The District 1 City Council seat became vacant Oct. 9 with the resignation of City Council Member Barbara Hamilton. That triggered a 60-day period during which the City Council can appoint someone to serve the rest of the term or call for a special election to fill the seat. At their meeting of Oct. 22, City Council voted to use an appointment process to fill the vacant seat and directed the City Clerk to prepare a Notice of Intention to Fill a Vacancy for City Council Member District 1 by Appointment. Applicants must be registered voters residing in District 1 at the time of application submittal. The application period is Oct. 24 - Nov. 12. The City Council is scheduled to consider an appointment at its Nov. 19 meeting. Applications must be filed with the City Clerk's office by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Under the Carlsbad Municipal Code, if 10 percent of the voters in District 1 sign a petition during those 60 days calling for an election, the City Council must fill the vacancy by an election.
The vacancy will fill the four-year term that ends in November 2022.
To provide accurate and timely information about options for filling the vacancy, the City Attorney’s Office worked with an outside election lawyer to prepare the following questions and answers document.
The following is information intended to assist the public in the requirements necessary to circulate a petition to fill a City Council Vacancy by Special Election:
Based on the applicable statutory deadlines and the City Council’s regular meeting schedule:
(a) For a voter-initiated special election to be held on March 3, 2020, the voter petitions must have been received by the City Clerk, verified by the Registrar of Voters, and presented to the City Council at its regular meeting on October 22, 2019.
(b) For a voter-initiated special election to be held on April 14, 2020, the voter petitions must be received by the City Clerk, verified by the Registrar of Voters, and presented to the City Council at its regular meeting on Nov. 19, 2019.
Office of the City Clerk
clerk@carlsbadca.gov
760-434-2808