Prospective candidates for the vacant District 4 Lodi City Council seat will have until Friday to fill out the application.
The City Council held a special meeting March 15 to approve the candidate application and timeline for appointment for the open seat after former council member Shakir Khan was accused of voter fraud last month.
The candidate application form, first made available last Friday, must be completed online no later than 5 p.m. this Friday, March 24.
Lodi officials said the applications submitted and received by the deadline will forwarded to the City Council to be reviewed, and on March 27 the city clerk will contact the San Joaquin Registrar of Voters to verify voter registration.
The City Council is set to hold a special meeting on March 29 at 7 p.m. at the LOEL Senior Center, located at 105 S. Washington St., where the council will conduct interviews, hear public comment, discuss candidates, and appoint the new District 4 council member.
The city said if a person is appointed at the meeting, they will be sworn in by the city clerk.
Former council member Khan was arraigned last month on 14 felony counts in connection with alleged election fraud from the 2020 election, according to the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office.
His charges included causing or procuring false voter registration, submission of fraudulent registration to California’s Secretary of State, false nomination or declaration of candidacy and fraudulently casting votes.
According to the Lodi City Council website, Khan’s resignation was received Feb. 16, but the former councilman’s attorney disputed the resignation by saying his client had not given up the council seat.
Anyone with questions about the process or who is interested in applying for the open position can contact the city clerk at 209-333-6702 or submit questions via email.
Victoria Franco is a reporter based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. She is a Report for America corps member.
