Los Banos council adopts modified ranking system, schedules Jan. 8 interviews to fill two vacant seats

The Los Banos City Council on Jan. 2 directed city staff to use a modified ranking system to winnow 13 applicants and to interview candidates for two vacant council seats on Jan. 8 at 6 p.m.

Council members settled on a version of “Alternative 3” that will use weighted points in round one and advance the top three applicants into round two (the council altered subparagraph b to require three applicants advance for both the smaller and larger applicant pools). The council also set interview timing and public-process rules: each candidate will have up to a three-minute introduction and two minutes to answer each of up to six council questions (maximum 15 minutes total per applicant), ballots will be public, and selections will require at least two affirmative votes by the three-member council.

Why it matters: The council must fill the District 2 and District 3 vacancies by appointment; the method the council…