REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Discussion and Direction Regarding Adoption of a Resolution to Create a Charter Review Committee to Review the Sunnyvale City Charter and Develop Potential Charter Amendments for the City Council to Consider for the November 2026 Election
Report
BACKGROUND
The Sunnyvale City Charter governs how the City operates and provides services to the community. Sunnyvale voters adopted the Charter in 1950 to increase local control over municipal affairs. Amendments to the Charter must be approved by a majority of Sunnyvale voters. The Charter was last amended in 2020 when voters approved changing to a district-based electoral system for selecting City councilmembers, with a directly elected mayor.
On November 28, 2023, a colleagues memo was added to the Council agenda to "request that a meeting be agendized to empanel a Charter Review [Committee] (CRC) to conduct a full review of the Sunnyvale City Charter, with the goal of placing proposed amendments on the November 2024 ballot." Council directed staff to bring the item back for discussion. The colleagues memo outlined nine potential Charter amendments for a committee to consider and indicated a desire that the Committee have the ability "to review all provisions in the Charter and to freely propose amendments."
On January 30, 2024 (RTC No. 24-0272), Council directed staff to take the following actions related to Charter amendments:
1. Return with analysis of items from the colleagues' memo that could be considered without a Charter Amendment:
- Return within two years with a Council policy noting that Councilmembers represent the entire City, not individual districts and that "district prerogative" does not exist in Sunnyvale;
2. Pursue Council-directed Charter Amendments for 2024 and return with proposed ballot measure language for priority items identified by Council:
- A Charter Amendment to use gender neutral language throughout the Charter;
- A Charter Amendment to requir...
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