Candidate Filing for November Election Begins Monday

By GAIL PELLERIN (Star Patcher)

Persons interested in running for any of the five special districts up for election on November 3, 2015 must file a Declaration of Candidacy with the Santa Cruz County Clerk/Elections Department by 5 p.m. Friday, August 7. Candidate filing opens Monday, July 13, 2015.

Local offices scheduled for election on November 3, 2015 include:

• Alba Park, Recreation and Parkway District — 2 directors
• Opal Cliffs Recreation District — 3 directors
• Salsipuedes Sanitary District — 3 directors
• Depot Hill Geological Hazard Abatement District – 2 directors
• Place de Mer Geological Hazard Abatement District – 2 directors

A person is eligible to be elected or appointed to the offices on the November ballot if he or she is 18 years of age and a citizen of the state at the time of his/her election or appointment.

Candidates for the sanitary district must also be a registered voter of the district and otherwise qualified to vote for that office at the time nomination papers are issued to the person or at the time of the person’s appointment. Candidates for the recreation districts must be a registered voter of the district. Incumbents who were elected or appointed by December 31, 2001 may run for re-election if they qualified as a registered voter of the state who owns property in the district. Candidates for the Geological Hazard Abatement Districts are elected by property owners and must be an owner of real property in the district in order to be elected or appointed.

All candidates for all offices, including the incumbents, are required to file a Declaration of Candidacy, which is the official document where the candidate declares his/her desire to seek nomination and/or election to a particular office.

At the time the candidate files a Declaration of Candidacy, candidates have the option of submitting a 200-word Candidate’s Statement of Qualifications to be published in the Voter’s Information Pamphlet at the expense of the candidate. Several candidate filing documents are now posted online at www.votescount.com. Candidates can print the completed forms at home and then bring them to the office to file. Election law does not specifically prohibit another person from filing a Declaration of Candidacy for a candidate; however, candidates are encouraged to file in person.

Because there are strict rules and laws governing candidate filing, interested persons are encouraged to contact the County Elections Department to obtain a “Candidate’s Handbook” and other assistance to ensure all filing obligations are met. The Elections Department is located at 701 Ocean Street, Room 210 in Santa Cruz, phone 831-454-2060, email info@votescount.com

The “Candidate’s Handbook” for the Special District Election is also available online atwww.votescount.com