Politics & Government
One Loma Linda Candidate Confirms Re-election Bid
Loma Linda Mayor pro-tem Ovidiu Popescu confirmed that he intends to run for re-election as the city prepares to vote for three council seats.
Loma Linda joined the political fray Tuesday by calling for a city election to coincide with the June 5 primary.
Councilmembers approved the local election and the regulations that set the filing period for nomination papers as Feb. 14 to March 9.
Three seats are up for grabs. Those are currently held by Mayor Rhodes Rigsby, Mayor pro-tem Ovidiu Popescu and councilman Stan Brauer.
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Popescu is the first incumbent to confirm that he will seek re-election. As of Wednesday, Rigsby and Brauer had yet to responded to a Loma Linda Patch email sent Jan. 4.
Robert Ziprick, who ran for reelection in 2010, and Verne Miller, said they had no immediate plans to run this year. Both men said they have continued to serve the community.
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No other challengers have publicly expressed interest in running yet.
This year’s seems to be less in flux than two years ago when councilmen Floyd Petersen did not seek re-election, and Ziprick lost his seat. Those seats currently belong to councilmen Ron Daily and Phill Dupper.
Anyone interested in running must first pull nominations papers from the city clerk, Pamela Byrnes-O’Camb. Only the city clerk can issue candidate papers.
If an incumbent does not file before March 13, the deadline will be extended by a day, but incumbents are not allowed to file during that extended time, according to a staff report.
If only incumbents file by the deadline, the city has the option to cancel the election.
Candidates must file statements of economic interest when they submit their paperwork. Incumbents who have submitted an annual statement within 60 days of their nomination do not have to file the statement. Candidate statements for the ballot and sample ballot and a ballot designation worksheet must also be submitted with the paperwork.
Candidate statements are open for the public to review after the filing deadline has passed. Statements may be withdrawn, but not changed until after the filing date.
Anyone interested in running may call (909) 799-2800 or visit the Civic Center, 25541 Barton Road.
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