By Jennifer Sawhney

Update 8/7/26 at 5:58 p.m. The story lists all the candidates, according to the latest available information.

The Petaluma City Council race is heating up, with incumbents in all four seats being contested by challengers.

Mayor Kevin McDonnell is being challenged by Shelina Moreda and John Hanania as of the Friday, Aug. 7, filing deadline, according to City Clerk Caitlin Corley. Moreda is a professional motorcycle racer and dairy farmer who had an unsuccessful bid in the June primary for the Sonoma County Board of Supervisor’s seat. Hanania is a small business owner who last ran for city council in 2022.

The city council has a total of four positions up for the Nov. 3 election – mayor, District 1, District 2, and District 3.

Who has filed

Petaluma City Council

• Mayor – Kevin McDonnell (incumbent), John Hanania, Shelina Moreda
• Dist. 1 – Janice Cader Thompson (incumbent), Alan LaPierre, Nate Martin
• Dist. 2 – John Shribbs (incumbent), Brent Newell
• Dist. 3 – Karen Nau (incumbent), Eric Vazquez

Healthy Petaluma and School Board elections draw new candidates

Healthy Petaluma, a public agency that oversees the southern county’s “equitable access to health and wellness services,” has two open seats in its district.

Nine school districts in the area also have open seats in this election. Petaluma City Schools, the city’s largest school district serving about 7,000 students, has three open seats for Areas 2, 3, and 5.

The pool of candidates for Healthy Petaluma and several school districts has expanded, although a few positions remain unfilled. The deadline for new candidates to file paperwork is extended to Aug. 12 in races where an incumbent hasn’t filed, according to the Registrar of Voters.

Here are the candidates to date:

Healthy Petaluma, two seats

• Zone 1 – Nurit Licht
• Zone 3 – Keith Schildt

Petaluma City Schools Board of Education, three seats

• Area 2 – Brianne Balzarini
• Area 3 – Laura Holmes, John Garcia
• Area 5 – Sarah Seitchik Sebastian

Cinnabar, three seats

• Patricia Murch (incumbent)
• Richard C. O’Hare (incumbent)
• Open

Dunham, three seats

• Joe Petersen (incumbent)
• Ernesto Raffo (incumbent)
• Open

Laguna Joint School District

• Three open seats

Liberty School District, three full-term seats and one short-term seat

• Full term: Jamie Fowler (incumbent)
• Full term: Ronald K. Evenich (incumbent)
• Full term: Bret Herman (incumbent)
• Short term: Bob Koenitzer (appointed incumbent)

Old Adobe Union School District, three seats

• Anna Dietrich (incumbent)
• Scott William McKenna (incumbent)
• Stephanie Germyn

Two Rock Union School District, three seats

• Laura B. Gutierrez
• John C. Martin
• Mauricio Gutierrez
• Nicholes Noyes (incumbent)

Waugh School District, two seats

• Denise Bugbee (incumbent)
• Dylan Lloyd (initially filed for Area 5 of Petaluma City Schools, but told Petaluma Voice he will enter this race instead)
• Christine D. Pieper (incumbent)

Wilmar Union School District, two full-term seats and two short-term seats

• Two open seats, full term
• Short term: Lyn Romstad
• Short term: Andrea Christensen

Update 8/6/26 at 3:11 p.m. The story includes the names of two new candidates in the Petaluma City Council race and reflects one candidate's withdrawal.

As of Wednesday morning, Aug. 5, eleven potential candidates have pulled papers or filed for four openings on the Petaluma City Council. Three candidates have filed for the Petaluma City Schools Board of Education (though one says he now plans to run for another district), and there are several openings at other school districts. No candidates had submitted paperwork to run for two openings on the Healthy Petaluma District’s board of directors. 

In Petaluma, candidates interested in serving on the Petaluma City Council, the school boards, or the health district have until Aug. 7 to file their paperwork to qualify for the Nov. 3 election.

Here are the open positions and who has filed, according to the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters and the City of Petaluma.

Open positions looking for candidates

Petaluma City Council

• Mayor, Dist. 1, 2, 3

Petaluma City Schools Board of Education

• Area 2, 3, 5

Healthy Petaluma

• Zone 1, Zone 3

Cinnabar School District

• Three seats

Dunham Elementary School District

• Three seats

Liberty School District

• Three full-term seats
• One short-term position

Old Adobe Union School District

• Three openings

Two Rock Union School District

• Three openings

Waugh School District

• Two openings

Wilmar Union School District

• Two short-term openings
• Two full-term openings

Who has filed

Petaluma City Council

Out of the several potential candidates who were issued papers by the city clerk, so far six (designated with an asterisk) have returned their packet, according to the city’s election website.

Those who have filed their completed paperwork to the city clerk will officially be on the ballot, said City Clerk Caitlin Corley. As she receives new information, she tries to update the website daily, she told Petaluma Voice.

These are the candidates who the city clerk issued papers to:

• Mayor – Kevin McDonnell* (incumbent), John Hanania
• Dist. 1 – Janice Cader Thompson* (incumbent), Alan LaPierre, Nate Martin
• Dist. 2 – John Shribbs* (incumbent), Brent Newell*, Elece Hempel (She withdrew Thursday; Transparency note: Hempel is the board chair of Petaluma Voice. She also serves on Healthy Petaluma’s board. As a nonprofit, Petaluma Voice cannot legally endorse a candidate)
• Dist. 3 – Eric Vazquez*, Karen Nau* (incumbent)

There are no costs associated with filing for council, but candidates have an option to pay to submit a Candidate Statement of Qualifications to be published in the election booklet that’s sent to voters. Estimated costs cover printing costs. For council member candidates it ranges from $567 to $578, and for the mayoral candidate it’s approximately $1,001.

Healthy Petaluma

• Zone 1 – open
• Zone 3 – open

Petaluma City Schools Board of Education

• Area 2 – Brianne Balzarini*
• Area 3 – Laura Holmes*
• Area 5 – open

Cinnabar

• Patricia Murch (incumbent)*
• Two open seats

Dunham

• Three open seats

Laguna Joint School District

• Three open seats

Liberty School District

• Full term: Jamie Fowler*
• Short term: Bob Koenitzer*
• Two open seats, full term

Old Adobe Union School District

• Three open seats

Two Rock Union School District

• Laura B. Gutierrez*
• Two open seats

Waugh School District

• Denise Bugbee (incumbent)*
• Dylan Lloyd (initially filed for Area 5 of Petaluma City Schools, but told Petaluma Voice he will enter this race instead)

Wilmar Union School District

• Two open seats, full term
• Two open seats, short term

Healthy Petaluma to make appointments if no candidates file

If there are too few candidates to fill the open Healthy Petaluma seats, then the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has the power to appoint people who have submitted declarations of candidacy to unfilled seats, according to the Election’s Code. 

Usually, the special district board will give recommendations and the Board of Supervisors will follow that recommendation, however it does not have to take the special district board’s recommendation, said T.J. Knezek, administrative aide in the Registrar of Voters Department. 

For the school boards, if an incumbent doesn’t file by Aug. 7 for an open seat, then the filing period will be extended two extra days until Aug. 12. The extended filing period is only open to new candidates, not incumbents.

Election campaign signs can be posted starting Aug. 6 (signs are prohibited until the final 90 days before the election) and must be removed by Nov. 18 (15 days after the election).