MENDOCINO Co. 7/13/20 — Today is the first day to pick up nomination papers for the city council elections in November. If you are interested in running for city council in your town here is some information you need to know about elections in each of the four incorporated cities in Mendocino County.
The general election will be held on Tuesday, November 3, and the nomination papers are due August 7 if the incumbents are defending their seats, or, if the incumbent chooses not to run, August 12.
Due to COVID, all the city offices have been closed to the public, and people who wish to run will have to contact their respective city clerks to make an appointment. The contact information for the city clerks of Ukiah, Willits, Fort Bragg, and Point Arena is compiled below.
Filing nomination papers is free, but buying candidate statements for the ballot can cost up to $600. Candidates in the three larger cities — Ukiah, Willits, and Fort Bragg — usually run with candidate statements, which are either two sentences or 200 words long.
All candidates must be over 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen, a resident of their city living within the city limits, and a registered voter.
Below is a table with the city, potential costs, number of signatures required, contact information for city clerks, and links to the city websites with more information.
Note: The incumbents listed are the council members whose seats are up for the election. Those who are currently sitting as mayors and vice-mayors are specified. However, candidates will not be running for mayoral positions, which are chosen by the respective city councils after the elections. The signatures must be from registered voters living within the limits of their city.
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City Cost of Candidate’s Statement Number of Signatures City Clerk Incumbents Website Link
More InfoUkiah $300 for English, $600 for English and Spanish; 20 – 30 Kristine Lawler,
707-463-6317
klawler@cityofukiah.comDouglas Crane —Mayor;
Steve Scalmanini;
Allen Carter —City Treasurer
http://www.cityofukiah.com/2020-election-date/#gsc.tab=0
The city will cover half of the candidate statement costs if the candidate agrees to the voluntary spending limits. Willits English: $300 Bilingual: $600 20 – 30 Cathy Moorhead
707-459-7121
cmoorhead@cityofwillits.orgGerardo Gonzalez — Mayor;
Saprina Rodriguez
Madge Stronghttps://cityofwillits.org/162/City-Council
Cathy Moorhead, the city clerk, recommends that candidates have 30 signatures, as some have been disqualified for being slightly outside the city limits, listing a different address from their voting registrationFort Bragg Covered by the City 20 – 30 June Lemos,
707-961-1694
jlemos@fortbragg.comWill Lee — Mayor
Bernie Norvell — Vice Mayorhttps://city.fortbragg.com/140/City-Council-Elections
June Lemos has compiled a 400 page candidate handbook. Point Arena English: $150 Bilingual: $300 5 – 10 Paul Anderson
707-882-2122
admin@pointarena.ca.govScott Ignacio — Mayor;
Richey Wasserman;
Jonathan Torrezhttps://pointarena.ca.gov/government/city-council/
Usually candidates in Point Arena don’t run with candidate statements.