DATE: October 20, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: James A. Kus, County Clerk/Registrar of Voters
SUBJECT: Appointments in Lieu of Elections for Special Districts
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Accept Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters Certificate of Facts regarding declarations of candidacy for positions to be elected at the November 3, 2026 Consolidated Statewide General Election; and
2. Appoint, in lieu of holding an election, special district candidates listed in Attachment A who filed declarations of candidacy and are all unopposed.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. As required by California Elections Code Section 10515, approval of the recommended actions will accept the Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters Certificate of Facts and appoint persons who have filed declarations of candidacy to Special District Board positions (Attachment A) and are unopposed. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There are no viable alternative actions. California Elections Code Section 10515 requires your Board to either make Special District Board appointments in lieu of election or to utilize the County’s established appointment process, as performed by the Clerk of the Board, in Special Districts where no candidates filed a declaration of candidacy.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions, as the appointments will be made in lieu of conducting an election and will not result in additional costs to the County.
DISCUSSION:
California Elections Code Section 10515 establishes the process for filling special district offices when the number of candidates who have filed declarations of candidacy does not exceed the number of offices to be filled. Under these circumstances, and provided that no qualifying petition requesting an election has been submitted, the Board of Supervisors appoints the candidates who filed declarations of candidacy rather than holding an election for those offices.
For the November 3, 2026 Consolidated Statewide General Election, the number of candidates who filed declarations of candidacy for the special district offices identified in Attachment A did not exceed the number of available offices. Additionally, the Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters did not receive a petition requesting that an election be held for any of those offices. As a result, the offices identified in Attachment A will not appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
Approval of the first recommended action will accept the Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters Certificate of Facts required pursuant to California Elections Code Section 10515(a), which certifies the circumstances requiring appointments to be made in lieu of an election.
Approval of the second recommended action will appoint the candidates identified in Attachment A who filed declarations of candidacy and are unopposed to the respective special district offices.
Attachment B identifies special district offices for which no candidate filed a declaration of candidacy. The Clerk of the Board will follow the County’s established application process for those vacancies in anticipation of future appointments by the Board.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters Certificate of Facts
Attachment A
Attachment B
CAO ANALYST:
Amy Ryals