Sand City City Councilmember Libby Sofer resigns, citing high housing costs.

After nearly two terms on Sand City City Council, Elizabeth “Libby” Sofer announced she is resigning on Dec. 31. Sofer notified her council colleagues and City Manager Vibeke Norgaard in an email on Nov. 7. “I regret that I will be unable to complete the last year of my elected term which would have been the last of 2026,” she wrote. “It has become untenable financially for me to remain in Sand City.”

Sofer says the main reason she is forced to move is the cost of housing. After the death of her partner, former Sand City city manager Kelly J. Morgan, she says members of the community rented housing to her at below market rate, but that has become unsustainable.

“I have a whole lot more I want to do for Sand City,” Sofer says. “I cannot afford to live on the Monterey Peninsula.”

The city charter states that the remaining councilmembers are to appoint a new member in the event of a vacancy. The seat must first be declared vacant, a procedural step that council is expected to take on Tuesday, Dec. 16 during Sofer’s last council meeting.

“Council gets to choose how they interview and locate the person they appoint,” Norgaard says.

The City Council will open an application process for interested parties. The appointee will finish Sofer’s term, ending Dec. 31, 2026. (The seat is scheduled to be up for election in November 2026 for a four-year term.)

Sofer says she is proud of the work she did in seven years on council. She highlights work on the Recreation Trail and a plan to build 60 housing units where the Sand City Art Park is now located.

She plans to move to Paradise, California with family.