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
Title:
Title
November 3, 2026, North Bay Water District Election Appointments
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt the Resolution appointing nominees to the office of district director for the North Bay Water District. (First and Second Districts)
end
Executive Summary:
North Bay Water District, a landowner voting district, called a general district election to take place on November 3, 2026, in order to fill two full-term district director seats.
For special district contests that have one or more nominees but insufficient 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 certain conditions are met. The enclosed resolution includes the names of the candidates who have qualified for appointment to the North Bay Water District Board of Directors pursuant to the above-stated provision of state law.
Discussion:
The North Bay Water District is a landowner voting district located in southern Sonoma County. A landowner voting district is one where “each voter shall have one vote for each dollar’s worth of land to which he or she holds title” (California Water Code section 35003). This is in contrast to most other special districts in Sonoma County, which are resident voting districts, meaning each registered voter in the district has one vote, regardless of whether they own any land in the district and/or what the dollar value of the land is.
On April 14, 2026, the North Bay Water District’s Board of Directors passed a resolution calling for a general district election to be held on November 3, 2026, to fill two full-term (four-year) district director seats. Candidate nominations ran from July 2, 2026, to August 7, 2026. In the end, two incumbent candidates filed. Since the number of candidates was equal to the available number of seats, California Elections Code section 10515(a) provides for the appointment of the nominees by the supervising authority as long as no petition was presented from voters in the district requesting an election (no such petition was presented) and a certificate of these facts was submitted by the District (such a certificate was submitted and is enclosed).
For special districts, the supervising authority is the Board of Supervisors. The appointments must be made “at a regular or special meeting held 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.
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 15, 2026, the Board of Supervisors appointed numerous nominees to non-landowner voting special district boards of directors due to there being insufficient nominees to trigger elections on November 3, 2026 (Resolution Number 26-0357).
On November 12, 2024, the Board of Supervisors appointed five nominees to the North Bay Water District Board of Directors due to there being insufficient nominees to trigger elections on November 5, 2024 (Resolution Number 24-0465).
Fiscal Summary
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
N/A
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Resolution
Certificate
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A