State bills take aim at seeking 2 offices
Two pending bills in the California Legislature would prevent a person from filing candidate nomination papers for more than one office at the same election.
The bills were filed in response to Assemblyman Vincent Fong’s wild December. The Bakersfield Republican filed nomination papers to run for reelection to the 32nd Assembly District. Then Fong’s former boss, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, announced his retirement from Congress Dec. 6, about two months after he became the first speaker in US history to be ousted. By the time Fong filed for McCarthy’s former seat representing California’s 20th Congressional District, it was too late for him to withdraw from the 32nd Assembly District race.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber said Fong could not run for both offices in the same election because it was against state law. Fong sued. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne Chang ruled that Fong could run in both races.
Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz, introduced Assembly Bill 1784, which would allow a candidate for an office at a primary election to withdraw their nomination documents for that office during the applicable filing period, according to the bill.
“The bill would establish requirements for withdrawal, including that the candidate submit a statement under penalty of perjury that they are withdrawing their nomination documents and understand the withdrawal is irrevocable,” the bill said. “The bill would permit a candidate who withdraws to file nomination documents for another office at that primary election during the applicable filing period. The bill would clarify that a candidate is prohibited from filing nomination doc
uments for more than one office at the same primary election, except as specified.”
Assembly Bill 1795, introduced by Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, “would clarify that a candidate is prohibited from filing nomination documents for more than one office at the same primary election.”
The proposed bill would permit a candidate who has filed a declaration of candidacy for an office at a primary election to additionally file nomination documents for one of the offices specified above if a filing extension is granted for that second office because the incumbent has not filed nomination documents, the bill said.
“The bill would provide that the candidate’s act of filing for the second office constitutes the automatic withdrawal from candidacy for the first office,” the bill said.
Fong and Republican Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudrueax will face off May 21 in a special election for the 20th District Congressional seat vacated by McCarthy, who was ousted last fall as speaker of the House.
Fong and Boudreaux advanced to the runoff election as the top two finishers in the March 19 primary. Fong and Boudreaux will also face each other in November for the full-term two-year seat.
Fong was the only candidate in the March 5 primary for his 32nd Assembly District seat.