Candidates set for Merced City Council Nov. 3 election. Who’s running for local seats?
The city of Merced’s next generation of leaders is set to be decided Nov. 3, as the deadline to file for open seats on the City Council expired on Wednesday.
Merced City Council seats set to be decided are District 1 (South Parsons, East Childs Avenue), District 3 (central city and downtown) and District 5 (Fahrens Park, Loughborough, West Olive Avenue).
With incumbents Anthony Martinez (District 1) and Matthew Serratto (District 5) both running for mayor, and Jill McLeod (District 3) termed out, and all three districts will see new representation.
Joining Serratto and Martinez in the mayoral race is retired councilmember/planner Michael Belluomini and homeless advocate Monica Kay Villa.
Merced City Council is made up of six district representatives, plus the mayor.
The four candidates for District 1 seat include retired teacher Louis Smith, retired teacher Joel Knox, program manager and local activist Jesse Ornelas, according to the City Clerk’s Office.
Two candidates vying for District 3 seat: local NAACP chapter president Allen Brooks and Bertha Perez, a local business owner and labor organizer .
There are two candidates running in District 5: businesswoman Sarah Boyle and business manager Jeremy Martinez. Military member Anthony Anderson, UC Merced Police Chief Chou Her and business owner/student Jose Luis Nava, previously expressed interest but did not complete their final paperwork by Wednesday’s deadline.
Registering to vote
There is still time to register to vote for the Nov. 3 election. Registration must be postmarked or electronically submitted no later that Oct. 19. For more information, visit the California Secretary of State’s website.
You can also visit the Merced County Registrar of Voter’s Office inside the county administration office at 2222 M Street.
This story was originally published August 14, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
