There will be no long lines at the polls for the May 11 Hermosa Beach special city council election, as there were at the Hermosa Beach Kiwanis hall for the November 2020 general election Because of the pandemic, the May 11 balloting will be by mail, or at drop-off boxes. Photo by Kevin Cody

Candidates vying for the Hermosa Beach City Council seat vacated by Hany Fangary have been invited to participate in a Zoom forum at 7 p.m. on March 24.  The forum is being hosted by Leadership Hermosa Beach and Easy Reader.

Hermosa Beach special council election to be by mail in ballots, only

by Dan Blackburn

Hermosa Beach residents will begin to receive ballots shortly after April 12 for a special May 11 mail-in election to replace council member Hany Fangary, who resigned following his family’s move to Manhattan Beach.

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk will begin mailing ballots with an eye to “ensuring safety during the ongoing pandemic,” according to a city spokesperson.

Those who turned in candidate papers to the city to replace Fangary include Randy Balik, a contractor and business owner; Dean Francois, a retired federal budget director; Raymond Jackson, a retired Army colonel; Tara McNamara-Stabile, a mom and film journalist; and Daniel Rittenhouse, a renewable energy executive. Nominating signatures for all have been validated by the county. Jonathan Wicks did not gather sufficient signatures to qualify, according to a city spokesperson.

City officials issued this comment: “Voters may also drop off a ballot at the Vote-By-Mail drop box located behind the Hermosa Beach library across from City Hall, or at the County Registrar’s office. These ballots must be dropped off before 8 p.m. on May 11 to be counted. Any mailed ballot must arrive no later than May 14 to be counted. This date includes a three-day grace period for mail delivery.”

Election results will be certified May 24. The candidate with the most votes will win; there will be no run-off. ER