By Jennifer Sawhney

Petaluma mayoral candidate Shelina Moreda will remain on the ballot for the November election despite questions over her residency after a move to within city limits.

Moreda came in third in the June primary for Sonoma County supervisor, when her residency was a ranch outside city limits. Candidates for Petaluma mayor, however, must live within the city.

“Mayoral candidate Shelina Moreda has provided sufficient information to establish that her residency meets the City’s code requirements,” City Clerk Caitlin Corley – who is the city’s main elections official – wrote in an email Thursday afternoon to the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters. 

“Accordingly, the City is not alleging that Ms. Moreda is ineligible to appear on the ballot nor otherwise requesting that her candidacy be withdrawn,” the email continues. “Thank you for your assistance with this matter. Please let us know if you have questions.”

The Thursday deadline was put in place so that the Registrar of Voter’s office could proceed with election preparations, said Wendy Hudson, chief deputy registrar.

Late Thursday night, the city clerk forwarded copies of the redacted documents and images that Moreda provided to prove her new residence. Under state code, that would be what is known as her domicile, or a primary place of residence and where a person intends to remain living.

In the documents provided are a lease agreement, a letter from the landlord, a check for an Aug. 1 rent payment, and an image of a July 1 receipt with cash next to it. The handwriting appears to be the same on all of the documents.

Moreda is one of three candidates for mayor, an at-large seat, alongside John Hanania and incumbent Kevin McDonnell. She pulled paperwork to run for the mayoral seat on Aug. 6, the day before the filing deadline. 

In the days that followed, Ryan Williams of Service Employees International Union (and a Petaluma City Schools board member) and Maddy Hirshfield of the North Bay Labor Council sent correspondence to the city raising their concerns.

They suggested that Moreda may not meet the residency requirements based on discrepancies between her addresses listed on two public documents: one, a required campaign filing statement called Form 460, and the other, her declaration of candidacy, according to an Aug. 15 letter to Moreda from City Attorney Eric Danly.

Moreda, a farmer, businesswoman, and professional motorcycle racer, had until noon on Thursday, Aug. 20, to submit information to the city clerk’s office showing proof that she lived within Petaluma city limits by at least July 7, 30 days before filing for office as required by the the city’s municipal code, according to emails from the clerk’s office to Moreda.

If she didn’t submit that information, it was possible “for [her] candidacy to be withdrawn due to ineligibility,” and to avoid litigation expenses, Danly wrote.

Reached by text message on Thursday just before 12:30 p.m., Moreda wrote to Petaluma Voice: “I have provided the city the documentation requested proving that I qualify to run for the position of Mayor of Petaluma. From the start, I have been fully transparent and I offered to provide the city clerk this information the day that I filed papers, but she assured me that it was unnecessary because I was qualified.”

When candidates file a declaration of candidacy, they sign and agree that they “meet the statutory and constitutional requirements for this office (including, but not limited to, citizenship and residency),” according to redacted declarations from each city council candidate provided to Petaluma Voice by the city clerk’s office.

The costs for misrepresenting eligibility in an election are high. According to Danly’s initial email to Moreda, "Defendants found to be unlawfully holding office may be excluded from office, required to pay the costs of the action, and fined up to $5,000.”

Reached by phone Friday morning, Williams shared his reaction to Moreda remaining on the ballot. “We have specific laws to ensure election integrity,” he said. “I believe there was and still continues to be questions around Ms. Moreda’s residency and mandatory candidate qualifications. It's better to review the situation before the election takes place rather than after.”

Moreda did not respond to multiple follow-up requests for comment.

This is a breaking story that will updated with additional information.

Update 8/21/26 at 10:53 a.m.: a quote from Ryan Williams was added.

Update 8/21/26 at 11:37 a.m.: information about documents provided to the city clerk and an image of a receipt for a July 1 rent payment were added.

Jennifer Sawhney is a reporter and co-founder of Petaluma Voice. She can be reached at jsawhney@petalumavoice.org.