Santa Clarita Council Election Filing Period Enters Final Week
The filing period for three Santa Clarita City Council seats enters its final week, with nomination materials due by 5 p.m. Friday, August 7, 2026.
The seats in Districts 2, 4 and 5 will be contested in Santa Clarita’s General Municipal Election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Each district will elect one councilmember to a four-year term.
Where candidates file
Prospective candidates must work through the City Clerk’s Office at Santa Clarita City Hall, Suite 120, 23920 Valencia Blvd. Appointments are required to obtain and return nomination materials. Election office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
The City Clerk is Santa Clarita’s local elections official. The office issues nomination papers, assists candidates with their legal responsibilities, verifies nomination signatures and manages the city’s local election process. The City Clerk’s Office can be reached at 661-255-4391.
Required nomination materials
A person seeking a council seat must be a registered voter in the open district when the nomination paper is issued. The nomination paper must contain at least 20 and no more than 30 signatures from registered voters who live in the same district.
The City Clerk verifies the signatures. At least 20 must be valid for the nomination to qualify. Signatures from unregistered voters or registered voters outside the candidate’s district do not count toward that minimum. The City recommends filing early enough to address potential signature problems before the deadline.
Candidates must also file a Statement of Economic Interests disclosing investments and interests in real property when the nomination paper is returned for filing.
Santa Clarita does not charge a filing fee for nomination documents. Submitting paperwork does not by itself mean a candidate has qualified for the ballot; the City must complete its review and verification process.
Optional candidate statements cost extra
Candidates may separately pay to include an optional statement in the official sample ballot mailed by Los Angeles County. The statement may include the candidate’s name, age, occupation and a description of education and qualifications of no more than 200 words.
The City estimates the optional statement fees at $700 to $3,200, depending on the district, language, statement length and formatting selected. The City also lists an additional estimated fee of $279.60 for an English online-only candidate statement.
Those amounts are deposits for an optional candidate statement, not city filing fees. The final cost may be lower or higher. The difference is refunded if the actual cost is lower, while candidates are billed if the final cost exceeds the deposit.
Possible August 12 extension
The regular filing deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, August 7. Under the City’s stated rule, a contest may receive an extension until 5 p.m. Wednesday, August 12, if an eligible incumbent whose term expires in 2026 does not file by the regular deadline.
The extension would be available to other potential candidates in that contest, not to the incumbent who declined to file. It does not apply when there is no eligible incumbent. Whether an extension applies will depend on the filing status confirmed after the August 7 deadline.
When candidate information becomes public
A potential candidate’s name becomes public when the person submits nomination documents or files a Candidate Intention Statement, whichever occurs first. The City says the complete list of candidates and their nomination documents will be available at noon on Monday, August 10, the business day after the regular filing period closes.
If a district receives an extension, complete candidate information for that contest is expected by noon Thursday, August 13. Those publication dates are separate from the filing deadline and do not eliminate the City Clerk’s signature-verification and qualification process.
Residents can monitor the City Clerk’s official election information and use the City’s district lookup materials to confirm whether they live in District 2, District 4 or District 5. Candidate lists and filing status remain subject to the City’s official process.
Sources
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