To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator’s Office, Human Resources Department
Staff Name and Phone Number: M. Christina Rivera, 707-565-2048; Janell Crane, 707-565-2885
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Department Head Personal Services Agreement - Registrar of Voters
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to execute a Personal Services Agreement with Evelyn Mendez as the Registrar of Voters, effective July 22, 2025, through July 22, 2028, at the “A” step in the position’s salary range and with other County benefits in accordance with Salary Resolution 95-0926.
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Executive Summary:
The salary and benefits provided to County department and agency heads must be considered by the Board of Supervisors/Directors at a regularly scheduled Board meeting. Further, an oral summary of the recommended action to be taken on the salary and benefits must be presented at the meeting where the final Board action is taken. (California Government code sections 54953, 54956).
After a nationwide recruitment and extensive selection process, the Board of Supervisors has selected Evelyn Mendez to be appointed as the new Registrar of Voters. Therefore, staff requests that the Board authorize the Chair to execute the Personal Services Agreement effective July 22, 2025, for a three-year term through July 22, 2028. The Registrar of Voters reports to the County Executive, and the agreement places Ms. Mendez at the “A” step of the salary range for the job classification. In addition to the annual salary, other benefits and compensation are provided as prescribed by Salary Resolution 95-0926.
The proposed agreement provides for up to $10,000 in Relocation and moving expenses to be reimbursed per Administrative Policy Manual, section 4-9, “Policy for Relocation Incentives and Reimbursement Expenses for Management and Unrepresented New Hires.” Consequently, Ms. Mendez must relocate to Sonoma County within 90 days of the start of the agreement.
Discussion:
In February 2025, the Board approved separating the Registrar of Voters from the Clerk-Recorder-Assessor Department, where it has been housed since 2001 and operated under the leadership of the County’s elected Clerk-Recorder-Assessor. The creation of the stand-alone department will allow for a more focused oversight in strengthening and enhancing the County’s ability to administer elections, expanding voter engagement, ensuring compliance with evolving legislative policy and voting-related cybersecurity advancements, and eliminate any potential conflict of interest and separate the responsibility of election oversight from an elected official to an appointed department head.
The Registrar of Voters’ Department works to ensure widespread, ongoing opportunities to register and vote in fair and accurate elections for all federal, state and local offices and measures, with its primary functions to include registering Sonoma County voters, maintaining the County’s voter registration file, conducting federal, state and local elections held in the county, filing candidates’ campaign statements, providing access to the information needed for citizens to engage in the initiative, referendum, and recall petition processes, and performing other various other duties related to elections.
In June 2025, the Board approved the new Registrar of Voters Department to have a staffing complement of 22 full-time equivalent positions and a budget of approximately $9.6 million for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-2026. Further, depending on the type and complexity of a given election process the Department typically hires 30 to 60 temporary election and poll workers.
Appointed by the Board of Supervisors and reporting to the County Executive, the Registrar of Voters has the primary responsibility for conducting primary, general, and special elections with Sonoma County, providing leadership, administrative policy, and operational direction for the Registrar of Voters Department, including analyzing and interpreting legislation affecting the Department and performing a variety of complex work in the planning and conducting of all federal, state and local elections.
This position has the sole responsibility for ensuring that election processes are in full compliance with county, state, and federal legal requirements, communicating election results to the public, and providing information and responding to the media on election-related matters.
The County’s Human Resources Department conducted a nationwide search to assist in filling the position. Applicants who best demonstrated possession of the ideal candidate characteristics were invited to interview with a diverse group of panelists, consisting of subject matter experts, community stakeholders, and County department heads and business partners. At the conclusion of the process, Evelyn Mendez was selected by the Board of Supervisors as the new Registrar of Voters.
Ms. Mendez possesses a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies and close to 30 years of experience in the election administration field, having worked in the Elections Division of the California Secretary of State from 1996 to 2019 and the County of Santa Clara Registrar of Voters from 2019 to 2025. Most recently, Ms. Mendez has worked as the Public and Legislative Affairs Division Manager for the County of Santa Clara Registrar of Voters, which serves over a million voters. During her elections career, some of Ms. Mendez’s accomplishments include streamlining the legislative analysis process to ensure timely updates to election procedures, enhancing voter education through innovative outreach strategies, implementing a comprehensive training program for staff for improved operational efficiency, and strengthening public trust in the electoral process.
The Personal Services Agreement executes the salary at the “A” step of the salary range, which is $195,041 annually, with the term of July 22, 2025, to July 22, 2028. It includes all other benefits and compensation as prescribed in the County’s Salary Resolution 95-0926.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
January 28, 2025 (item 27; 2025-0075): Creation of Stand-Alone Registrar of Voters Department
February 11, 2025 (item 7; 2025-0116): Creation of new Registrar of Voters job classification
Fiscal Summary
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FY25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Fees/Other |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The annualized salary and benefit costs associated with this position has been incorporated into the department’s adopted budget.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Personal Services Agreement - Registrar of Voters
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None