Nomination period opens for Palm Desert council races

Candidates are beginning to line up for Palm Desert’s District 4 and 5 City Council races, an election that will complete the city’s transition to five single-member council districts.

The nomination period opened July 13 and runs through Aug. 7 for candidates seeking either seat in the Nov. 3 election. If an eligible incumbent does not file by the deadline, the filing period for that office will be extended to Aug. 12 for candidates other than the incumbent.

In District 4, Mayor Evan Trubee — who was elected under the former two-district system and was one of four councilmembers representing former District 2 — is seeking the seat. So far, Jonathon Polly and Kenneth Doran have also had nomination documents issued for the position.

Trubee was first elected to the council in 2022 after serving on the city’s Resource Preservation and Enhancement Committee and Public Safety Commission. He owns Big Wheel Tours.

Polly is a technical manager for SCS Global Services with an interest in climate technology and climate science solutions.

Doran is a retired government administrator who has lived in the city for more than two decades and previously ran for a Council seat. In the past, he expressed interest in attracting a hotel to Desert Willow Golf Course and redeveloping the Highway 111 corridor.

The District 5 race, which will fill the final seat needed to complete the five-district system, has so far drawn two city commission leaders who have had nomination documents issued.

Ralph Perry chairs Palm Desert’s Parks and Recreation Committee and spent a decade active in the local Democratic Club, including three years as its president through 2025. John Greenwood is serving his fourth term on the Planning Commission.

The election marks the final stage of a transition that began after roughly 53% of Palm Desert voters supported moving from two council districts to five in a 2022 advisory ballot measure. The City Council began implementing the change in June 2023.

Voters elected the city’s first three representatives under the new system in 2024: Karina Moreno in District 1, Joe Pradetto in District 2 and Gina Nestande in District 3.

Councilmember Jan Harnick, a former mayor who lives in District 2, did not run for that seat in 2024 and will leave office this year. Once the District 5 representative takes office, each of Palm Desert’s five council districts will have its own elected councilmember.

Candidates must be registered voters who live in the district they seek to represent and must be United States citizens. They must also collect between 20 and 30 signatures from voters in their district and cannot be disqualified from holding office under California law.

Prospective candidates must schedule an appointment with the City Clerk’s Office before beginning the nomination process. Nomination papers are issued by appointment during the official filing period. The City Clerk’s Office can be contacted at 760-346-0611 or by email at cityclerk@palmdesert.gov.

Interested voters can register here or check their registration status here.