a flat tire. He's been married to my mom for 48 years.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Hunger Games? No... probably Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The ability to listen to residents and not stay locked in one way of thinking. The courage to stand up to pressure from lobbyists, developers, city staff, and even other elected persons.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I'm a good communicator, very organized, driven, and passionate about Lake Elsinore.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Oversight of staff, managing budgets (our budget is extremely healthy with reserves), predicting and meeting the needs of residents.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Nobody will remember my name in 50 years, but I would hope that people remembered me for my passionate advocacy on behalf of the city.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Challenger explosion. I was in fourth grade and saw it live on TV.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was mowing lawns in my neighborhood.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I went homeless for a few months while attending UCLA. Lived in my car. It was a scary experience, but we moved past it.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Serving on city council provides the opportunity to serve on larger regional boards and commissions. I currently serve on the Regional Council at the Southern California Association of Governments (which covers Ventura County, LA County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Orange County, and Imperial County), Chair for the Riverside County Airport Land Use Authority, Chair for the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Authority, and more. Boards and commissions, like these and more, often have a huge impact on the development of a city, whether or not certain projects get funded, and impact the lives of everyday residents more than they know.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

It certainly helps to understand how cities work before getting elected into office. It's important to understand how to run a meeting or what an officeholder can and cannot do.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Good communication skills are a must. Good organizational and leadership qualities are also a plus.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?

City governments run the components of government most likely to have a direct impact on a person's life daily. The City hires and oversees police activity, fire services, park maintenance, road maintenance, sidewalk maintenance, special events... the City makes decisions on all the new development in the city. It is a very important seat in government.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Congressman Ken Calvert, State Senator Kelly Seyarto, Assemblyman Bill Essayli, Mayor Pro Tem Brian Tisdale, Councilman Bob Magee, Councilwoman Natasha Johnson, Councilman Tim Sheridan, the California Republican Party, Riverside County Supervisor Kevin Jeffries, Riverside County Supervisor Karen Speigel, Riverside County Auditor Ben Benoit, EVMWD Water Board Director Harvey Ryan, and many more.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Transparency is vital for preventing waste and corruption. I often invite constructive criticism in public forums by responding in writing online on groups sites to discuss policy or decision-making.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Lake Elsinore City Council District 2

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