The race for elected offices on the November general election ballot begins in earnest Monday with the opening of the candidate filing period. The period, during which candidates may file for the offices listed in the guide, closes Aug. 10. If the incumbent in any elected position doesn’t file, the filing period will be extended to 5 p.m. Aug. 15.
In Santa Maria, the positions of mayor, City Clerk and City Treasurer, and two city council seats are on the ballot. All are four-year terms. Information on the city election is available at the City Clerk’s office at City Hall, 110 E. Cook St., or online at /www.ci.santa-maria.ca.us/Elections.shtml.
Santa Maria Joint Union High School District and Orcutt Union School District have two positions on the ballot with four-year terms.
The Santa Maria-Bonita School District has three positions, all with four-year terms, on the ballot, and Blochman Union School District has three positions with four-year terms available.
Hancock College has three seats open on its Board of Trustees: Area 1 – central and northern Santa Maria; Area 2 – southeast Santa Maria; and Area 4 – Lompoc Valley. All are four-year terms.
Other positions in North County on the November ballot with nomination periods beginning Monday are:
Santa Maria Airport District: four positions, three with four-year terms and one with a two-year term.
Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District: Divisions 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7. All are four-year terms except Division 5, which is two years.
Casmalia Community Services District has three positions with four year terms, one with a two-year term.
Cuyama Community Services District: three positions with four-year terms and one vacant seat with a two-year term.
Cuyama Valley Recreation District: three positions with four-year terms and one with a two-year term.
Guadalupe Union School District: two positions with four-year terms and one with a two-year term.
Santa Barbara County Board of Education: Trustee Areas No. 2, 3, 4 and 6. All are four-year terms.
City of Lompoc: mayor and two city council positions. All are four-year terms.
Lompoc Unified School District: three positions, all with four-year terms.
Lompoc Valley Medical Center Board: two positions with four year terms.
Mission Hills Community Services District: three positions, all with four-year terms.
Vandenberg Village Community Services District: three positions with four-year terms.
City of Solvang: the mayor’s seat is a two-year term and two city council positions are four-year terms.
Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District: two positions with four-year-terms.
Ballard School District: one position with a four-year term.
Buellton Union School District: two positions with four-year terms.
Cold Spring School District: two positions with four-year terms.
College School District: two positions with four-year terms, one position with a two-year term.
Los Olivos School District: three positions with four year terms.
Los Alamos Community Services District: three positions, all with four-year terms.
Santa Ynez Community Services District: three positions with four-year terms.
Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District – Improvement District No. 1: Division No. 1 and Division No. 4, both with four-year terms.
Solvang School District: two positions with four-year terms and two positions with two-year terms.
All candidates must be at least 18 years old and a citizen of the state and the district in which they are seeking office. They must also be a registered voter.
The northern Santa Barbara County Elections offices are at 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Ste. 115 in Santa Maria, and 401 E. Cypress St., Room 102, in Lompoc. The offices are open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
July 14, 2012 By Brian Bullock/Staff Writer/bbullock@santamariatimes.com