Healdsburg, CAVoter Guide 2026 · not a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Healdsburg City Council Election 2026

2 of 5

council seats up

2 contests

4 candidates

Updated Oct 4, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

City Council District 2 · 1 seat

City Council District 4 · Unopposed

Voters in District 2 and District 4 each choose one councilmember for their own district; Districts 1, 3 and 5 are not on the ballot until 2028.

2 notes on these statements

Alex Wood suspended his District 2 campaign in September 2026 but remains on the ballot, and has said he will not assume office if elected. Patch · Sep 23, 2026

Chris Herrod is the only candidate on the ballot for District 4. Sonoma County Registrar of Voters

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Ron EdwardsCouncilmember4sourcedDavid HageleCouncilmember5sourcedAriel KelleyCouncilmember5sourced

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

Start here

Match quiz3 questions · answers stay on your phoneSeat the CouncilPick winners, see the councilWhat council decidesResidential growth limit (Measure M), The Hudson senior living project, Water supply and storageKey datesDeadlines and vote centers

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Next date

Vote-by-mail ballots begin mailing; early voting sites open

Mon, Oct 5, 2026

TodayAll key dates

What the next council decides

Residential growth limit (Measure M)

Where it standsMeasure M, approved by Healdsburg voters in 2000, limits residential growth, and the city runs it through council-adopted policies.

What's on the tableHow the next council administers the growth management program.

  • Measure M established an annual quantified limit on the rate of residential growth within the city's Urban Growth Boundary. City of Healdsburg
  • The first pool of dwelling allocations is limited to an average of 30 per year and no more than 90 in any three-year period. City of Healdsburg

The Hudson senior living project

Where it standsNeighbors have appealed the Planning Commission's approval of a senior living project at 359 Hudson Street, and the council was scheduled to hear the appeal on October 5, 2026.

What's on the tableWhether the council upholds or overturns the project's conditional use permit and density bonus approval.

  • The project proposes a four-story senior building with 67 units, a memory care building and 10 deed-restricted affordable rental units on about 3.61 acres. Patch · Oct 2, 2026
  • City staff recommended denying the appeal and upholding the Planning Commission's approval. Patch · Oct 2, 2026
  • The Planning Commission approved the project on August 11, 2026. Healdsburg Tribune

Water supply and storage

Where it standsA federal grant for test wells to store water underground was terminated in 2025, and the council rejected all construction bids that May.

What's on the tableWhether and how to fund the underground water storage project and how involved the city is in the Potter Valley Project talks.

City-owned land and affordable housing

Where it standsThe council reviewed city-owned sites for possible housing in January 2025 and has approved steps on the Saggio Hills affordable housing project.

What's on the tableWhich city-owned sites to pursue for housing and how to support affordable projects.

Flock license-plate cameras

Where it standsThe police chief reported to the council in 2026 on the city's Flock camera program after a line-by-line audit.

What's on the tableWhether to renew the city's Flock contracts and on what terms.

Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. Should Healdsburg change how its voter-approved residential growth limit works?

  2. 2. Should Healdsburg take a larger role in the Potter Valley Project and Two Basin Solution discussions?

  3. 3. How should the downtown depot site near the train station be used?

Seat the Council →

Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

The seat math

3 stay (not up this year): Ron Edwards, David Hagele, Ariel Kelley2 on this ballot

5 council seats. The council decides by a 3-vote majority.

  • Healdsburg's five-member council is elected by district for the first time in 2026, with Districts 2 and 4 on the ballot this year and Districts 1, 3 and 5 in 2028. City of Healdsburg
  • Councilmembers serve four-year terms, and each year the mayor is selected by a majority vote of the City Council. City of Healdsburg
  • The City Council appoints the City Manager and City Attorney. City of Healdsburg
  • The council moved to district elections after receiving an October 2024 letter alleging the at-large system violated the California Voting Rights Act. City of Healdsburg

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