RESOLUTION 2026-11
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORTUNA CALLING FOR A MUNICIPAL ELECTION TO BE HELD NOVEMBER 3, 2026,
ESTABLISHING POLICIES FOR A MUNICIPAL ELECTION, AND REQUESTING
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF THE COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT CONSOLIDATE SAID ELECTION PURSUANT TO SECTION 10403 OF THE ELECTIONS CODE WHEREAS, Pursuant to the requirements of the laws of the State of California relating to general law cities and charter cities where the charter is silent, there is called and ordered to be held in the City of Fortuna, California, on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, a Municipal election. Said election will fill the offices of four (4) City Council seats; three (3) City Council members for a full term of four years and one (1) City Council member for a full term of two years; and WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Fortuna is desirous of having the County of Humboldt Elections Department conduct the municipal election, pursuant to Elections Code Section 10403, to be held on November 3, 2026;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORTUNA DOES RESOLVE, DECLARE, DETERMINE AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1: Pursuant to the requirements of Section 10403 of the Elections Code, the City Council of the City of Fortuna hereby requests the Board of Supervisors of the County of Humboldt to agree to the consolidation of the Municipal Election with the Statewide General Election on November 3, 2026 and issue instructions to the Humboldt County Elections Department that the election in all respects be held as if there were only one election and to conduct the Municipal Election including the publishing of all election materials, the mailing of sample ballots, the hiring of election officers, canvassing the returns, and the actual conduct of the election; and
SECTION 2: That in all particulars not recited in this resolution, the election shall be held and conducted as provided by law for holding municipal elections; and SECTION 3: That notice of the time and place of holding the election is given and the City Clerk is authorized, instructed, and directed to give further or additional notice of the election, in time, form and manner as required by law; and SECTION 4: The City of Fortuna recognizes that additional costs will be incurred by the County by reason of this consolidation and agrees to reimburse the County of Humboldt for all costs associated with the conduct of the City of Fortuna municipal election to be held on November 3, 2026; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Fortuna that the following policies shall be established for the conduct of the November 3, 2026 municipal election:
SECTION 5: GENERAL ELECTION PROVISIONS
A. The Elections Code of the State of California provides that the local governing body shall establish policies concerning the conduct of municipal elections and the following policies are solely at the discretion of the City Council of the City of Fortuna.
B. The polls shall be open from 7:00 o'clock A.M. to the hour of 8:00 o'clock P.M. on Election Day.
C. One polling place shall be established; the Fortuna Veteran’s Memorial Building located at 1426 Main Street. This polling place is subject to change with notice from the Registrar of Voters.
D. The City Clerk of the City of Fortuna or designee thereof shall distribute and receive all nomination papers from candidates for said election.
E. In the event two or more persons receive an equal and the highest number of votes, as certified by the County Registrar of Voters, the City Council in accordance with Elections Code 15651(b) shall set a time, date, and place to summon the candidates and determine the winner by the casting of lots.
SECTION 6: CANDIDATE STATEMENTS
A. That pursuant to section 13307 of the Elections Code of the State of California, each candidate for elective office to be voted for at an Election to be held in the City of Fortuna on November 3, 2026, may prepare a Candidates Statement of Qualifications (statement) on an appropriate form provided by the City Clerk.
B. The statement will be printed in the voter pamphlet mailed by the Humboldt County Registrar of Voters to every registered voter in the City of Fortuna.
C. The statement is optional and is printed at the expense of the candidate. The City of Fortuna requires a deposit of $638 (an estimate of the actual cost) at the time, the candidate submits a statement and files all required nomination documents. The deposit goes toward the actual cost of printing the statement and the City Clerk will either bill the candidate for an additional amount or refund the candidate monies depending on the actual final and verified cost, which varies from election to election, presented to the City by the Humboldt County Registrar of Voters.
D. The statement may include the name, age and occupation of the candidate and a brief description of no more than 200 words, using the word count standards found on the guidelines provided, of the candidate’s education and qualifications expressed by the candidate himself or herself. The statement shall not include party affiliation of the candidate, nor membership or activity in partisan political organizations. Reference to another candidate for that office, or to another candidate’s qualifications, character, or activities is prohibited.
E. That words in all capitals, indentations, italics, bold, underlines, stars, dots, bulleted lists, leading hyphens, etc., are prohibited.
F. The heading of the statement includes the candidate’s name (required), age (optional), and occupation (optional). The heading is standardized and does not count toward the 200-word limit.
G. The statement shall be filed, on the form provided and in an electronic format, in the office of the City Clerk at the time the candidate’s nomination papers are filed.
The statement may be withdrawn, but not changed, during the period for filing nomination papers and until 5:00 p.m. of the next working day after the close of the nomination period.
SECTION 7: BALLOT DESIGNATIONS
A. The City Clerk shall comply with all recommendations and standards set forth by the California Secretary of State regarding Ballot Designations. A copy of the Secretary of State guidelines for Ballot Designations will be provided to each candidate.
SECTION 8: MISCELLANEOUS
A. The City Clerk shall provide each candidate or the candidate’s representative a copy of this Resolution at the time nomination papers are issued.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the City Clerk is hereby directed to file a certified copy of this resolution with the Board of Supervisors and the Humboldt County Registrar of Voters.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Fortuna City Council on this 20th day of April by the following vote:
AYES:
NAYS: None
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN: None
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Mike Johnson, Mayor City of Fortuna
ATTEST:
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Siana L. Emmons, City Clerk, City of Fortuna
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
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Ryan Plotz, City Attorney