sonomacounty.gov (opens in a new tab)Sonoma County Registrar of Voters -- "Local Candidates Who Have Filed," November 3, 2026 General Election (refetched fresh this session; page's own "Last Updated" stamp reads 8/17/26, 6:45 p.m., after both the regular (Aug. 7) and extended (Aug. 12) nomination deadlines had passed): the "City of Healdsburg" section lists exactly two "CITY CONTESTS" -- DISTRICT 2 (Elect 1): Mathew Lopez ("Math Teacher"), Alex Wood ("Appointed Planning Commissioner"), Scott Pratt ("Commercial Advertising Producer"), none flagged incumbent; DISTRICT 4 (Elect 1): Chris Herrod ("Healdsburg City Councilmember"), also not flagged incumbent -- given a jurisdiction-prefixed key distinct from the county-level shard's own "sonoma-rov-candidates-2026" citation of this same page, and from every other city's own prefixed key citing it, to avoid a bare-key collision.
healdsburg.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Healdsburg -- own "Candidates for City Council -- November 3" page: independently names the identical District 2 three-candidate field with matching qualification dates, and for District 4 shows Chris Herrod (qualified 7/30/26) plus a second name, sitting at-large councilmember Evelyn Mitchell, whose nomination papers were issued 7/16/26 but whose qualification-date cell reads "---" -- the page's own footer stamps it "List final as of 8/10/2026 - 12:00 p.m.," predating the extended Aug. 12 deadline, so Mitchell did not end up qualifying per the county's later roster.
healdsburg.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Healdsburg -- own "Election Information" page: confirms Districts 2 and 4 are the first seats ever elected by district in Healdsburg, each a 4-year term; Districts 1, 3, and 5 don't hold their first district elections until November 2028; the nomination period opened July 13, 2026.
healdsburg.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Healdsburg -- own "Transition to District Elections" page: states the city adopted district elections after an October 2024 demand letter from a law firm alleging the prior at-large system violated the California Voting Rights Act, rather than litigate; the Council held six public hearings between December 2024 and April 2025, considered 47 community-submitted maps and 8 community-of-interest statements, and adopted "Final Map D" on April 21, 2025, sequencing Districts 2 and 4 to 2026 and Districts 1, 3, and 5 to 2028.
healdsburgtribune.com (opens in a new tab)Healdsburg Tribune -- "Voters can now elect a neighbor to the City Council" (July 8, 2026): independent local-journalism corroboration of the city's own account of the CVRA demand letter, the five-district map, and the 2026/2028 election sequencing; names no specific candidates.
healdsburg.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Healdsburg -- own City Council page: lists the five sitting councilmembers -- Chris Herrod (Mayor), Ron Edwards (Vice Mayor), David Hagele, Ariel Kelley, and Evelyn Mitchell -- as "elected at large ... for 4-year terms," with the Mayor selected annually by a majority vote of the Council from among its own members -- the basis for why the county flags Herrod "not incumbent" for District 4 despite already sitting on the Council and currently serving as Mayor: no one has held an elected "District 4" seat before this cycle.
en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- "Healdsburg, California": used narrowly for the 2020 Census population (11,340) and confirmation of the council-manager government structure -- not relied on for current officeholders, since it names Evelyn Mitchell as Mayor and Chris Herrod as Vice Mayor, conflicting with the city's own live Council page (Herrod as Mayor, Ron Edwards as Vice Mayor); attributed to Wikipedia lagging the city's annual mayor rotation.
healdsburg.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Healdsburg -- own "2026 Campaign Statements" page: posts FPPC Form 460/410 filings directly, no NetFile gate. Lists Scott Pratt's and Chris Herrod's Form 460s (each filed July 2026, see their own citations below) alongside Form 410 statements of organization for all four District 2/4 candidates; Mathew Lopez (filed 7/13/26) and Alex Wood (filed 7/13/26, amended 8/21/26) have each filed only a Form 410 as of this pass -- no Form 460 posted for either, so no itemized fundraising figures are available for them.
healdsburg.gov (opens in a new tab)Chris Herrod for Healdsburg City Council 2026 -- FPPC Form 460 preelection statement, filed 7/29/26, covering 4/2/26-6/30/26: cover page lists "Office Sought or Held" as "Healdsburg City Council, District 4" (consistent with a printed, on-ballot contest rather than an appointment). Reports $4,650 in itemized monetary contributions this period (mostly $100-$500 individual gifts, plus a $500 Teamster Local 665 contribution), $921 in expenditures, and a $4,354 cash balance at period close. Ariel Kelley, described on the form as "Healdsburg City Councilmember," appears as a $100 individual donor -- an incidental cross-check of the sitting council roster.

Last updated September 1, 2026.

City of Healdsburg

Healdsburg City Council, District 4

This person would represent one of Healdsburg's five City Council districts. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Healdsburg is a wine country city in Sonoma County. It has 11,340 residents. A professional city manager runs day-to-day operations. The elected council sets policy and picks one of its own members as Mayor. The Mayor serves a one-year term. Districts 2 and 4 are Healdsburg's first seats ever elected by district. The city dropped its at-large system in 2025. A legal challenge under the California Voting Rights Act forced the change. Districts 1, 3, and 5 stay at-large for now. Their first district elections come in November 2028.

Chris Herrod is the only candidate for Healdsburg's District 4 council seat. They are the city's sitting Mayor and are running unopposed. This contest is already decided. Your vote here will not change the outcome.

This seat is one of five Healdsburg City Council districts. Healdsburg is a Sonoma County wine country city. It had 11,340 residents in the 2020 Census. The city has a council-manager government. The elected council sets the budget, ordinances, and land use policy. A professional city manager runs day-to-day operations. The council picks one of its own members to serve a one year term as Mayor. District 4 is one of only two districts up this November. The city's council was elected entirely at large until this cycle. Districts 1, 3, and 5 stay at large until their first district elections in November 2028.

The county's roster flags Herrod "not incumbent" even though they already sit on the Council. They also currently serve as Mayor. The reason is that this is the first time Healdsburg has elected anyone to "District 4" specifically. All five current councilmembers were "elected at large ... for 4-year terms," per the city's own Council page. District seats did not exist before this cycle's court prompted map. A second District 4 hopeful was sitting at large councilmember Evelyn Mitchell. She was issued nomination papers on July 16, 2026 but never returned them. Her line on the city's own candidates page shows only dashes. So she did not end up on the ballot for this seat. Neither the county nor the city used the state law option to cancel a single filer race and appoint Herrod. The county still prints this as a live "City Contest." Herrod's own campaign committee also filed a dated, preelection Form 460. It names the office sought as "Healdsburg City Council, District 4." That is the kind of active, ongoing campaign filing that accompanies a printed, on ballot race rather than an uncontested appointment.

Chris Herrod

Chris Herrod is Healdsburg's sitting Mayor. Their ballot title is "Healdsburg City Councilmember." They were first elected at large. They now seek their first term for District 4. No independent news profile of them was found beyond city and campaign records.

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