PALM DESERT — Two residents, now potential opponents, have pulled Nomination papers and are poised to unseat incumbents Sabby Jonathan and Jan Harnik on the Palm Desert City Council in the November election.
Neither of the two possible opponents is a stranger to the local political scene.
They are Kenneth Doran and Matt Monica.
Doran has run — or attempted to run — at least twice before. He ran for the City Council in 2014 and placed last in a field of seven candidates with 5 percent of the vote, according to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters. In 2016, he pulled Nomination paper but was disqualified as the signatures did not meet requirements.
Doran did not return two requests for comment.
Matt Monica
Monica, the most high-profile of the two opponents, is best known for being the Coachella Valley’s longest-serving school board member. Monica was first elected to the Desert Sands Unified School District board in 1981. He served on the board for 30 years. Monica relinquished his seat for five years between 1999 and 2004 when he lost re-election.
He won re-election to the board in 2004 and served until 2016. By then, the school district was divided into districts and Monica found himself running against his neighbor, Wendy Jonathan. Monica lost his re-election bid in the general election on November 8, 2016 to Wendy Jonathan.
She is the wife of Sabby Jonathan, one of two incumbents Monica is now trying to unseat.
Monica did not return two messages seeking comment.
Harnik was first elected to the City Council in 2010. She is seeking a third, four-year term.
Jonathan, facing six opponents, was first elected to the five-member Palm Desert City Council in 2014. This year he is serving his first rotation as mayor. He is the only one to date that has qualified to be on the ballot, according to the city clerk.
Other members of the City Council are Mayor Pro Tem Susan Marie Weber, Kathleen Kelly and Gina Nestande.
If you are a resident of Palm Desert who is interested in running for election to the City Council, an appointment with the City Clerk’s Office is required. You may contact the City Clerk’s Office at 73510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260, or by telephone at (760) 346-0611, ext. 304, with any questions. The nomination period closes Friday, Aug. 10 so there is plenty of time for more opponents to surface.
