Nomination period is Feb. 9 to March 6
By Charles M. Kelly
Election season is here.
The Avalon City Council on Jan. 20 formally called the 2026 election. The city election will be held Tuesday, June 2. The mayor and two council seats will be in play. The mayor will serve a two-year term and the council members will serve a four-year term.
The nomination period is from Feb. 9 to March 6.
The maximum cost of the election would be a minimum $17,000, according to the staff report by City Clerk Gabrielle Morones. The 2025-26 budget includes $20,000 for the election, according to the report.
Technically, the council approved three resolutions: One to officially declare the election, one to ask the LA County Board of Supervisors to provide election services, and a third setting up regulations for candidate statements.
During the Councilmember Reports, Councilmember Mary Schickling said she would not run again due to family issues.
“If you’ve ever thought about it, do it,” she said, referring to running for City Council.
“It’s fulfilling, it’s challenging,” she said.
She said she was proud of the work the council had done on vacation rentals.
Councilmembers Lisa Lavelle and Yesenia De La Rosa were re-elected in 2024.
The council members agreed to limit candidate statements to 200 words.
The council members also agreed that candidates would be charged for both printing a candidate’s statement and the translation. Financial help is available through the county.
Councilmember Lisa Lavelle asked about charging candidates for the time City Clerk Gabrielle Morones spends with them on their paperwork.
The council members reached a consensus to discuss that for future review.
What happens if
there is a tie?
In a separate agenda item, the council voted on what to do in the event of a tie.
“That never happens,” said Councilmember Michael Ponce. He was joking—he won the tie-breaker four years ago.
Ponce said he had no problem with drawing lots. He did not want the city to pay the cost of a second election.
In 2022, Michael Ponce and Oley Olsen tied for a seat on the Avalon council. Then-Deputy City Clerk Morones pulled the winner’s name out of a hat held by the commander of the Avalon Sheriff’s Station.
In 2022, other methods considered for breaking the tie included drawing straws, drawing cards, and flipping a coin.
This week, the council members preferred to apply drawing names to the 2026 election only.
“If the City Council decides to conduct a Special Runoff election, it. Must decide whether this decision applies only to this election or to future elections until the City Council decides otherwise,” Morones wrote in her staff report.
According to the Jan. 20, 2026, staff report, a runoff election could not be consolidated with LA County and would cost more than a regular election.
The report said the city had not received a cost estimate from the county, but based on past elections staff expected the cost to be more than $30,000.
Election season is here.
The Avalon City Council on Jan. 20 formally called the 2026 election. The city election will be held Tuesday, June 2. The mayor and two council seats will be in play. The mayor will serve a two-year term and the council members will serve a four-year term.
The nomination period is from Feb. 9 to March 6.
The maximum cost of the election would be a minimum $17,000, according to the staff report by City Clerk Gabrielle Morones. The 2025-26 budget includes $20,000 for the election, according to the report.
Technically, the council approved three resolutions: One to officially declare the election, one to ask the LA County Board of Supervisors to provide election services, and a third setting up regulations for candidate statements.
During the Councilmember Reports, Councilmember Mary Schickling said she would not run again due to family issues.
“If you’ve ever thought about it, do it,” she said, referring to running for City Council.
“It’s fulfilling, it’s challenging,” she said.
She said she was proud of the work the council had done on vacation rentals.
Councilmembers Lisa Lavelle and Yesenia De La Rosa were re-elected in 2024.
The council members agreed to limit candidate statements to 200 words.
The council members also agreed that candidates would be charged for both printing a candidate’s statement and the translation. Financial help is available through the county.
Councilmember Lisa Lavelle asked about charging candidates for the time City Clerk Gabrielle Morones spends with them on their paperwork.
The council members reached a consensus to discuss that for future review.
What happens if
there is a tie?
In a separate agenda item, the council voted on what to do in the event of a tie.
“That never happens,” said Councilmember Michael Ponce. He was joking—he won the tie-breaker four years ago.
Ponce said he had no problem with drawing lots. He did not want the city to pay the cost of a second election.
In 2022, Michael Ponce and Oley Olsen tied for a seat on the Avalon council. Then-Deputy City Clerk Morones pulled the winner’s name out of a hat held by the commander of the Avalon Sheriff’s Station.
In 2022, other methods considered for breaking the tie included drawing straws, drawing cards, and flipping a coin.
This week, the council members preferred to apply drawing names to the 2026 election only.
“If the City Council decides to conduct a Special Runoff election, it. Must decide whether this decision applies only to this election or to future elections until the City Council decides otherwise,” Morones wrote in her staff report.
According to the Jan. 20, 2026, staff report, a runoff election could not be consolidated with LA County and would cost more than a regular election.
The report said the city had not received a cost estimate from the county, but based on past elections staff expected the cost to be more than $30,000.
