Filing period begins for City Council, school and water board positions in North Orange County

A four-week filing period beginning July 13 for City Council, school and library trustee and water director positions on the Nov. 3 general election ballot is expected to draw far fewer candidates than past elections due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Many traditional campaign techniques, such as speaking at group meetings and contacting voters on neighborhood walks, will be severely limited, as will fundraising events needed to finance runs for the non-partisan offices.

These factors will give a strong boost to incumbents seeking re-election, since they already have valuable name recognition and, in some cases, substantial sums of cash in campaign accounts raised before the pandemic hit.

For example, three Yorba Linda council incumbents running for re-election raised plenty of cash in 2019: Tara Campbell and Beth Haney collected $28,761 and $24,774, respectively, for second-term runs, and Gene Hernandez, seeking a third term, raised $23,797.

Council seats open for filing in other north county cities include three in Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma and Placentia and two in Brea and Buena Park; council prospects file at city halls.

Four of seven trustee seats for the North Orange County Community College District will open for filing, including the seat now held by Yorba Linda resident and library commissioner Ryan Bent in Area 7, mostly Yorba Linda, Brea and La Habra Heights and a part of Placentia.

Others are now held by Anaheim resident Ed Lopez in Area 2 that includes parts of Fullerton and Buena Park; Anaheim resident Jackie Rodarte in Area 5 that includes parts of Placentia and Yorba Linda; and the vacant Area 4 seat that includes mostly Fullerton and La Habra.

In the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, 20-year trustee Carol Downey won't run for a sixth term, leaving an open seat for Area 2, the southwestern portion of the district. She began as a district teacher in 1965 and was elected trustee in 2000, after 13 years on the Placentia council and two one-year terms as mayor.

Filing for two other seats include those now held by Eric Padget in Area 1, the northwestern portion of the district, and Judi Carmona in Area 3, the eastern portion.

Filing for seats in other north county districts include two each in Brea-Olinda Unified and Fullerton Union High School districts and Buena Park, Centralia, Cypress, Fullerton, La Habra, Lowell and Savanna elementary districts.

Filing also opens for a seat at the Orange County Water District representing Buena Park, La Palma, Placenita and Yorba Linda now held by Buena Park resident Roger Yoh and two seats at the Yorba Linda Water District now held by Andrew Hall and J. Wayne Miller.

And filing opens for three seats each at the Buena Park and Placentia library districts.

Filing for school, water and library boards is available online at the Registrar of Voters office, ocvote.com, extended to Aug. 12 if an incumbent doesn't run.