Petaluma mayoral candidate Shelina Moreda was the subject of a temporary domestic violence restraining order in 2025, sought by a former boyfriend who alleged she stalked him, sent threatening messages, and smashed a window with a large piece of wood. The order, which directed Moreda to stay away from the man, his home, workplace and vehicle, was ultimately dismissed without prejudice by a Sonoma County judge in December 2025 after the two sides reached an agreement, meaning no court ever made a finding of guilt or civil liability against her. According to the California Courts Judicial Branch of California, the state's court system handles thousands of cases each year involving domestic violence, sometimes referred to as family or intimate-partner cases.
The existence of the case was first reported by Petaluma Voice, the nonprofit newsroom that broke the story on September 2, according to The Press Democrat. According to court records cited in that reporting, Moreda and the former boyfriend began dating in July 2025 and ended their relationship in early September 2025 following repeated arguments and what the man described as emotional volatility; the two shared no children or pets. The man requested a domestic violence restraining order on October 20, 2025, and received a temporary order the next day, later asking the court for a five-year order on November 13, 2025.
The former boyfriend told the court he feared for his and his family's safety because of what he described as Moreda's volatility, stalking, vandalism and threats. He alleged she tracked him to his father's house at Lake Tahoe, sent hostile messages in late October 2025, and threatened to break a window at the house where he was staying before smashing one with a large piece of wood. He also said Moreda possessed photos of him sleeping, cooking and packing hunting gear while he was on the clock for work.
Conflicting Accounts of the Tahoe Trip
Moreda texted the former boyfriend after 2 p.m. on October 11, 2025, saying she was heading to Lake Tahoe to resolve their differences. She has said she had been day-drinking that day and wanted to work things out, and that she sent threatening and conciliatory texts over the following week and a half. The former boyfriend texted Moreda that she should not drink and drive, while Moreda said she had been drinking and driving.
The temporary order also prohibited Moreda from posting about her former boyfriend on social media. Judge Robert LaForge set a hearing for December 19, 2025, and on that date the two sides reached an agreement, with LaForge dismissing the restraining order without prejudice — a legal outcome that, under California civil procedure, ends the case without a ruling on the merits while leaving the former boyfriend free to request another order should circumstances change, as the court record confirmed to be his understanding.
Moreda has characterized the matter as a private dispute resolved outside of court. She told the outlet that publicly relitigating a private matter would not be how she leads, and that her campaign focus remains protecting Petaluma, supporting small businesses and leading with unity.
A Late Entry Into a Crowded Field
Moreda qualified as one of three candidates for Petaluma mayor in August 2026, joining incumbent Mayor Kevin McDonnell and small business owner John Hanania on the ballot. The timing followed a June 2026 primary loss in the race for Sonoma County's 2nd District supervisor seat, where Moreda finished third with about 19% of the vote, according to KQED's tally of results.
Her pivot to the municipal race quickly drew scrutiny over her residency. Two local political operatives raised eligibility challenges over questions about her city residency, prompting Moreda to provide a lease agreement inside Petaluma city limits to establish her local domicile. A $500 check from her She'z Racing LLC account was payment for the broken window. Petaluma officials ultimately determined she was eligible to run for mayor.
Before entering politics, Moreda built an international career as a professional motorcycle racer from a longtime Petaluma-area ranching family, competing in Japan, China, France and Qatar. McDonnell, the incumbent mayor she now faces, is a civil engineer first elected to the Petaluma City Council in 2018 before winning the mayor's seat in 2022, and Hanania is a small business owner. Petaluma City Council seats are tied to individual districts.
