The Ukiah City Council is the five-member elected body that governs the City of Ukiah, the county seat of Mendocino County. It passes local ordinances, adopts the annual budget, decides major land-use questions, and hires the two employees who report directly to it: the City Manager and the City Attorney.1City of Ukiah. City Manager’s Office Regular meetings run on the first and third Wednesday of each month at the Ukiah Civic Center, and every one includes time for public comment.
Who Sits on the Council
As of 2026, the five seats are held by Susan Sher (Mayor), Juan Orozco (Vice Mayor), Heather Criss, Mari Rodin, and Douglas Crane.2City of Ukiah. City Council Sher, Orozco, and Rodin are serving terms that run through November 2026. Criss and Crane serve through November 2028.
Each member is elected to a four-year term, and terms are staggered so that only some seats appear on the ballot in any given cycle.3City of Ukiah. Elections The council picks a Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its own members each year on a rotating basis. The Mayor runs the meetings and represents the city at official events; the Vice Mayor fills in when needed. Council members are paid $850 per month.
What the Council Actually Does
Ukiah runs on a council-manager system. The council sets policy; a professional City Manager runs day-to-day operations and supervises every other city department and employee.1City of Ukiah. City Manager’s Office That split matters when you’re trying to figure out who to talk to: elected officials decide what the city will do, and staff carry it out.
The council’s routine work includes:
- Adopting and amending city ordinances
- Approving the annual city budget and how money is spent across departments
- Making final decisions on significant land-use and development proposals
- Hiring and supervising the City Manager and City Attorney
- Appointing residents to more than a dozen advisory bodies
Those advisory bodies include the Planning Commission, Airport Commission, Design Review Board, Public Spaces Commission, and Diversity and Equity Standing Committee, among others.4City of Ukiah. City Boards, Commissions, and Committees A few, such as the Investment Oversight Committee, seat a council member directly.
Council members also represent Ukiah on regional bodies. The Mendocino Council of Governments, which handles countywide transportation planning, seats one Ukiah council member as a voting representative and another as an alternate.5Mendocino Council of Governments. Board Members
When and Where the Council Meets
Regular meetings are the first and third Wednesday of each month at the Ukiah Civic Center. Under California’s Brown Act, agendas must be posted at least 72 hours before a regular meeting, and the city puts agendas and archived minutes on its website.6City of Ukiah. Council, Boards, and Commissions Meetings, Agendas, and Minutes
Special Meetings
When something can’t wait, the Mayor or a majority of the council can call a special meeting. Notice has to go out and be posted at least 24 hours ahead, and the agenda must list every topic to be discussed.7California Legislative Information. California Government Code 54956 The council cannot take up business that isn’t on that agenda. Public comment at a special meeting is limited to the listed items, so there is no open-topic comment period like the one at regular meetings.
How To Participate
Every regular meeting has time for public comment. You can speak on a specific agenda item when it comes up, or use the general public comment period to raise anything within the city’s authority. Speakers usually get two to three minutes.
If you can’t attend in person, email written comments to the City Clerk before the meeting starts. Written comments are distributed to all five members and become part of the record.
Public Records
Under the California Public Records Act, you can ask the city for council-related documents: staff reports, emails, contracts, and similar materials. The city has 10 days to tell you whether it holds records that match your request. That window can be extended by up to 14 additional days in unusual circumstances, and as of 2026 a cyberattack that blocks access to electronic systems qualifies as an unusual circumstance for that purpose.
Running for a Seat
To run, a candidate must be a registered voter within the city limits at the time of taking office.8Justia. California Code Government Code 36501-36525 California voters must be at least 18, which sets the practical minimum age.
Ukiah has moved from citywide at-large elections to district-based elections. Under California Government Code Section 34886, a city council can adopt district elections by ordinance to further the purposes of the California Voting Rights Act, and Ukiah did so.9California Legislative Information. California Code Government Code 34886 – Election of Legislative Body By or From Districts in Cities Candidates must live in the district they want to represent. Elections happen in November of even-numbered years. The City Clerk runs the filing process and handles financial-disclosure compliance.3City of Ukiah. Elections
On fundraising, the state default under AB 571 applies where a city hasn’t set its own limit. For the 2025–2026 cycle, no individual, business, committee, or political party may contribute more than $5,900 per election to a city council candidate, and each primary, general, special, or runoff counts as a separate election.10California Fair Political Practices Commission. Contribution Limits – City and County Candidates Check with the City Clerk to confirm whether Ukiah has adopted a local ordinance with different limits.
Recalling a Council Member
California’s constitution lets voters recall any elected local official. To begin, residents file a notice of intention with the City Clerk that states the reasons for the recall, then circulate a petition. The signature threshold depends on the number of registered voters in the jurisdiction:
- Under 1,000 registered voters: 30 percent
- 1,000 to 9,999: 25 percent
- 10,000 to 49,999: 20 percent
- 50,000 to 99,999: 15 percent
- 100,000 or more: 10 percent
For a city Ukiah’s size, the 20 percent threshold would likely apply.11California Secretary of State. Procedures for Recalling State and Local Officials A recall cannot be started during the first 90 days of an official’s term, within six months after a failed recall against the same official, or when fewer than six months remain in the term.