Agenda Item: 1
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: August 19, 2024
SUBJECT: SANTA CLARITA DISTRICT 3 GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 5, 2024
DEPARTMENT: Administrative Services
PRESENTER: Mary Cusick
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council receive presentation and determine whether to move forward with the election for District 3 with only one candidate listed on the ballot, or adopt a resolution canceling the election for District 3 and appointing Jason Gibbs, the sole nominee for District 3, to the four-year District 3 Council seat term which begins in December 2024 with an estimated cost savings of $120,000 for the City.
BACKGROUND
At the close of the nomination period on August 9, 2024, at 5:00 p.m., there were no more candidates than District 3 offices to be elected on the November 5, 2024, General Municipal Election ballot.
Pursuant to Elections Code §10229, on August 14, 2024, a “Notice That There Are Not More Candidates Than Offices To Be Elected,” was published in The Signal, a newspaper of general circulation, and La Opinión. The notice was also posted on the City website, all three Santa Clarita libraries, and at City Hall, in both English and Spanish languages.
The California Elections Code sets forth provisions to cancel an election and appoint the person nominated to the office when the number of nominees is equal to the number of offices to be filled at the election. When Santa Clarita’s nomination period closed on Friday, August 9, 2024, at 5:00 p.m., there was one qualified candidate for the District 3 Councilmember office: Jason Gibbs.
One of the following courses of action may be taken by the City Council, pursuant to Elections Code §10229:
1) Appoint to the office the person who has been nominated 2) Appoint to the office any eligible elector if no one has been nominated 3) Hold the election if either no one or only one person was nominated
Should the City Council appoint the nominee to office, the attached resolution may be adopted to confirm the appointment and cancel the election; the nominee would take office and serve exactly as if elected at a municipal election; and the term of appointment for the four -year term would begin December 2024. Cancellation of the District 3 election wi ll result in approximately $120,000 savings in elections costs otherwise payable to the County of Los Angeles.
If the City Council does not vote to appoint the nominee by August 22, 2024, the election for the District 3 office will be held.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
No actions other than those outlined in the report have been identified by staff.
FISCAL IMPACT
Adequate funds have previously been appropriated as part of the Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget to conduct the November 5, 2024, General Municipal Election; however, should the City Council appoint the nominee to office and cancel that election, the budget will be reduced accordingly.
ATTACHMENTS
Notice
Certification
Resolution