Novato Council Confirms Appointment To District 5 Seat

NOVATO, CA — The Novato City Council unanimously appointed Sandeep Karkal to the District 5 seat Tuesday after he was the only candidate to qualify for the November election.

Karkal was the only person who filed to represent District 5, which includes Hamilton and parts of southern Novato. Under state law, the council could either appoint the sole candidate or proceed with the Nov. 3 election, city staff said.

The council chose to appoint Karkal. No write-in candidates will be accepted for the District 5 seat.

No members of the public spoke about the appointment before the council voted.

Karkal was initially appointed to the council in December following the death of Mark Milberg, who had represented District 5 since 2021 and served as Novato's mayor in 2024.

Karkal has lived in Novato for more than 22 years and spent 12 years as general manager and chief engineer of the Novato Sanitary District. A registered civil engineer, he also serves on the boards of several state and national organizations focused on wastewater and sanitation.

His local involvement has included the Rotary Club of Ignacio, previous service on the Novato Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and graduation from the Leadership Novato program.

Tuesday's appointment did not affect the council races in Districts 2 and 4, which will remain on the November ballot, city staff said.