Foley: Stephens will run for council

Attorney John Stephens will run for Costa Mesa City Council in November, school Trustee Katrina Foley confirmed Thursday.

“I can tell he’ll do a great job, he’s community-minded, he’s smart,” she said.

Stephens, who practices law in Newport Beach, could not be reached for comment.

Stephens, 49, raised his political profile in March when he teamed up with Foley, a friend, to legally challenge Costa Mesa’s push to get a proposed city charter on the June ballot after it missed the filing deadline.

Stephens and Foley, a former councilwoman, were among others who petitioned the court to not give the city a deadline exception. The judge sided with them and pushed the city charter onto the November ballot at the earliest.

Stephens has lived in Costa Mesa for 23 years and has run his own law firm for 14 years. He said Thursday night that he is setting up his committee and will be making a formal announcement within 30 days.

—Joseph Serna

Twitter: @JosephSerna