City Council

PH 1. First Public Hearing Regarding Ballot Measure to Voters to Amend the Lancaster City\nCharter\nRecommendation(s):\n1. Conduct a public hearing to consider whether to submit a ballot measure to voters to\namend section 201 of the Lancaster charter to authorize the City Council to enact an\nordinance to (i) Increase the number of Council Members from 4 to 5, (ii) Add the office of\nVice Mayor and (iii) Transition from at-large to district-based elections for Council Members\nconsistent with the California Voting Rights Acts of 2001.\n2. Adopt Resolution No. ________ of the City Council of the City of Lancaster Declaring its\nintention to submit a ballot measure to voters to amend section 201 of the Lancaster charter\nto authorize the City Council to enact an ordinance to (i) Increase the number of Council\nMembers from 4 to 5, (ii) Add the office of Vice Mayor and (iii) Transition from at-large to\ndistrict-based elections for Council Members consistent with the California Voting Rights\nActs of 2001.\nThe Lancaster City Charter generally provides that the City shall be governed by, and all\npowers of the City shall be vested in, a mayor and city council consisting of four council\nmembers, all elected to office from the City at-large. However, the California Voting Rights\nAct of 2001, Cal. Elec. Code §§ 14025-14032 (“CVRA”), provides that an at-large method of\nelection may not be used if it impairs the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its\nchoice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election, as a result of the dilution or the\nabridgment of the rights of voters who are members of a protected class (Cal. Elec. Code §\n14027).