Supervisors appoint special district, planning group candidates to uncontested seats

If the number of candidates for a special district or community planning group board does not exceed the number of positions to be filled in an election state law allows the county Board of Supervisors to appoint the candidates who filed for those seats in lieu of holding an election. On Oct. 27 the San Diego County Board of Supervisors formally appointed those candidates to new terms.

The supervisors' 5-0 vote also appointed candidates to new terms if an insufficient number of candidates filed for the number of seats available and directed the clerk of the Board of Supervisors to post vacancy listings for those unfilled seats and to notify the special districts and community planning groups of those vacancies.

Two of the uncontested seats are for the Fallbrook Regional Health District board. Stephanie Ortiz was appointed to the Division 2 seat and Barbara Mroz, who is already on the board, was appointed as the Division 4 board member.

None of the three Fallbrook Public Utility District seats up for election in 2020 were contested. Appointed incumbent Dave Baxter was appointed to a new four-year term for Division 1, incumbent Jennifer DeMeo was appointed for a new Division 3 term, and incumbent Don McDougal was formally given another term as the Division 4 director.

Two Mootamai Municipal Water District incumbents were appointed by the Board of Supervisors to fill the uncontested seats for the new terms. Norma Larios will return as the Division 1 director and Julia Schell was given four more years as the Division 4 representative.

Two new members will join the North County Fire Protection District board. Jeff Egkan was appointed to the Division 4 seat and Cindy Acosta will be the Division 5 board member.

Hayden Hamilton is the Division 2 incumbent on the Rainbow Municipal Water District board, and he was appointed for a new four-year term.

The Division 2 seat for the Yuima Municipal Water District will be filled by incumbent Roland Simpson, who was the only candidate to file.

If there is a vacancy for a board seat of an independent (voter-elected) special district the board may fill that seat. The board has the option of calling for a special election to fill the seat. In the event no candidate has the support of a majority of the board the Board of Supervisors will make the appointment.

Three seats on the Morro Hills Community Services District board were subject to election, but only Thomas Harrington and Bill Weber filed. The Board of Supervisors appointed those two to fill the seats while the third seat will remain open until the vacancy is noticed and a qualified applicant is selected to fill that seat.

The Pauma Valley Community Services District was to have elected three board members, but only Jim Cipriano filed. Cipriano was appointed as part of the Oct. 27 Board of Supervisors action while the vacancy for the other two seats will be noticed.

Six water district seats in Pala and Pauma Valley are currently unfilled. None of the three Pauma Valley Municipal Water District seats had applicants, so the vacancies for the Division 1, Division 2, and Division 4 seats will be advertised. The San Luis Rey Municipal Water District had two seats up for election this year, but no candidate filed either for the Division 2 seat or the Division 4 position. The Mootamai Municipal Water District had no Division 5 candidate.

Two seats on the board of the Rincon Ranch Community Services District in Pauma Valley were up for election this year. Craig Childs filed and was given a four-year term while the vacancy for the other seat will be noticed.

Vacancies for an advisory group are automatically filled by the Board of Supervisors, although the advisory group can make a recommendation. Six of the Rainbow Community Planning Group seats were up for reelection this year, but only three candidates filed. The county supervisors appointed William Crocker, Mark Divecchio and Paul Georgantas to three of those seats. The other three seats will be filled after Rainbow residents respond to the advertisement to fill the vacancy.

The supervisors' action did not cover uncontested school district board seats.