The City of Riverside is holding its final odd year election today. Candidates are vying for a spot on the dais to represent Wards 2, 4 and 6 for a 5-year term as the City moves to even-year elections.
In Ward 6, Councilman Jim Perry faces no challenger in his re-election bid. In 2017, he faced a lone challenger with Rafael Elizalde. Elizalde is now consulting for two Riverside candidates this cycle: Pastor Monrow Mabon who is challenging Chuck Conder for Ward 4, and educator Tony Huerta in Ward 2.
Huerta is in a race with five other candidates for the open seat currently held by Andy Melendrez, who failed to secure the Mayoral seat in 2020 against then-school board member Patricia Lock Dawson. The other candidates in Ward 2 are commercial real estate executive Joe Paredes, real estate agent Anthony Tyson, chef Austin Skipper, nonprofit director Aram Ayra, and businesswoman Clarissa Cervantes. Cervantes is also the sister of Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes.
This is an all-mail ballot election. If no candidate secures a majority of votes in their respective race, then a run-off election will be held in November. Election results viewable here beginning at 8pm.
Nearly all cities except about a dozen in the State are now holding even-year elections, and several others are expected to make that shift within the next few years. By 2024, only four cities will continue to hold an election in odd years, including the City of Vernon which holds an election every year to elect one new council member.
The City of Riverside will next hold an election in 2024 for Mayor and Council Wards 1, 3, 5 and 7.