How to resolve AdBlock issue? The key election-related developments revealed this week are that District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele won’t run for another term and Patrick Iaccino, the retired Upper Lake Unified School District superintendent, is challenging incumbent Brock Falkenberg for the Lake County superintendent of schools seat.
The deadline for all races in which an incumbent is seeking reelection was 5 p.m. on Friday, according to the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office.
As of that deadline, Assessor-Recorder Richard Ford, County Clerk-Auditor Cathy Saderlund, Sheriff-Coroner Brian Martin and Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen all had filed for reelection and were unopposed, according to Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez.
Also unopposed in seeking new terms are Lake County Superior Court Judge Andrew Blum and Judge Michael Lunas, Valadez said. Because they are unopposed, their names will not appear on the ballot and they will be considered reelected in November; that procedure is unique to judicial races.
In the race to succeed Judge Stephen Hedstrom, who is not seeking reelection, the deadline for filings also was 5 p.m. Friday, Valadez said.
Valadez said the three candidates in that race are District Attorney Don Anderson, Deputy County Counsel Shanda Harry and attorney Andre Ross.
In the race for Lake County superintendent of schools, Falkenberg, now in his first term, is seeking reelection, which he formally announced this week. Valadez confirmed all of his paperwork was filed by the Friday deadline.
But Falkenberg won’t run unopposed. Iaccino, who retired in June as the superintendent for the Upper Lake Unified School District, has joined the race, which he confirmed to Lake County News this week. Valadez said Iaccino’s name also is confirmed on the June ballot.
While those races are now closed, the filings for district attorney, and supervisorial districts 2 and 3 remain open until 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, because the incumbents haven’t filed to run for reelection, the Registrar of Voters Office reported.
In the district attorney’s race, attorney Steven Brown and Senior Deputy District Attorney Susan Krones have filed their papers and are confirmed candidates, Valadez said.
In the District 2 supervisorial race, Supervisor Jeff Smith has long made known his intention to not run for another term.
Clearlake Mayor Bruno Sabatier is seeking to succeed Smith and has filed all of the necessary paperwork to appear on the ballot, Valadez said.
As of Friday, Valadez said another Clearlake City Council member, Joyce Overton, had pulled nomination papers but still has to finalize the rest of her paperwork.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the week was that, according to Valadez, District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele – who had earlier pulled initial paperwork to seek reelection – did not finish the process of filing to seek a second term by the Friday deadline.
“I will confirm I did not file by 5 p.m.,” Steele told Lake County News on Friday evening.
“I waited to the last minute to think about it,” he said.
He said he would issue an upcoming statement explaining his reasons for not seeking reelection.
The race for the District 3 seat now includes Eddie J. Crandell Sr., the Robinson Rancheria tribal chair, and Denise Loustalot, a businesswoman who previously served as the city of Clearlake’s mayor.
Both Crandell and Loustalot were appointed by Steele to fill local governing roles – Crandell as the District 3 representative on the Lake County Planning Commission and Loustalot as chair of the East Region Town Hall.
“It’s going to be interesting,” Steele said of the race to succeed him.
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