8 vie for 3 Petaluma City Council seats

The races for local office, including Petaluma City Council and the Petaluma City Schools District board, are now finalized after the Aug. 7 deadline to file candidacy papers to run in the November election. Candidates for races in which at least one incumbent is not running had until Aug. 12 to file paperwork with the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters.

The city council and Petaluma school board races will be the only contested local elections voters will see on their ballots. In races with as many or fewer candidates as open seats, the election is usually canceled and the board makes the appointment.

The Petaluma City Council race will have eight candidates for three open seats. The three incumbents running for reelection are Mike Healy, Gabe Kearney and Kathy Miller. They will face challengers Dennis Pocekay, Susan Kirks, Lizzie Wallack, Brian Barnacle and Robert Conklin. Pocekay and Conklin ran for city council in 2018.

Two seats are open on the Petaluma Joint Union High School District, the city’s largest school district. The two incumbents, Ellen Webster and Sheldon Gen, face challengers Carol Ann Street and Linda Judah. Gen was appointed to the board last year after the death of board member Frank Lynch.

Only one candidate, incumbent Heather Burton, had filed to run in the race for two seats in the Old Adobe Union School District, which includes five east Petaluma schools. The second open seat will be appointed.

Both incumbents in the two-school Waugh School District in east Petaluma are running for reelection. Jarrett Baglietto and Dominic Magnani are both set to keep their seats.

The two Cinnabar School District incumbents — Cathy Thompson and Jennifer Elu — are running for reelection unopposed and will keep their seats.

The same is true for the three Wilmar School District incumbents, where David Weinstock, Stephen Collins and Melinda Durham are running for reelection unopposed.

Incumbents John Silvestrini and Gayleen Maas are running unopposed for reelection to the Two Rock School District board.

In the Dunham School District, incumbent Lisa Poncia and newcomer Daniel Drummond were the only two candidates to file for two open seats.

In the Liberty School District, incumbent Beldon Panter and newcomer Jenna Leal were the only to candidates for the two open seats.

Voters south and west of Petaluma weigh in on several north Marin County school boards, none of which will go to the ballot. Only incumbent Clairette Wilson filed to run for Marin County Board of Education District 7. Incumbent James Lanatti was the only candidate to file for the Laguna Joint School District board race. Incumbent Sam Dolcini was the only candidate to file to run in the tiny Lincoln Union School District. And in the Shoreline School District Area 3, only Kylee Lang filed for two open seats.

Three incumbents filed for four 4-year seats on the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District board. They are Mark Hemmendinger, Brian Proteau and Bret Herman. Raymond Peterson filed for the one open 2-year seat.

In the Petaluma Health Care District, only incumbents Elece Hempel and Jeffrey Tobias filed for three open seats.

In the state election, Petaluma voters will choose for State Senator either incumbent Bill Dodd, D-Napa or challenger Carlos Santamaria, R-Napa. For State Assembly, voters will choose between incumbent Democrat Marc Levine of San Rafael, or challenger Veronica Jacobi, D-Santa Rosa.

For Congress, voters will choose between incumbent Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and challenger Dale Mensing, R-Redway. At the top of the ticket, Republican President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence face Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris.

Voters will also see several local ballot measures. The Petaluma City Council is seeking a one-cent sales tax increase for the General Fund. The Petaluma Health Care District is asking voters to approve the sale of Petaluma Valley Hospital to NorCal Health Connect. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors placed a ballot measure to strengthen the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach as well as a quarter-cent sales tax for mental health and homelessness services. The Sonoma County Transportation Authority is also seeking renewal if its quarter-cent sales tax for infrastructure projects. Shoreline School District voters will see a $212 parcel tax renewal.

In addition, there are 12 statewide propositions on the November ballot.

(Contact Matt Brown at matt.brown@arguscourier.com.)