Welcome from Mission Viejo Councilwoman Trish Kelley

Dear Friends,

I have been honored to represent you on the City Council for many years.  I thank you for the confidence you placed in me by electing me with a wide margin at every election that I was a candidate.  After serving for many years as a Mission Viejo City Council Member, my City council service will end in December 2026 due to term limits!  I continue to have a heart for service, and I believe my experience may be of value in another area, so I am running for Moulton Niguel Water District Board of Directors in November. My website has focused on my activities and accomplishments during my service on the City Council, so I will keep several of the web pages up to provide a snapshot of my past and continuing service. Thank you to the many residents who have supported me in the past, and I hope to again gain your confidence in this new arena! 

We have seen many accomplishments and changes during my terms of service on the City Council.  The City’s budget is balanced and we have a financially strong reserve fund. We continue to have top safety rankings on both the State and National levels. We have renovated several parks and purchased the Casta del Sol Golf Course with cash to assure the preservation of a beautiful open space in Mission Viejo.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and other difficult times, we worked to reduce our expenditures to match reduced revenues while continuing to support our businesses and protect the economy.  We have worked to enhance economic development and to meet the housing mandates from the State.  Park renovations have been a priority each year to enhance our neighborhoods and quality of life.  We are excited to be the host home for Olympic Team Netherlands as they train for the 2028 Olympics!  Mission Viejo is truly a unique City and I am honored to have served to enhance it and to keep it special!  

As residents here, we know that our quality of life is wonderful, and we see confirmation by the many recognitions in various publications as well!  Recently, Mission Viejo was honored to be named as one of the top 11 cities (out of 482) in which to live in California!  A couple of years ago, 24/7 Wall Street named Mission Viejo as the best city in California in which to live. Money Magazine recently named Mission Viejo as one of the 50 best cities in which to live in America!  We were the only city in Southern California to receive this recognition! SmartAsset.com recognized Mission Viejo in the top 10 small cities in which to retire in America. Safewise ranked us #7 safest city to raise a family in the U.S. and the 8th safest city overall in California for 2022!

Click here to view these articles: 

     https://www.worldatlas.com/cities/11-best-places-to-live-in-california-in-2026.html

     https://patch.com/california/missionviejo/best-city-california-live 

     https://money.com/collection/best-places-to-live-2021/

     https://smartasset.com/data-studies/best-small-cities-for-retirement-2021

     https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-to-raise-a-child/

     https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-california/

During my terms as Mayor, I appeared in several episodes of the 'Mission Viejo Today' programs on MVTV that give additional detailed information of activities and amenities in the City. Click on these links to view the videos:

     Drowning Prevention:                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob9hGDUpX3A

     Mission Viejo Parks:                     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puiZ-jYjkiM

     MV's Adopted Marine Battalion:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnXEtH-s7c0&t=5s

     Mission Viejo Today Videos

      20th Anniv. Community of Character:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWYK1dB-Gcg&t=141s

      Oso Creek Trail and LOS OSOS:             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1MWUbCGLdc&t=1s

      DUI Reenactment Event:                           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de-VVp-JzjU

In December 2021 and again in 2024, I presented the "State of the City" annual report. It provided a great overview of Mission Viejo. You can view these videos by clicking on the following links: 

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnyxPhCNniI&t=5s

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N_GZezOAd4&t=788s

Please contact me any time with questions, concerns, or just to say "hi!"