Hermosa Beach City Council Votes To Hold A Special Election On May 11

Press release from the City of Hermosa Beach:

January 13, 2021

HERMOSA BEACH, CA – The Hermosa Beach City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to hold a special election on May 11 with all votes cast by mail to fill the Council seat vacated by former Councilmember Hany Fangary. The new councilmember will be elected to serve out the remainder of Fangary’s term, which ends November 8, 2022.

“Voters will choose the new councilmember,” said Mayor Justin Massey. “The May 11 election provides several months to evaluate candidates, cast an informed vote and restore a full Council. We will soon post details about the election and how to become a candidate on the City’s website. I wish all candidates good luck.”

State election code allows for small cities, like Hermosa Beach, with a population of 100,000 or less, to conduct an all-mail ballot election to fill a Council vacancy, provided the election is not held on the same date as other Hermosa Beach, California or national elections.

In 2016, the last time Hermosa Beach elected a councilmember to fill a vacant Council seat, the City held an all-mail ballot election. Since then, councilmembers noted that voters have become more accustomed to voting by mail because of the state’s focus on mail-in ballot during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2016 all-mail City Council election cost the City $47,000, and City Clerk Eddie Sarmiento provided that as the estimated cost of the election approved Tuesday night.

The Council chose the all-mail balloting over the two other options to fill the vacant seat – appointing a replacement or waiting until the November 2021 election to elect a replacement. The cost of including the Councilmember election on the November ballot was estimated to be about $100,000.

This press release was produced by the City of Hermosa Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.