Filing period begins for county-wide primary elections
Incumbents and other candidates wanting to run for elected offices in Riverside County can file their nominating papers beginning Monday.
Hopefuls will have until March 9 to submit their candidacy declarations and other required materials, as well as pay filing fees to the Office of the Registrar of Voters.
The deadline applies to the June 5 primary election, officials said.
At the local level, three supervisors’ seats are on the line. Supervisors Marion Ashley and John Tavaglione, representing the Fifth and Second Districts, respectively, are retiring this year, so the field is wide open. In the Fourth District, Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, who was appointed to the seat by Gov. Jerry Brown last year to fill the vacancy left by the death of Supervisor John Benoit, is seeking to be elected in his own right. Palm Desert Mayor Jan Harnik is running for the Supervisor seat.
Sheriff Stan Sniff is in his third re-election bid, with two career law enforcement officers challenging him. Former Hemet Police Chief Dave Brown and sheriff’s Lt. Chad Bianco formally declared their intentions last fall and are waging aggressive campaigns.
Bianco ran against Sniff in 2014, losing by a wide margin. Sniff was originally appointed by the Board of Supervisors when then-Sheriff Bob Doyle resigned in October 2007. The swing vote in favor of his appointment at that time — Tavaglione — is backing Brown in the upcoming election.
Several county judges are up for re-election, as are seven members of the state Assembly and all four congressional representatives whose districts include parts of Riverside County.
Information about filing requirements is available through the Registrar’s Office, which can be reached at (951) 486-7200.
Staff will be available over the next month to assist prospective candidates with paperwork.
According to the Registrar’s Office, if no incumbent files for re-election, the filing deadline for anyone else seeking that office will be extended to March 14.
