The final count of Santa Clarita City Council applicants totals to 50 people after Friday’s deadline as the race to fill the vacant seat continues.

The names of the City Council applicants include: Ronda Baldwin-Kennedy, David J. Bianco, Brian Block,TimBen Boydston, Brent A. Braun, Dennis Hugh Conn, Robert Cooper III, Michael Cruz, Kenneth Dean, Paul De La Cerda, Gene Dorio, M.D, Scott A. Drake, Jr., Ana Isabel Dwork, Mark Elfont, Ph.D., Cristen Farrell, Alan Ferdman, Douglas Fraser, Kristin Ghilardi, Jason Warren Gibbs, Tito Gonzalez, Brett Haddock, Matthew J. Hargett, Marcus Hershey, Rick Hood, Jennifer Keysor,  Jack Levenberg, Sheryl Ann Lima, Radomir Luza, Timothy McLaughlin, Dikran Melkonian, Gloria Mercado-Fortine, Bill Miranda, Bret Alden Mouser, Sandra Nichols, Philip Olivero, Phillip N. Phethean, Kevin Rosenberg, David Ruelas, Scott Shepard, Jennifer Smith, Joan Carol Sodergren, Jacqueline Thomas, Todd Topolski, Diane Trautman, Michael Dean Vincent, Sean R. Weber, Mark White, Nancy “Tyger” White, Paul Wieczorek, Kenneth R. “Ken” Wiseman.

KHTS AM-1220 has extended an open invitation to all of the applicants who would like to present their case on air before the special meeting on Jan. 17, when council members will discuss the applications and the candidates have an opportunity to speak for three minutes each.

KHTS will be interviewing the city council applicants on air Monday through Wednesday.

Check back on our Facebook page and website Monday for the schedule.

Any applicants who haven’t scheduled anon-airr interview but would like to should email Perry@Hometown station.com

The seat in City Council was left vacant by Dante Acosta when he was elected to the California state Assembly in November. The council needs to fill the vacancy by Thursday, Feb. 2, 60 days after Acosta’s departure, according to city spokesperson Carrie Lujan.

Santa Clarita City Council members will begin interviewing candidates during a special meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Due to the number of applicants, it is likely that the interview process will continue in a subsequent meeting the following week on Tuesday, Jan. 24, although the schedule has not yet been finalized for the special meeting.

The special meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17 in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, located on the first floor at 23920 Valencia Blvd #120, Valencia.

If an applicant has not been contacted, they are welcome to contact the station at 661-298-1220, and ask for News Director Perry Smith.