The Seal Beach City Council formally called the 2022 election at the Monday, June 13, council meeting. The vote was unanimous. “The nomination period begins Monday, July 18, 2022 and ends Friday, August 12, 2022,” wrote Acting City Clerk Dana Engstrom in her staff report for the meeting. During the meeting, she said that anyone with a question about being a candidate can make an make an appointment the City Clerk’s Office. (The city is dealing with a COVID outbreak and is encouraging the public to conduct business by phone or email when possible.)
“If any incumbent fails to file, the nomination period for that office only will be extended for an additional five (5) days. No other nomination period would be extended,” Engstrom wrote.
Voters will choose their council representatives in November 2022. (The council will elect the mayor from among their ranks in December.)
In Seal Beach, a candidate for a council seat needs to receive 50% of the vote, plus one, to take office.
If none of the candidates can reach 50% of the vote plus one, a run-off election will be held Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, according to Engstrom’s report.
Three seats will be in play: District One, District Three, and District Five. District Three Councilman Mike Varipapa and District Five Councilwoman Sandra Massa-Lavitt have termed out and will not be running for re-election. The election will be consolidated with the state general election, which will be held on Nov. 8.
In the District One race, Christopher A. DeSanto filed California Fair Political Practices Commission documents in February. District One Councilman Joe Kalmick has not filed paperwork to run.
As previously reported, city government candidates have to file the FPPC 501 with their local agency before they can start raising money. “They can’t start raising money before filing. There’s no ‘starting point’ per se, but obviously there are deadlines,” wrote Jay Wierenga, communications director for the Fair Political Practices Commission in an April 2022 email.
However, as previously reported, he said during an April 11 phone interview that he intended to run for re-election.
FPPC filings are required for candidates to raise money. To run locally, office-seekers will need to file the nomination papers.
