Murrieta Planning Commissioner Appointed To City Council

MURRIETA, CA — The Murrieta City Council will have at least one new face on the dais starting next year, although residents will not be weighing in at the ballot box for the seat.

Murrieta Planning Commissioner Jon Levell was appointed last month to serve as councilmember for Murrieta City Council District 1 (see district map here). The appointment came Aug. 24 during a 4-0 vote at a special City Council meeting.

Levell is expected to be sworn into office at the last City Council meeting of 2022 and will serve a full four-year term.

During the special meeting, City Councilmember Lori Stone recused herself from any discussion about Levell because she said she was a "vendor" of his election campaign and therefore had a vested financial interest.

Levell is stepping into the District 1 seat currently held by Mayor Jonathan Ingram who terms out at the end of the year.

The decision to appoint Levell came after the city received three inquiries about the nomination process for the open District 1 slot. At the close of the nomination period on Aug. 12, however, only Levell filed and qualified, according to city staff.

If the city had more than one qualified candidate, the matter would be put to District 1 voters. Instead, the city canceled its City Council election for District 1, saving Murrieta approximately $44,000, according to staff.

Levell's campaign page states that he has lived in Murrieta for the past 18 years. He is married with two daughters and serves as the director of business development for Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta. He and his wife, Kira, own and operate a CrossFit gym in Southwest Riverside County.

Levell has served on the Murrieta Planning Commission for three years and sits on the board of directors for the Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce.

Two other Murrieta City Council seats are up for election in November: District 2 held by Councilmember Christi White and District 5 held by Councilmember Cindy Warren. Both women are running for reelection. White was first elected to the City Council by voters in 2018. Warren was appointed to her seat in November by City Council following the departure of Councilmember Scott Vinton.