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Clerk-Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters
Registrar of Voters
School & Community College Districts & County Boards of Education
(Education Code §§1000 et seq., 5000 et seq., 35100 et seq., 72101 et seq.)
Governing Board Member
Term of Office
Elected Governing Board Members for School and Community College Districts and the County Board of Education serve a 4-year term beginning December 11, 2020. Exception: In the event of a vacancy during the first half of the term of office, and at least 130 days prior to the next election, an appointment shall be made to fill the vacancy until the next regularly scheduled election for district governing board members, whereupon an election shall be held to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term.
Education Code §§1007, 5017, 5091, 5093(b)
Qualifications and Requirements
Qualifications
A Governing Board Member shall:
- be 18 years of age or older; and
- be a citizen of the State of California; and
- be a registered voter; and
- be a resident of the school district or trustee area, if applicable; and
- not be disqualified by the Constitution or laws of the state from holding a civil office; and
- a registered voter of the district; and
- not have been convicted of a felony involving accepting or giving, or offering to give, any bribe, the embezzlement of public money, extortion or theft of public money, perjury, or conspiracy to commit any of those crimes, or for being an official interested in contracts, or becoming a vendor or purchaser at sales, or purchasing scrip of other evidences of indebtedness, in which the official has financial interest.
Elections Code §§20, 201
Filing Requirements
Nomination Documents and Procedures
Declaration of Candidacy: Each candidate is required to file a Declaration of Candidacy between July 13, 2020, and August 7, 2020. The Declaration shall be obtained from the office of the county elections official.* The Declaration of Candidacy must be executed in the office of the elections official unless the candidate, in a written statement signed and dated by the candidate, designates a third party to obtain the Declaration from the county elections official and deliver it to the candidate. Such written statement shall state that the candidate is aware the Declaration must be properly executed and delivered to the county elections official from whom it was obtained not later than the close of business on August 7, 2020.
*Exception: Candidates for the Petaluma Joint Union High School District must file with the city elections official (i.e., Petaluma City Clerk), not the county elections official.
If an incumbent, eligible to be elected, fails to file a Declaration of Candidacy by the close of business on August 7, 2020, any person, other than the person who was the incumbent on August 7, 2020, may file a Declaration of Candidacy not later than the close of business on August 12, 2020.
Elections Code §§10603, 10604Statement of Qualifications – Optional: Any candidate for local nonpartisan office may submit a Statement of Qualifications to be printed in the County Voter Information Guide. Statements must be filed at the same time nomination papers are filed and may be withdrawn, but not changed, until 5:00 PM the next regular business day after nominations close. Statements are confidential until nominations (or extended nominations) for that particular office close and then become public record.
Statements shall be limited to a recitation of the candidate’s own personal background and qualifications, and shall not in any way make reference to other candidates for that office or to another candidate’s qualifications, character, or activities.
Elections Code §§13307, 13308, 13311Misrepresentation in Statements: Any candidate in an election (including an incumbent in a recall) who knowingly makes a false statement of a material fact in a candidate's statement prepared pursuant to Elections Code §11327 or §13307, with the intent to mislead the voters, is punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).
Elections Code §18351Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700): Government Code §87300 requires every agency to adopt a Conflict of Interest Code. A Conflict of Interest Code is a document that designates the positions within an agency which make or participate in making governmental decisions that may have a foreseeable material effect on any financial interest.
Each candidate must file a Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700) not later than the final filing date for the Declaration of Candidacy. Elected and appointed officials must file a Statement of Economic Interests within (30) days after assuming office; annually; and within (30) days of leaving office. Under certain conditions, the Statement of Economic Interests need not be filed if such a statement was filed within (60) days prior to the filing of a Declaration of Candidacy or the date of assuming office.
Government Code §§87200 et seq., 87302.3, 87500Voluntary Code of Fair Campaign Practices – Optional: At the time an individual files his or her Declaration of Candidacy, Nomination Petition, or any other paper evidencing an intention to be a candidate for public office, the county elections official shall give the individual a copy of the Code of Fair Campaign Practices and a copy of the provisions of Ch. 5, Div. 20 of the Elections Code.
Elections Code §20440Campaign Committee Filing Obligations
See Campaign Disclosure Requirements in this guide or the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) Manual 2 (Local Candidates, Superior Court Judges, Their Controlled Committees, and Primarily Formed Committees for Local Candidates).