Filing opens July 13 for two El Cerrito City Council seats

The nomination period to fill two four-year El Cerrito City Council seats opens July 13. The election will be Nov. 3.

The terms of Carolyn Wysinger and Gabe Quinto are expiring. El Cerrito does not have term limits.

Although the city is in the process of transitioning to electing each council member from a specific area of the city, that change will not be in place in time for this election. Both seats will be elected at large.

Candidates must be residents of the city and registered voters and cannot be employees of the city. There is no filing fee, but there is a fee if the candidate wishes to submit a candidate statement to appear in the voter information guide.

The deadline for filing nomination documents is Aug. 7. If either incumbent does not file by that deadline, the nomination period will be extended to 4 pm Aug.12 for other candidates.

Candidates must follow strict election laws, and are encouraged to contact the city clerk prior to raising or spending money. The city clerk can be reached at 510-215-4305 or via email at cityclerk@elcerrito.gov.

According to ElCerrito’s Candidate Instructional Guide: Running for Elective Office (https://www.elcerrito.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23457/2026-Candidate-Guide), the City Council holds regular public meetings on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m., but council members should be available as early as 5 pm. For the summer months, the City Council typically votes to reduce their regular meeting schedule to the third Tuesday of the month only.

According to the guide, council members receive a salary of $650 a month.

Additional information is available from the city clerk at:

https://www.elcerrito.gov/744/El-Cerrito-Candidate-Information

Once the nomination process is final, all candidates will be invited to complete a questionnaire from El Cerrito Wire, which will be published in full.

Image from June 2 City Council packet