Ceres to begin special election candidate filing period. Here’s what you need to know
The candidate filing period for the Aug. 31 special election in Ceres begins Monday, kicking off the race for a vacant City Council seat.
Northern Ceres residents of District 1 will find out who is running to represent them until December 2022 after the candidate filing period ends June 4.
The council seat has been vacant since January, when Channce Condit was sworn in as a Stanislaus County supervisor. The council failed to appoint an applicant to fill the vacancy in four meetings between February and March. Casting multiple 2-2 votes, the council did not reach a consensus on one of four applicants and debated the value of government experience vs. passion to serve.
State law requires Ceres to hold a special election because the council missed the 60-day deadline to make an appointment at no additional cost. The all-mail ballot election may cost between $33,000 and $45,000, according to a Stanislaus County registrar of voters estimate. How many of about 6,000 registered District 1 voters cast ballots will determine the exact cost.
District 1 is bordered by Moffett Road to the east, Whitmore Avenue to the south and both Fifth Street and Central Avenue to the west. To be eligible, candidates must live in and be registered to vote in District 1. They must gather at least 20 signatures from registered voters residing in the district.
In addition to nomination papers, candidates need to file several California Fair Political Practices Commission forms between Monday and June 4. Candidate statements and documents regarding political sign rules must also be submitted at the same time, per instructions City Clerk Diane Nayares-Perez emailed The Bee.
The elected council member will serve less than two years because Condit vacated the seat halfway through his four-year term. Aug. 31 is the soonest Ceres can hold this all-mail ballot special election, city staff have said previously. Except for Council Member Linda Ryno, the current members of the council are first-timers to elected office.
Ceres plans to pay for the special election out of the general fund. The fund has a projected surplus for this fiscal year because of CARES Act funds and salary savings from frozen positions, City Manager Tom Westbrook said during the March 4 special council meeting.
Council Member Couper Condit, brother of Channce Condit, repeatedly proposed council members both give up their monthly stipends and allocate council medical insurance savings to cover the cost of the special election. Mayor Javier Lopez supported the motions, but Ryno and Council Member Bret Silveira voted against them.
Council members receive a $500 stipend per month. Whoever wins the election will help set policy for the city and make budget decisions. Ceres last held special elections to fill City Council vacancies in 1996 and 1976, Westbrook said in a previous email.
To begin the candidate filing process, contact the City Clerk’s Office for instructions. Candidates must also call or email the clerk at 209-538-5731 or diane.nayares-perez@ci.ceres.ca.us to schedule an in-person appointment to submit nomination papers.
