Ballots firm up for three Rancho Santa Fe races
By Joe Tash
Now that the filing period has officially closed, the ballots for three special districts based in Rancho Santa Fe are complete for the Nov. 4 general election.
Filing deadlines for some of the races were extended until Wednesday, Aug. 13, because incumbents did not file to run for those seats.
With the deadline passed, the ballots for the Santa Fe Irrigation District, the Rancho Santa Fe Fire District and the Rancho Santa Fe Community Services District have been set, said County Registrar of Voters Michael Vu.
The Santa Fe Irrigation District provides drinking water to customers in Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach and Fairbanks Ranch.
Three seats are up for election this year: Divisions 3, 4 and 5. Incumbent director John Ingalls will face challenger Marlene King in Division 3, according to the registrar’s office. Board president Michael Hogan will get a new four-year term in the Division 4 seat, as no one filed to run against him.
In the Division 5 contest, incumbent board member Andy Menshek did not file to run for a new term, and therefore, the sole candidate to file for the seat, Augustus Daddi, will be awarded a four-year term. No election will be held for either the Division 4 or 5 seats.
Daddi, a former member of the irrigation district board, was defeated by Menshek in the 2010 election.
Two incumbents and one challenger will vie for two seats on the Rancho Santa Fe Fire District board. The district provides fire protection for a 38-square-mile area, including the communities of Rancho Santa Fe, Fairbanks Ranch, Del Dios and 4S Ranch.
The candidates include incumbents Tucker Stine and John Tanner and challenger Scott Union.
Four candidates, including three incumbents, will face off for three seats on the Rancho Santa Fe Community Services District board. The district provides sewage treatment as well as roadside landscape maintenance services in Rancho Santa Fe.
Incumbents Bill Hinchy (appointed), Dale Nelson and John Tanner will share the ballot with challenger Laurel Lemarie.
Throughout San Diego County, more than 600 candidates are running for seats on special district boards and city councils, said Vu, the county registrar.
Sample ballots will be sent out to registered voters in San Diego County beginning Sept. 25, and mail ballots will be sent out starting Oct. 6, Vu said. More than half of the registered voters in the county have elected to receive mail ballots, according to Vu. Those ballots must be received by the registrar’s office, either by mail or dropped off in person at the office or a polling place, by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Officials are still determining how many poll workers will be needed for the upcoming election. Those interested in serving as poll workers can contact the registrar’s office at 858-565-5800.