The District One City Council race could go to a runoff, even though only two candidates were actually running.
One candidate had received not quite 49% of the vote as of this weekend. Keep in mind that the numbers could change by the time the election results are certified.
In related news, current District One Councilman Joe Kalmick is expected to win the Area One race for the governing board of the Coast Community College District.
That means Kalmick would have to resign his Seal Beach City Council seat before a possible runoff election is held.
Possible runoff
As many of you know, originally, there were four candidates in District One (Old Town). Two candidates dropped out, but all four names remained on the ballot.
“The Registrar is counting the votes of Smith and Davis, and they will count toward the 50%+1 threshold. If no candidate receives 50%+1, there will be a runoff,” wrote City Clerk Gloria Harper in a Nov. 4 email.
As of 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 11, according to ocvote.gov, the District One election results were:
- Matthew Terry—1,145 votes—48.97%
- Perla Mendoza—911 votes—38.96%%
- Matt Smith (who dropped out)—171 votes—7.31%
- Scott Davis (who dropped out)—111—4.75%
As you can see, candidates Smith and Davis drew enough votes to prevent either of the top two candidates from reaching the 50%+1 threshold. However, the numbers change with each 5 p.m. update.
The election isn’t over until all the votes are counted.
“If no candidate for an office receives a majority (50% plus 1) of all the votes cast, the two (2) candidates receiving the highest number of votes at the General Municipal Election shall be the only candidates for such office printed upon the ballots at the Municipal Run-off Election,” according to the Seal Beach City Charter.
“The City Council shall declare the candidate who receives the most votes at the Municipal Run-off Election to be elected to such office,” according to the Charter.
Kalmick apparently wins
Current District One City Council Member Joe Kalmick has termed out of Seal Beach office.
However, he appears to have won the Area One trustee seat on the Coast Community College Governing Board.
As of 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 11, according to ocvote.gov, the results of the governing board race were:
Joe Kalmick—20,253 votes—46.36%
Austin J. Edsell—18,331 votes—42.61%
Ashton Kauwe—4,820 votes—11.03%
Empty council seat?
In a Nov. 2 text, Kalmick wrote that he would be sworn in on Friday, Dec. 11, so he would have to resign from the City Council on Dec. 10.
That would leave his seat vacant until after the runoff.
According to Article IV of the City Charter:
“A vacancy in any elective office shall be filled in accordance with state law.”
City and state laws
California Government Code 36512 allows a local council two options for filling a vacant seat: Hold a special election to fill the seat or appoint someone to serve the remainder of the incumbent’s term.
In this case, that would be until after the City Council election or council runoff.
According to the City Charter, Article V, Secion 502, the runoff would have to be held on the last Tuesday of January 2027. That’s Jan. 26, 2027.
About council appointments
California Government Code 36512, paragraph 3 (d)(1), as of January 2026, says that “an appointment shall not be made to fill a vacancy on a city council if the appointment would result in a majority of the members serving on the council having been appointed.”
Because District Three Councilwoman/Mayor Lisa Landau and District Five Councilman Nathan Steele ran unopposed for their second terms, the council canceled the elections in their district and appointed them to their seats. (For details, see “District 3 and 5 elections canceled” at sunnews.org.)
Government Code 36512 says if the council does not call a special election, the vacancy will not be filled until the next established election date.
“If the city council of a city that elects city council members by or from districts elects to fill a vacancy on the city council by appointment as a result of a city council member resigning from office, the resigning city council member may cast a vote on the appointment if the resignation will go into effect upon the appointment of a successor,” according to paragraph (e)(1) of Government Code 36512.?
“A city council member shall not cast a vote for a family member or any other person with whom the city council member has a relationship that may create a potential conflict of interest,” according to paragraph (e)(1) of Government Code 36512.