San Marino City Council Elections Postponed

San Marino City Council elections, which usually take place in March, have been postponed to November, according to San Marino City Manager Matt Ballantyne.

The change is financially motivated, Ballantyne told San Marino Patch.

The city held its mid-year budget review meeting Friday, which predicted a $175,000 decrease of the city’s unrestricted funds for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

If the city holds its own election in March, the cost is approximately $100,000, but a November election would reduce costs by $50,000 since San Marino would share costs with the county.

The process of choosing San Marino’s mayor remains the same this year. The mayor is selected by the San Marino City Council, who chooses a mayor from existing council members, and usually the current vice-mayor becomes the new mayor.

If the San Marino City Council follows this pattern, then current vice-mayor Allan Yung will take over the role of mayor from current San Marino Mayor Dennis Kneier.

The San Marino City Council will choose a new mayor at the March 9 City Council meeting at 6 p.m. in the San Marino City Hall Council Chambers.

San Marino Patch will keep you updated on further details about elections, the new mayor and the city's finances.