Filing Period for 2020 Palmdale City Council Election Opens July 13th, 2020

PALMDALE - The City of Palmdale’s City Clerk’s Office has announced that a General Municipal Election, consolidated with the Los Angeles County Statewide General Election, will be held on Nov. 3, 2020, for the office of Mayor and two City Council seats.

The Mayor’s seat is a citywide election for a full term of two years. The two City Council seats are four-year terms and will be for District One and District Two.

Council District One is generally located in the southern portion of the City. Council District Two is generally located in the western portion of the City. For full details of the boundaries, please refer to the district map on the City of Palmdale’s Elections webpage at www.cityofpalmdale.org.

The filing period for residents interested in running for office will open Monday, July 13, and close Friday, Aug. 7 at 5 pm.

If nomination papers for an incumbent officer are not filed by 5 pm on Friday, Aug. 7, the filing period for all non-incumbent candidates will be extended to 5 pm on Wednesday, Aug. 12.

The incumbents are Mayor Steve Hofbauer; Councilmember Austin Bishop, District 1; and Councilmember Richard Loa, District 2.

In light of COVID-19 and the stay at home orders issued by the Governor, candidates have the option of scheduling an appointment with the City Clerk (during the nomination filing period) for a Zoom meeting appointment or an in-person appointment in which social distancing guidelines will be in place. Following a Zoom meeting, an in-person appointment will be required to pick up and sign for the nomination documents. An in-person appointment will also be required when filing completed nomination documents before the close of the nomination filing period. The City Clerk’s office is located at 38300 Sierra Highway, Suite C, Palmdale, and appointments can be made by calling 661/267-5151. There is no City fee charged for filing nomination documents.

For a fee, candidates may prepare a candidate statement to be included in the Official Sample Ballot which is mailed to voters. Statements include the candidate’s name and a brief description of no more than 200 words stating their qualifications; age and occupation are optional. L.A. County’s estimated fee for printing the candidate statement in the Official Sample Ballot are: Mayor - $1,900 for English only and $3,800.00 for English and Spanish translation; City Council District 1 - $500 for English only and $1,000 for English and Spanish translation; City Council District 2 - $700 for English Only and $1,400 for English and Spanish translation. The candidate statement fees are due when the completed nomination documents are returned for filing in the City Clerk’s office.

For more information, please call the City Clerk’s office at 267-5151.