Santa Rosa Council tightens nomination rules for selecting mayor; ties resolved by random draw

The Santa Rosa City Council on Tuesday adopted changes to its internal election procedures for choosing mayor and vice mayor, tightening nomination mechanics, adding a runoff step for low‑vote ties and authorizing a council‑designated random selection method for irresolvable deadlocks.

City Attorney Theresa Stricker presented the proposed rules after a September study session. The revisions include a limit on the number of simultaneous nominees (three), a rule that each council member may either nominate or second only once, a clarification that nominees must accept nominations, and a modified elimination process for multi‑nominee ballots. "If a nominee receives a majority vote, that nominee is elected," Stricker said as she walked through the changes.

Council debated whether a council member should be allowed to second themselves or whether self‑seconding should be banned to make the process less "gamey." Council Member Victoria Fleming argued in favor of banning self‑seconding to increase transparency; others, citing Brown Act limits on private communications among councilmembers, favored preserving the ability to second oneself so a potential nominee could test support during the public vote.

The revised rules also add a runoff vote between low‑vote tied nominees in cases such as a 3‑1‑1 result and provide a final mechanism if the council remains deadlocked: after a council motion the council may proceed to a random selection method (described in the motion as a drawing of names). Several councilmembers asked staff to codify that a name‑drawing is the anticipated random method. The measure passed 5–2, with Council Members Fleming and Ben Willis voting no.

The change will govern the upcoming vice‑mayor selection and can be revisited by council if members want further tweaks. City Attorney Stricker said staff will return with related rules for filling off‑cycle council vacancies in early 2026.