Council Passes Resolutions Calling for Upcoming Municipal Elections

The City is officially ready to begin the 2020 election season.

The Pasadena City Council Monday approved a set of resolutions to formally stage municipal elections in March 2020 to elect a mayor and members of the City Council. If necessary, a General Municipal Election to coincide with the General Elections in November 2020, may also be called.

Residents who wish to become candidates for elected office in the March elections must pull nomination papers from the City Clerk’s Office. The nomination period will open November 12 and close on December 6.

Candidates running for Mayor must get 50 signatures from registered voters in Pasadena and pay a $25 fee in order to run. Prospective Council candidates must also pay the same fee, but are required to turn in only 25 signatures by 5:30 p.m. on December 6. Mayoral and Council candidates must live in Pasadena, and Council candidates must be registered to vote in the district in which they are running.

Monday’s resolutions also included a proposal to submit an initiative petition ballot measure to allow operation of cannabis businesses which were previously being operated illegally, in violation of the Pasadena Municipal Code.

The recommendation includes a total of five resolutions related to the elections and the cannabis-business ballot initiative, which the City Council may also decide to vote on immediately.

According to the City Clerk’s report, the first resolution will call for and give notice that a Primary Municipal Elections will be held on March 3, 2020, for Mayor and for Councilmembers for Districts 1, 2, 4 and 6. It will also call for the submission of the cannabis-business initiative, and, if necessary, give notice for a General Municipal Election on November 3, 2020.

A General Municipal Election will be required in the event that no one candidate seeking an elected office receives a majority of the total votes cast for that office. Section 1204 of the Pasadena City Charter says in such a case, the two persons receiving the highest number of votes at the primary election for Mayor or Councilmember will square off in the general election in November 2020.

The second resolution asks for the approval of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for full consolidated election services for the Primary Municipal Election, and if necessary, the General Municipal Election, to be performed by the Los Angeles County RegistrarRecorder/County Clerk. The office of the Pasadena City Clerk will perform all nomination, campaign, and ballot measure filing duties. Such approval is necessary in accordance with the California Elections Code, the City Clerk’s report said.

The resolution also sets forth regulations regarding candidate statements for the primary and general municipal elections. Under the resolution, candidates will be required to pay actual costs for printing candidate statements in English in the sample ballot pamphlet. The City will absorb translation costs in complying with the Federal Voting Rights Act, including costs associated with printing candidate statements in required translated sample ballot pamphlets, the report continued.

The final two resolutions specify the order of priority for the filing of arguments for or against the cannabis-business initiative, authorize those designated by the City Council to file a written argument against the measure, direct the City Attorney to prepare an impartial analysis of the measure, and authorize the filing of rebuttal arguments for the measure.

The final number of Los Angeles County voting centers has not yet been made available, said Jomsky, who said he would have a tentative list next week.

Currently, County-wide voting for the 2020 election would be available over an 11-day period, two of which would be available in Pasadena. An additional four-day voting center would be available in City Hall, said Jomsky.

The City has budgeted $600,000 for the cost of next year’s elections.