Salinas Municipal Code Art. 2 Elective Officers—eligibility for Office, Term of Office, Redistricting

All powers of the City, except as otherwise provided by this Charter, shall be vested in a Council of seven elective members, consisting of a Mayor, who shall be elected at-large, and six Councilmembers, who shall be elected by District from six contiguous districts.

No person shall be eligible to hold the office of Mayor or Councilmember unless on the date of the filing of nomination papers, the individual is a qualified elector of the City of Salinas, and, with respect to a Councilmember, has been a resident of the district for which s/he is running, for at least twenty-eight days preceding the opening date for the filing of nomination papers, or the appointment to fill a vacancy therein, and shall forfeit office upon ceasing to reside therein.

Designation for the office as Mayor or Councilmember for a district, as the case may be, shall be used on all nomination papers, certificates of election, and all election papers referring to the office. Candidates may not run simultaneously for the office of both Councilmember and Mayor.

Following each decennial federal census, and using the census as the basis, the City Council shall adjust the boundaries of any or all of the districts of the City so that each district shall be as nearly equal in population as may be according to the latest federal decennial census, except to the extent otherwise mandated by applicable federal or state law.

(a) Council members shall serve four-year staggered terms. The terms of Councilmembers elected from Districts 1, 4 and 6 shall expire in 2016 when their successors are elected and qualified at the general municipal election. The terms of Councilmembers elected from Districts 2, 3 and 5 shall expire in 2018 when their successors are elected and qualified at the general municipal election.

(b) The term of office of a Councilmember who files as a candidate for the Office of Mayor shall automatically expire on the Tuesday next succeeding the general municipal election held following that filing. The filing period for candidates to fill such Councilmember's term shall be extended an additional five days.

The Mayor shall be elected for a two-year term at each general municipal election.

(a) Vacancies in the Council from the district vacated shall be filled by majority choice of the remaining Councilmembers. The appointee shall hold office for the remainder of the unexpired Council term, or until the next regular municipal election, when a Councilmember shall be elected from the vacant district to serve during the remainder of such term. If the Council fails to fill the vacancy within sixty (60) days, it shall immediately cause an election to be held to fill the vacancy.

(b) In the case of a vacancy in the office of Mayor for any reason, the council shall fill the vacancy by appointment. If the Council fails to fill it within sixty (60) days, it shall immediately cause an election to be held to fill the vacancy. A person appointed or elected to fill a vacancy shall hold office for the unexpired term of the former incumbent.