HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026/05/26 City Council Resolution 2026-046 RESOLUTION NO. 2026-046
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROHNERT PARK
ADOPTING REGULATIONS FOR CANDIDATES FOR ELECTIVE OFFICE
PERTAINING TO CANDIDATES` STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS SUBMITTED
TO THE VOTERS AT AN ELECTION TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 3,2026
WHEREAS,the City will be holding a General Municipal Election on Tuesday,November
3, 2026 , to elect one (1) Member of the City Council from District 2, and one (1) Member of the
City Council from District 5, each for a term of four years;
WHEREAS, Section 13307 of the Elections Code of the State of California provides that
the governing body of any local agency adopts regulations pertaining to materials prepared by any
candidate for a municipal election, including costs of the Candidates 'Statement of Qualifications
(SOQ) and that those regulations be provided to candidates.
NOW, THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Rohnert
Park does hereby resolve, declare, determine and adopt the following regulations for candidates for
elective office pertaining to candidates' statements for the election to be held on November 3,2026:
SECTION 1. Pursuant to Section 13307 of the Elections Code of the State of California,
each candidate for elective office in the election to be held in the City of Rohnert Park on November
3, 2026, may voluntarily prepare a Candidate SOQ on an appropriate form provided by the City
Clerk.
SECTION 2. Elections Code § 13307 requires that, if the candidate wishes to file a SOQ,
it shall be filed on an appropriate form provided by the office of the City Clerk at the time the
candidate's nomination papers are filed. Therefore, a candidate for the General Municipal Election
for Districts 2 and 5 shall file the SOQ no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday August 10, 2026, unless
extended pursuant to Elections Code § 10225.
SECTION 3. The candidate's SOQ may include the name, age, and occupation of the
candidate and a brief description of no more than 200 words describing the candidate's education
and qualifications expressed by the candidate themselves.
SECTION 4. The statement shall not include party affiliation of the candidate, nor
membership or activity in partisan political organizations.
SECTION 5. Except as otherwise provided in Elections Code § 13309, the statement may
be withdrawn, but not changed, during the period for filing nomination papers and until 5:00 p.m.
of the next working day after the close of the nomination period.
SECTION 6. FOREIGN LANGUAGE POLICY. As required by Section 203 of the
Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Act), all elections materials will be provided in Spanish. Pursuant to
Federal Voting Rights Act and state law, the City may be required to translate a candidate's SOQ
into any other language at the candidate's request and at the candidate's expense. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the City shall pay for the cost of translating and printing the candidate's SOQ in
English and Spanish.
SECTION 7. As described in Section 6,the candidate shall be required to pay for the actual
cost of translating and printing the candidate's SOQ into any other foreign language other than
Spanish, if requested by the candidate, and shall pay the estimated cost in advance at the time of
the filing of nomination papers. The candidate shall be provided with a receipt, that shall provide
written notice that the estimate is just an approximation of the actual cost that varies from one
election to another election and may be significantly more or less than the estimate, depending on
the actual number of candidates filing statements,and that the City is not bound by the estimate and
may, on a pro rata basis, bill the candidate for additional actual expense or refund any excess paid
depending on the final actual cost.
SECTION 8. In the event that a candidate requests that their SOQ be translated and printed
in a foreign language other than Spanish, the candidate shall be required to pay for estimated costs
pursuant to Section 7, the City Clerk is not bound by the estimate provided by the candidate and
may, on a pro rata basis, bill the candidate for additional actual expense or refund any excess paid
depending on the final actual cost.
SECTION 9. No candidate will be permitted to include additional materials in the sample
ballot package other than those authorized by this Resolution.
SECTION 10.The City Clerk shall provide each candidate or the candidate's representative
a copy of this Resolution at the time nomination petitions are issued.
SECTION 11. All previous resolutions establishing City Council policy on payment for
candidates' statements are repealed and only this Resolution shall apply at the General Municipal
Election to be held within the City of Rohnert Park on Tuesday,November 3, 2026.
DULY AND REGULARLY ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Rohnert Park
this 26th day of May, 2026
CITY OF ROHNERT PARK
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Jac ie Elward ice Mayor
ATTEST:
Elizabeth Machado, Assistant City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM: -
1,)
P41avi Vishwanath, Deputy City Attorney
ADAMS:A GUIDICE:Aye RODRIGUEZ:Aye ELWARD:CAW SANBORN:►1bu4
AYES: (3) NOES: (56) ABSENT: (2) ABSTAIN: (0)
Resolution 2026-046
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