Marin filing period opens for June 2 election

The filing period for the June 2 elections in Marin County has opened, prompting a number of potential candidates to take out papers.

The nomination period ends at 5 p.m. March 6, with an extension to March 11 for positions where an incumbent officeholder has not filed.

Many key posts will be in play in the elections, including legislative seats in Congress, the state Assembly and the state Senate; two seats on the Marin County Board of Supervisors; the county assessor-recorder-clerk; and the Marin County superintendent of schools.

The terms of five Marin County Superior Court judges — Kevin Murphy, Matthew Siroka, James Schurz, Mark Talamantes and Ahtossa Fullerton — are ending. However, candidates for the court were required to file a declaration of intent by Feb. 4, and since only the incumbents did so, none will face a challenger in the upcoming election.

For California’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes in Marin, incumbent Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat who lives in San Rafael, has taken out papers in Marin County. So have two potential challengers: Gregory Burgess, a Marin resident who is not affiliated with a political party, and Democrat Kevin Eisele of Novato.

Other candidates in the district include Paul Saulsbury, a Republican in Redding, and Rose Penelope Yee, a Democrat in Redding, according to the Sacramento Bee.

For the District 2 seat in the state Senate, only Tief Gibbs, secretary of the Marin County Republican Central Committee, has taken out papers so far, but Assemblymember Damon Connolly, a Democrat who lives in San Rafael, announced his candidacy last year.

For the District 12 seat in the state Assembly, Marin County Supervisor Eric Lucan, a Democrat who lives in Novato, and Republican Eryn Cervantes, a San Quentin prison officer, have taken out papers. Several other people have announced their candidacies: Holli Thier, a Tiburon Town Council member; Eli Beckman, a Corte Madera Town Council member; and Steve Schwartz, a Sebastopol resident.

Four candidates have taken out papers to fill the Board of Supervisors seat that Lucan is vacating in District 5. They are Curtis Aikens, a former television chef; Magali Limeta, president of the Novato Unified School District board; Chris Carpiniello, a housing contractor and past Novato City Council candidate; and Andy Podshadley, owner of Trek Winery in Novato.

Two candidates have taken out papers for the District 1 seat on the Board of Supervisors: incumbent Mary Sackett and Mark Galperin, a retired nuclear physicist who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the San Rafael City Council in November.

Shelly Scott, the county’s assessor-recorder-county clerk, has filed her nomination papers to seek re-election. No challengers have taken out papers for that position so far.

Marin County Superintendent of Schools John Carroll has not taken out papers yet, nor have any challengers.

On the Ross Valley Sanitary District board, the terms of incumbents Pamela Meigs, Thomas Gaffney and Michael Boorstein are expiring. So far, only Meigs has taken out papers.

On the Almonte Sanitary District board, the terms of Linda Rames and Casey Bertenthal end in July. No one has taken out papers so far.