CITY OF MENIFEE
SUBJECT: November 3, 2026, General Municipal Election Resolutions MEETING DATE: June 3, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council
PREPARED BY: Edna Aguilar, Assistant City Clerk
REVIEWED BY: Stephanie Roseen, City Clerk
APPROVED BY: Armando G. Villa, City Manager
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Adopt a resolution calling the November 3, 2026, General Municipal Election for District 2 and District 4 City Council candidates and requesting consolidation with the Riverside County Registrar of Voters in conducting the election; and
2. Adopt a resolution setting regulations for candidate statements.
DISCUSSION
Background
Per Menifee Municipal Code (MMC) § 2.04.060 Municipal Election Date, the City shall elect Council members at the general municipal election held every two years on the date of the statewide general election in November of even-numbered years. Therefore, the City’s next general municipal election shall be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
In accordance with the Elections Code, before the City can call a general municipal election several legal obligations and prescribed timelines must be met. The first step in calling a general municipal election is adopting the two resolutions outlined below:
•A resolution of the City of Menifee Calling the Election and Requesting that the County of Riverside Conduct the Election; and
•A resolution of the City of Menifee Establishing Guidelines for Candidate Statements The City of Menifee’s November 3, 2026, General Municipal Election (Election) is being held for the purpose of electing a District 2 Councilmember and a District 4 Councilmember whose current terms will end December 2026.
City of Menifee Staff Report
November 3, 2026, General Municipal Election Resolutions June 3, 2026
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All members of the City Council are elected to serve a four-year term and are limited to two successive terms or eight consecutive years in their respective seats.
The incumbent for District 4 has served two successive terms and is therefore ineligible to run for an additional Council term for District 4. The incumbent for District 2 has not served two successive terms and is therefore eligible to run for the District 2 seat. The candidate nomination period will be open from July 13, 2026, through August 7, 2026, at 5:00 PM. In the case that an eligible incumbent does not file for their respective office by August 7, 2026, deadline, the nomination period, for that District seat, for non-incumbents would be extended to August 12, 2026, at 5:00 PM.
Election Consolidation
Historically, the City has consolidated the General Municipal Election with the County of Riverside Registrar of Voters, therefore, a resolution must be adopted requesting such services for the 2026 Election. If adopted, the resolution calling the election and requesting consolidated services must be forwarded to the County of Riverside Registrar of Voters no later than August 7, 2026.
Candidate Statements
Additionally, a candidate may choose to submit a candidate statement and decide whether to include it in the County Voter Information Guide and/or electronic distribution. Elections Code § 13307(b)(1) states that “The statement of each candidate shall be printed in type of uniform size and darkness, and with uniform spacing.” The Registrar of Voters and County Counsel have interpreted the code to prohibit bold font in candidate statement formatting, but will permit italics, underlining, bullets, and capitalized words. Therefore, the City Clerk would allow these types of fonts and formats and prohibit bold font. Candidate Statements may include the name, age, and occupation of the candidate and a brief description, of no more than 200 words, of the candidate’s own education and qualifications expressed by the candidate. The statement shall not include the party affiliation of the candidate, nor membership or activity in partisan political organizations.
If the candidate decides to submit a statement, it must be filed at the time nomination papers are filed, along with a deposit for printing costs. If, after the statements are printed and mailed out, the actual cost to each candidate is found to be greater than the deposit, then the candidate must pay an additional amount. If the actual cost to each candidate turns out to be less than the deposit, that portion of the deposit in excess of the actual cost would be refunded. Candidate statement costs have not yet been provided by the County of Riverside Registrar of Voters. Potential candidates will receive those costs at the time of the candidate nomination period.
STRATEGIC PLAN OBJECTIVE
Regular City Business
FISCAL IMPACT
The Riverside Registrar of Voters estimates the election costs at $3.50 per registered voter within the two districts up for election. These costs were anticipated and budgeted for in the adopted Fiscal Year 2026/2027 budget within the General Fund under Elections (1100-CLK-652805). No additional budget appropriations are required.
City of Menifee Staff Report
November 3, 2026, General Municipal Election Resolutions June 3, 2026
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ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution – Calling and Consolidating the Election
2. Resolution - Candidate Statements