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Bellflower council introduces ordinance to allow cancellation of uncontested municipal elections
Summary
The Bellflower City Council on Jan. 13 introduced Ordinance No. 1437 to allow uncontested municipal elections to be canceled even when a ballot measure appears, a change officials said could save the city tens of thousands of dollars.
The Bellflower City Council on Monday introduced Ordinance No. 1437, which would add a new section to the Bellflower Municipal Code permitting the city to cancel uncontested municipal elections even if a proposition or initiative is on the same ballot. The measure was introduced by motion and approved by unanimous roll call.
The ordinance would use the city’s new charter authority to adopt a rule different from the California Elections Code. Myra Ochiqui, the city clerk, told the council that state law generally prevents canceling an uncontested election if a city measure has qualified for the same election cycle and that the proposed ordinance would give the city an option to avoid that requirement.
“This item is to consider the introduction of ordinance number 1437, which if approved will add a new section 2.28050 to the Bellflower Municipal Code to regulate uncontested municipal elections and allow uncontested elections to be canceled even if a proposition or initiative is placed on the ballot,” Myra Ochiqui, City Clerk, said during her presentation.
Mayor Pro Tem Sunny Santaynes noted the change followed the city’s adoption of a charter and said the ordinance could avoid significant election costs the city bore in 2024. “Based on the last estimate from the LA County recorder's office, that costed the city $54,000, which basically was a necessary election,” Mayor Pro Tem Sunny Santaynes said.
The council voted to read the ordinance by title only, waive further reading, and introduce Ordinance No. 1437. The motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem Sunny Santaynes and seconded by Council Member Dan Coops; the roll call vote was unanimous (5–0).
If the ordinance is adopted at a later hearing it would allow the city to appoint the single nominee to office rather than hold an election for that seat when no contest exists, even if a ballot measure is also scheduled. City staff told the council the change is intended to reduce avoidable election costs and conserve public funds. The council did not set a final adoption date during Monday’s meeting.
