By Jim Bohar
The City Council election is scheduled for November 3, 2026 to elect one member from districts 1, 3 and 5 for four year terms to 2030. The nomination period for candidate registration is Monday, July 13, 2026 through Friday, August 7 at 5 p.m.. Note: Districts 2 and 4 have new 4 year terms that are in effect.
The Sonoma City Council has voted to change from our current at-large system to district voting, in which the City is divided into five districts. Each district has to identify and support council candidates who will ideally vie to best represent their district, as well as the City as a whole.
When a city shifts from at-large to district elections, the legal procedural change alone is not enough. This change is an opportunity for our community to organize together and choose the type of representation it wants on the City Council. Without that effort, the community risks Balkanization – fragmentation at the very moment it needs cohesion.
What can the city do? The city should focus its efforts on expanding awareness of this new system. It follows that a new municipal law allows a feasible and realistic means of compliance by the voters. Although preliminary steps have begun, meaningful improvements are still needed. That includes the need to publish legible district maps. The current maps on the City websites are not legible for street addresses or boundaries. Quality district maps are essential for residents and community organizers. It is my understanding, from the Sonoma County Election Office, that suitable maps may be available from the district demographers hired to create the City district maps.
Every resident needs to ask, “ What district am I in?” The current process on the City website election section is cumbersome and may discourage use. Furthermore, it tells only one district member at a time. Could the City mail a notification-awareness postcard to all district households, providing their district, the election schedule and the nomination window?
Each district’s voters and organizers need access to an accurate and complete list of all residents’/voters’ contact information. This is vital to the district organization and communication. One source is the district voter roll, available from the county election office 🙁[email protected] ) on an individual basis.
The City Clerk manages the election administration and is a valuable resource, both to each district and to candidates. Public meeting spaces would be useful for meetings that are unsuitable or impractical for private residences.
Available on the City website are sign rules, a campaign guide, council responsibilities, legal powers, Brown Act information, information on the Fair Political Practice Commission(FPPPC). And a variety of important reading material for Council members.
How might the community respond to this change? Each district community could organize at the neighborhood level to clarify its needs and collectively push for high-quality representation. District residents could form volunteer/district organizing groups. The could also create district-wide communication networks, opt- in connections through email, social media ,etc Each district could create a preliminary kickstart event to gather a core group of district neighbors to expand.
District residents could identify members’ priorities and concerns, for both their district and for the city. Issues of concern are endless; a potential list could include traffic, parking, a shuttle around town and to the Springs; the need for remote parking lots; safety, recreation, zoning integrity; business interests; alternative city revenue sources in light of wine industry retrenching; the idea of creating a new position of Economic Development Director to attract added quality and synergistic retailers; new fresh visitor concepts like culinary schools, cycling tour groups and cycling races (a gran-fondo?.) Groups could explore ways to promote local farm visits and food related activities. A key and urgent issue remains affordable housing and local control vs. Sacramento. Wildfire protection and evacuation plans remain critically important. And then there is the all-important General Plan revision with the need for adequate citizen study. These and many more issues may stimulate interest and discussion in the new election process..
To identify potential candidates, district members could form small search committees, reaching out to all district members via email, personally inviting potential members to consider running. People like to be asked. There will be a need to encourage candidates, but not to endorse them until after registration. Multiple candidates should be encouraged, not just one.The goal is to have two or three qualified candidates running in each district.
After a career in real estate development and urban planning in the East Bay, Jim Bohar has lived in the City of Sonoma since 2006. He served as a City Planning Commissioner for five years.
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