By Anthony Saude

Corona – Its election time in Corona that means candidate signs, flyers, mailers and people knocking at your door will be part of the landscape for the next couple of months. This year though it will only be in certain areas because the City of Corona has converted to the “district” option of voting instead of their traditional “at large” option of voting. This means a few things:

1. The city will have representation by all parts of the city. So as the city is cut up into 5 areas. There can only be a candidate who lives in those district areas that are up for election.
2. The marketing costs will be more affordable. So if a “rich” candidate, or someone who has the ability to raise more money than the others, dominated past elections they can no longer do so. It levels out the political playing field financially.

What has also changed is the election cycle. State law now requires all elections to be held in November, with the exception of Primary elections, which are historically held in June. This has been a great cost saver to cities who ran their elections outside of the county election cycles. Now cities who paid for elections in odd months can now streamline their costs.

In Corona there are 3 districts up for election: District 1, 4, and 5. In District 1, Jacqueline Casillas, Shawn Kelly and Joseph Edward Morgan square off. In District, 4, Fauzia Rizvi, Doug Husen, and Gerald E. Myers Jr. and James Steiner will compete. In District 5, Rory Connell, David B. Husted, Jeremy Mercer, and Wes Speake will round out the competition. The elections are set for this November. In unprecedented fashion all 3 districts have a pastor running for the seat, Shawn Kelly, Doug Husen and Jeremy Mercer respectively.

As a result of the passing of Measure N on the November 2016 ballot, the City of Corona changed from an “at-large” system for electing City Council Members to a “by-district” system. With the help of consultant Doug Johnson, President of the National Demographics Corporation, Corona has drawn the proposed council district boundary lines, making sure that each district has close to the same population and otherwise complies with federal and state law (e.g. no racial gerrymandering). Overall, the City held five community forums and several public meetings with the City Council to gather community input, including three public hearings in June and July.  Ultimately, on July 6, 2016 the City Council voted to adopt the proposed map and to place Measure N on the November ballot. The City Clerk serves as the election officer and is responsible for issuance and acceptance of nomination papers, city measures and the publication of necessary legal notices. In addition, all campaign and conflict of interest filings required by the Fair Political Practices Commission are centralized in the City Clerk’s Office. Council Members receive $800 per month as compensation for their service.

Qualifications for Candidacy are as follows; individual must be a registered voter and a resident of the City of Corona. Nomination petitions must contain the signatures of at least twenty (20) registered voters from the jurisdiction and must be filed with the City Clerk’s Office no later than the close of the nomination period.Be registered voters at their current residence in the City of Corona

Residing in the district in which they are running

A citizen of the United States

18 years of age or older

Not disqualified from holding office by the Constitution or laws of the State of California.

Voter registration forms are available at all public libraries, post offices and City Hall. To receive a registration form by mail, please call the Riverside County Registrar of Voters office at (951) 486-7200 or the City Clerk’s office at (951) 736-2201. Completed registration forms can be hand-delivered to the Registrar’s office located at 2724 Gateway Drive, Riverside, CA 92507 or Corona City Hall located at 400 S Vicentia Ave, Corona, CA 92882 or dropped off in any U.S. mailbox. No postage is necessary. For additional voter registration information visit www.voteinfo.net.