PETALUMA, CA — Petaluma mayoral candidate Shelina Moreda will remain on the November ballot after city officials determined she provided sufficient information to show she met the city's residency requirements, according to reports.
"Mayoral candidate Shelina Moreda has provided sufficient information to establish that her residency meets the City's code requirements," City Clerk Caitlin Corley, Petaluma's main elections official, wrote Thursday afternoon to the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters, according to the Petaluma Voice.
The city will not challenge Moreda's candidacy or ask election officials to remove her from the ballot, Corley wrote.
Moreda faces John Hanania and incumbent Kevin McDonnell for the at-large mayoral seat. She pulled paperwork to run Aug. 6, one day before the filing deadline.
Questions about Moreda's eligibility arose in the days following Ryan Williams of the Service Employees International Union, who also serves on the Petaluma City Schools board, and Maddy Hirshfield of the North Bay Labor Council contacted the city with concerns, according to reports.
They pointed to discrepancies between Moreda's addresses on two public documents: a Form 460 campaign finance filing and her declaration of candidacy, according to an Aug. 15 letter from City Attorney Eric Danly to Moreda, the Press Democrat reported.
Moreda had until noon Thursday to provide the city clerk with information showing she lived within Petaluma city limits as of July 7. Petaluma's municipal code requires candidates to live in the city for at least 30 days before filing for office.
Moreda told The Petaluma Voice shortly after noon Thursday that she had submitted the requested documentation.
Moreda was originally on the June primary ballot for election to the District 2 Sonoma County Board of Supervisors seat. She trailed behind Joanna Paun and Sylvia Lemus.
Moreda's mayoral campaign website URL and metadata still bear the name of that race.
The city set Thursday's deadline so the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters could move forward with election preparations, Chief Deputy Registrar Wendy Hudson told the Petaluma Voice.
Related: NorCal Candidate May Not Qualify To Run For Mayor
New City Council Race, Supervisor Run-Off Face Sonoma Voters In November
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Petaluma Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.