IRVINE : Ballot Statement Fee Raised to $1,000

The City Council has decided to increase the fee that candidates pay to have their ballot statements printed in the city’s voter pamphlet.

It will now cost $1,000 to have the statement included in the city mailer--an increase of $250 from the current price. Candidates running in this fall’s council and mayoral races will have to pay the new rate.

City officials said the fee increase was necessary so that the pamphlet could be translated into Vietnamese and Spanish, as state law mandates.

Candidates are not required to have the 200-word statements printed in the pamphlet, but most serious contenders do because the mailer is distributed to voters throughout the city.

Some council members expressed hesitation at increasing the fee, fearing it might price some potential candidates out of the election.

“This kind of system deters people without money from running for office,” said Councilwoman Christina L. Shea, who voted against the fee increase. “It seems like the fairest thing to do is have a level playing field.”

But other council members argued that serious candidates could raise the $1,000, which represents only a fraction of the money they would need to pay for such expenses as campaign signs and direct mailings.

Voters this November will select a mayor and two council members. Candidates can pull nominating papers beginning Monday. The papers must be returned to the city clerk’s office by Aug. 12.