CATHEDRAL CITY — Eight residents here have qualified to be on the November ballot as the city for the first time moves to district elections. The idea behind it is to encourage more Latinos to seek public office.

The following is a list of qualified candidates for the Nov. 6, 2018 election at the close of Nomination Period, according to Deputy City Clerk Tracey Martinez:

  • District 3: Mark Carnevale and Juan Carlos Vizaga
  • District 4: Sergio Espericueta, Ernesto Gutierrez, Rick Saldivar and John Rivera
  • District 5: Raymond Gregory and Laura Ahmed
  • City Treasurer: Henry Chan

District 3 includes the neighborhoods of Rio Vista, Verano, Rio Del Sol, Tapestry, Aldea, and Montage. It also includes the Desert Sands Mobile Home Park and Caliente Sands Mobile Home Park.

District 4 includes Desert Princess Country Club, Outpost and the Dream Homes.

District 5 is comprised of the Panorama and La Pasada neighborhoods, as well as the southern and western portions of Rio Vista and the Park David Senior Housing complex, and is one of the districts open in the November 2018 election. Together, these neighborhoods make up approximately 20 percent of the city’s population.

All qualified candidates voluntarily signed the Code of Fair Campaign Practices, following Carnevale’s lead.

The state Legislature adopted the Code of Fair Practices more than 20 years ago as part of its Elections Code. The purpose in creating the Code of Fair Campaign Practices is to give voters guidelines to determine fair play, honesty and decency to encourage qualified candidates to discuss issues instead of untruths or distortions.

You may read the entire pledge here.

All forms must be retained for public inspection until 30 days after the election. Every form signed by a candidate is a public record and open for inspection.

The last day to register to vote is Oct. 22.

In order to be eligible and qualified to vote in California, an individual must be a United States citizen, a resident of California, and 18 years of age or older on Election Day. In order to vote in a City of Cathedral City, an individual must be registered to vote at an address in Cathedral City.

For eligibility to vote in the November 6, 2018 general election, voter registrations must be postmarked or submitted electronically no later than October 22, 2018.

If you not sure if you are qualified to vote, verify your voter registration status: Visit here or call Riverside County Elections at (951) 486-7200.

Register or update your voter registration: Visit here. Paper voter registration forms are available at Riverside County elections office, local libraries, Department of Motor Vehicles offices, and US Post Offices.