Title
Interview of Applicants for the District 2 City Council Vacancy; and Potential Action to Adopt a Resolution to Fill the Vacancy by Appointment or Potential Action to Adopt a Resolution Calling for a Special Election to Fill the Vacancy
Staffreport
SUMMARY
This item provides for the City Council to interview applicants for the District 2 City Council vacancy and potentially take action to make an appointment to fill the District 2 Council vacancy. If no appointment is made, the Council may either continue deliberations at its April 6, 2026 regular City Council meeting or potentially take action to call for a special election to fill the vacancy.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommend the City Council interview applicants for the District 2 City Council vacancy and vote to do one of the following:
a. Adopt a resolution to fill the vacancy by appointment;
b. Continue deliberations to the April 6, 2026 regular City Council meeting; or
c. Adopt a resolution calling for a special election to fill the vacancy that would be consolidated with the general election on November 3, 2026.
BACKGROUND
A District 2 vacancy on the City Council exists due to former Councilmember Azevedo vacating his seat on February 10, 2026. City Charter Section 250 governs the process of filling a City Council vacancy as follows:
“A vacancy in the office of Council Member or Mayor shall be filled by appointment by the Council. The appointee shall hold office until the next general municipal election and until a successor is elected and qualified. Any unexpired remainder of the term of such office shall be filled by the voters at such election. If the Council fails to fill such vacancy within sixty days after its existence, the Council shall call a special election, at which the unexpired remainder of the term of such office shall be filled by the voters.”
The City Charter requires that the City Council fill the vacancy by appointment within 60 days - on or before April 11, 2026. The appointed member will serve through December 31, 2026; and the unexpired portion of the District 2 term will be placed on the November 3, 2026 general municipal election, at which time voters will elect a candidate to serve the remainder of the term (January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2028).
If an appointment is not made by the April 11, 2026 deadline, the City Council shall call for a special election for the voters to fill the remainder of the unexpired District 2 term. The incoming member’s term would be effective through the certification of the election and administration of the Oath of Office through December 31, 2028.
Appointment Timeline
On February 17, 2026, the City Council directed staff to proceed with an appointment process for filling the District 2 vacancy. The timeline is as follows:
• Vacancy exists: February 10
• City Council direction to staff: February 17
• Application period: February 20-March 9
• Meeting to interview applicants and make an appointment: March 23
• If no appointment is made on March 23, Council may continue the appointment process at the April 6 regular meeting
• If no appointment is made by April 11, call for a special election
Application Process
An application was made available online and in the City Clerk’s Office beginning February 20, 2026. Applications were due Monday, March 9, 2026, by 5:00 pm. Community outreach included online and print messaging, paid advertisements in the San Leandro Times, social media posts, and flyers at City facilities.
Twelve applications were timely received by the City Clerk’s Office. Seven of those applications met the eligibility requirements as provided for in the City Charter, which includes District 2 residency and being a registered San Leandro voter.
The seven eligible applicants include the following individuals:
• James Aguilar
• Robert Bulatao
• Emily Chandler
• Edward Hernández
• Luis Mendoza
• Tiare Pena
• Leo Sheridan
The remainder of applications were from community members living outside of District 2.
Interview Process
The order of interviews will be randomly selected by the City Clerk. Candidates will be sequestered the Sister Cities Gallery. Each Councilmember and the Mayor will have 4 minutes for questioning and answers of each candidate. A timer will be run to keep the process on schedule. An opening question will be asked by the Mayor to give the candidate an opportunity to introduce themselves and provide a brief background. The timer will be set at 90 seconds for this introduction.
Nomination Process
Step 1: After the interviews are completed, the Mayor will ask for nominations from the City Council. Each applicant that receives a nomination will proceed to Step 2; applicants that did not receive a nomination are removed from consideration.
Step 2: The City Clerk will establish a random voting order for the remaining applicants that were nominated. The Mayor will call for a vote on each individual in that order. The person with four votes is selected for appointment, and the Council may then proceed to a motion to adopt a resolution appointing that nominee to fill the vacancy. If the motion passes with four or more affirmative votes, the nominee will be appointed.
Step 3: If no nominee receives four votes for appointment, the City Council may continue deliberations and repeat the steps outlined in Step 2.
If there is no majority nominee, the City Council may do one of the following:
1. Continue the appointment process to the April 6, 2026 regular City Council meeting; or
2. Adopt a resolution calling for a special election to fill the vacancy.
Special Election
April 11, 2026 is the deadline established by the Charter to make the appointment. If no appointment is made, the City Council shall call for a special election, at which the unexpired remainder of the term of such office shall be filled by the voters, in accordance with City Charter Section 250.
City Charter Section 605 states that a special municipal election may be held on any date specified by the City Council. Government Code Section 36512 further requires that the election be held a minimum of 114 days after calling for the special election. Therefore, subject to coordination with the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, the Council can call a special election for any date in 2026.
Consolidated Election Option
Staff recommend consolidating the special election with the general municipal election scheduled for November 3, 2026, as this option is both operationally feasible for the Alameda County Registrar of Voters to conduct the election, and funds are already allocated in the FY 26-27 budget. Consolidating with the general municipal election is not anticipated to significantly increase the overall cost of that election.
Standalone Election Option
Alternatively, the City Council could call for a special election date before November 3, 2026. A standalone special election is estimated to cost $23-$25 per registered voter eligible to vote in the election, and an additional appropriation of funds would be needed. If directed, staff would coordinate with the Alameda County Registrar of Voters to identify an operationally feasible election date, then return to the City Council with a resolution calling for the election and appropriating the funds.
Financial Impacts
Option A - Filled by Appointment - No additional appropriation
No additional appropriations are anticipated if the City Council proceeds with filling the vacancy by appointment. In this scenario, the unexpired remainder of the term will appear on the ballot for the November 3, 2026 general municipal election, and adding the District 2 position to that ballot is not anticipated to significantly impact the overall cost of that election.
Option B - Consolidated Special Election - No additional appropriation
If the City Council does not fill the vacancy by appointment and must call for a special election, consolidating the special election with the November 3, 2026 general election, which is budgeted for as noted above, is not anticipated to significantly impact the overall amount budgeted for the general election.
Option C - Standalone Special Election - Additional Appropriation
Alternatively, a standalone special election is estimated to cost $23-$25 per registered voter who is eligible to vote in the election. Funds have not been budgeted for a standalone special election, and additional appropriation would be required as estimated below:
• Under the City’s current at-large voting system, the cost of the election is based on the total number of registered San Leandro voters. With approximately 51,000 voters the cost ranges from $1,173,000 to $1,275,000.
• If voters approve the proposed City Charter amendment on June 2, 2026, to transition to district-based elections, the cost of a standalone special election would instead be based on the number of registered voters in District 2. With approximately 7,800 voters, the cost would range from $179,400 to $195,000. However, staff does not recommend relying on this option because the outcome of the City Charter amendment election is uncertain. If the amendment is not approved, the City would remain under the current at-large election system, which would require a citywide special election with costs based on all registered voters in San Leandro ($1,173,000 to $1,275,000).
ATTACHMENTS
A: Draft Resolution Appointing ______ to fill the District 2 Vacancy on the City Council
B: Draft Resolution Calling for Special Municipal Election
C: Interviewee List
D: Applications
PREPARED BY: Sarah K. Bunting, City Clerk, City of San Leandro