RESOLUTION NO. ___________
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
LANCASTER DECLARING ITS INTENTION TO SUBMIT A
BALLOT MEASURE TO VOTERS TO AMEND SECTION 201 OF
THE LANCASTER CHARTER TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY
COUNCIL TO ENACT AN ORDINANCE TO (I) INCREASE THE
NUMBER OF COUNCIL MEMBERS FROM 4 TO 5, (II) ADD THE
OFFICE OF VICE MAYOR, AND (III) TRANSITION FROM AT-
LARGE TO DISTRICT-BASED ELECTIONS FOR COUNCIL
MEMBERS CONSISTENT WITH THE CALIFORNIA VOTING
RIGHTS ACT OF 2001
WHEREAS, the City of Lancaster (“City”) is a charter city as authorized by and described in article XI of the California Constitution; and WHEREAS, section 5 of article XI of the California Constitution provides as follows:
(a) It shall be competent in any city charter to provide that the city governed thereunder may make and enforce all ordinances and regulations in respect to municipal affairs, subject only to restrictions and limitations provided in their several charters and in respect to other matters they shall be subject to general laws. City charters adopted pursuant to this Constitution shall supersede any existing charter, and with respect to municipal affairs shall supersede all laws inconsistent therewith. (b) It shall be competent in all city charters to provide, in addition to those provisions allowable by this Constitution, and by the laws of the State for: (1) the constitution, regulation, and government of the city police force (2) subgovernment in all or part of a city (3) conduct of city elections and (4) plenary authority is hereby granted, subject only to the restrictions of this article, to provide therein or by amendment thereto, the manner in which, the method by which, the times at which, and the terms for which the several municipal officers and
employees whose compensation is paid by the city shall be elected or appointed, and for their removal, and for their compensation, and for the number of deputies, clerks and other employees that each shall have, and for the compensation, method of appointment, qualifications, tenure of office and removal of such deputies, clerks and other employees.
WHEREAS, the City’s Charter (“Charter”) was ratified by voters on April 27, 2010, and filed with the California Secretary of State on May 10, 2010; and WHEREAS, section 201 of the Charter generally provides that the City shall be governed by, and all powers of the City shall be vested in, a mayor and city council consisting of four council members, all elected to office from the City at-large; and WHEREAS, the California Voting Rights Act of 2001, Cal. Elec. Code §§ 14025-14032 (“CVRA”), provides that an at-large method of election may not be used if it impairs the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election, as a result of the dilution or the abridgment of the rights of voters who are members of a protected class (Cal. Elec. Code § 14027); and
WHEREAS, the constitutionality of the federal corollary to the CVRA, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, is under review by the United States Supreme Court in the case Louisiana v.
Callais; and
WHEREAS, the City has been notified of an allegation that its current at-large method of election violates the CVRA and, although it generally denies the existence of such alleged violation, has determined it is in its best interest and will further the purpose of the CVRA to consider initiating the process of transitioning from its current at-large method of election to a district-based method of election;
WHEREAS, the general law provides an expedited process for general law cities to transition to a district-based method of elections by merely enacting an ordinance, without voter approval; however, that expedited process is not available to the City because the City must first amend section 201 of its Charter;
WHEREAS, for the foregoing reasons, the City desires to declare its intention to submit a ballot measure to voters to amend section 201 of its Charter to authorize the City Council to enact an ordinance to (i) increase the number of council members from 4 to 5, (ii) add the office of vice mayor, and (iii) transition from at-large to district-based elections for council members consistent with the California Voting Rights Act of 2001.
THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LANCASTER DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The foregoing recitals are incorporated herein and constitute a substantive part of this Resolution.
Section 2. The City Council intends to consider a resolution submitting a ballot measure to voters at the November 3, 2026, general municipal election proposing to amend section 201 of the City’s Charter to authorize the City Council to enact an ordinance to (i) increase the number of council members from 4 to 5, (ii) add the office of vice mayor, and (iii) transition from at- large to district-based elections for council members consistent with the CVRA.
Section 3. Pursuant to section 34458(b) of the Government Code, the City Council must hold two public hearings prior to approving a resolution submitting the ballot measure to voters as described in section 2, above. The first public hearing shall be held on April 28, 2025, and the second shall be held on June 9, 2025. The City Clerk is authorized and directed to schedule such public hearings. The City Clerk has published notice of the first public hearing and is authorized and directed to publish notice of the second public hearing as required by law.
Section 4. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this Resolution.
PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED this ______ day of ____________, 2026, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
ATTEST: APPROVED:
______________________________ ______________________________ ANDREA ALEXANDER R. REX PARRIS
City Clerk Mayor
City of Lancaster City of Lancaster
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss
CITY OF LANCASTER )
CERTIFICATION OF RESOLUTION
CITY COUNCIL
I, _____________________________, _________________________ City of Lancaster, California, do hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of the original Resolution No.___, for which the original is on file in my office.
WITNESS MY HAND AND THE SEAL OF THE CITY OF LANCASTER, on this ____________ day of _____________________, _________.
(seal)
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