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Lake Elsinore council withdraws ballot measure to make city treasurer appointed
Summary
The council unanimously rescinded submission of a Nov. 5 ballot measure that would have replaced the elected city treasurer with an appointed position, accepting staff’s recommendation to postpone consideration to a future election to avoid voter confusion.
The Lake Elsinore City Council voted unanimously to rescind a measure that would have placed before voters a proposal to change the city treasurer from an elected to an appointed position.
City Clerk Alvarez told the council staff recommended removing the measure from the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot so officials could do additional outreach and avoid confusing voters because a candidate had already qualified to run for treasurer. City Attorney Liebold explained, “Staff is recommending that we postpone the measure for a number of reasons. First and foremost, because we have the city treasurer position on the ballot, we're worried about voter confusion of having the position on the ballot at the same time we have a measure to eliminate the elected city treasurer in lieu of an appointed city treasurer.”
A public commenter asked whether the treasurer would still appear on the ballot; staff and the council clarified that the action being taken was to withdraw the measure and that the elected treasurer race would remain on the ballot this year. The council adopted a resolution rescinding submission of the measure and agreed to consider the question again at a future general election, likely in 2026. The motion to rescind was made by Councilman Johnson and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Tisdale and passed with all members present voting in the affirmative.
City Treasurer Druth later addressed the council, saying the city has “a qualified specialized team that manages the city finances” and expressing support for whatever decision is ultimately made.
Next steps identified by staff: outreach and further study before any future placement of a ballot measure changing the treasurer’s method of selection.
