To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Registrar of Voters
Staff Name and Phone Number: Evelyn Mendez, (707) 565-8564
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): First, Second, Fourth, Fifth
Title:
Title
November 3, 2026, General Election, Appointments
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt the Resolution appointing nominees to the office of district director for special districts that had insufficient nominees to trigger an election. (First, Second, Fourth, and Fifth Districts)
end
Executive Summary:
Pursuant to California Elections Code sections 1303 and 14052, a general district election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect district directors to special district boards. For any special district contest that had one or more nominees but insufficient total nominees to trigger an election, California Elections Code section 10515(a) provides for the appointment of those nominees by the supervising authority (Board of Supervisors) as long as no petition was presented from voters in the district requesting a general election be held.
The attached resolution includes the names of the candidates who have qualified for appointment to their respective special district boards pursuant to the above-stated provisions of state law.
Discussion:
Candidate nominations for the November 3, 2026, General Election, ran from July 13, 2026, to August 7, 2026. Extended candidate nominations ran from August 10, 2026, to August 12, 2026, for offices for which an incumbent officeholder did not file. The two tables below show how many candidates filed for each office.
Offices going to election:
|
District |
Term Length |
# of Seats |
# of Cand. Who Filed |
# of Vacant Seats |
|
Gold Ridge Fire Protection District |
4 yrs |
4 |
9 |
0 |
|
Sonoma County Fire District |
4 yrs |
3 |
4 |
0 |
Offices not going to election:
|
District |
Term Length |
# Seats |
# Who Filed |
# of Vacant Seats |
|
Cazadero Community Services District |
4 yrs |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Graton Community Services District |
4 yrs |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Cloverdale Fire Protection District |
4 yrs |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
Graton Fire Protection District |
4 yrs |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
North Sonoma Coast Fire Protection District, Full Term |
4 yrs |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
North Sonoma Coast Fire Protection District, Short Term |
2 yrs |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District |
4 yrs |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Schell-Vista Fire Protection District, Full Term |
4 yrs |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
Schell-Vista Fire Protection District, Short Term |
2 yrs |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Sonoma Valley Fire District |
4 yrs |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Timber Cove Fire Protection District |
4 yrs |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Cloverdale Health Care District |
4 yrs |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Healthy Petaluma District, Zone 1 |
4 yrs |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Healthy Petaluma District, Zone 3 |
4 yrs |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
North Sonoma County Healthcare District |
4 yrs |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
Sonoma Valley Health Care District |
4 yrs |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Coast Life Support District, Full Term |
4 yrs |
3 |
3 (1)* |
0 |
|
Coast Life Support District, Short Term |
2 yrs |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
Camp Meeker Recreation and Park District |
4 yrs |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Forestville Water District |
4 yrs |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
North Marin Water District, Division 1 |
4 yrs |
1 |
1 (0)† |
0 |
|
Rains Creek/Hiatt Rd County Water District |
4 yrs |
3 |
1 |
2 |
|
Sweetwater Springs Water District, Full Term |
4 yrs |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Sweetwater Springs Water District, Short Term |
2 yrs |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Valley of the Moon Water District |
4 yrs |
2 |
2 |
0 |
*Only one of the three candidates who filed for this office is a resident of Sonoma County. The other two candidates are residents of Mendocino County. (Coast Life Support District is comprised of portions of both Mendocino and Sonoma Counties.) The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is only responsible for appointing the candidate who resides in Sonoma County.
†The only candidate who filed for this office is a resident of Marin County, not Sonoma County. (North Marin Water District, Division 1, is comprised of portions of both Marin and Sonoma Counties.) As a result, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is not responsible for appointing this candidate.
California Elections Code section 10515 requires that appointments to the office of district director be made by the supervising authority, which for special districts is the Board of Supervisors. The appointments shall be made prior to “the Monday before the first Friday in December in which the election is held.” For the November 3, 2026, General Election, that date is November 30, 2026. Each person so appointed shall qualify, take office, and serve exactly as if elected at a general district election. Upon adoption of this resolution, the Registrar of Voters will issue certificates of election to the respective nominees.
For those offices for which no candidates filed or fewer candidates filed than the number of seats to be filled, state law provides that the supervising authority (Board of Supervisors) appoint any person who is qualified to hold each office as of November 3, 2026. Separate memos have been sent to the Clerk of the Board and supervisors that list the vacant positions and the necessary qualifications for appointment. It will be incumbent upon the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to identify qualified candidates and make the necessary appointments to fill the vacant seats.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
On September 16, 2025, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors authorized the appointment of district directors in special districts with insufficient nominees to be on the ballot in the November 4, 2025, Statewide Special Election. (Resolution Number 25-0432).
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY26-27 Adopted |
FY27-28 Projected |
FY28-29 Projected |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
N/A
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A