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Stockton council approves placing council-backed charter amendment on 2024 ballot
Summary
The Stockton City Council voted 6-0 on June 27, 2024, to place a council-sponsored charter amendment on the November 2024 general election ballot after discussion about timing and authorship of ballot arguments; the council reported no reportable closed-session actions earlier that afternoon.
On June 27, 2024, the Stockton City Council voted to place a council-sponsored charter amendment on the 2024 general election ballot, moving forward language the council and a Charter Review group had vetted at prior public hearings.
City staff described the action as an administrative step to transmit finalized language to the county registrar so the measure can appear on the ballot. The item before the council was limited to whether the city would put the measure forward and who — if anyone on the council — should be assigned to prepare the city’s argument in favor.
Council Member Blauer, chair of the legislative committee, said she was "very pleased with the work that was done on this particular issue" and argued the charter should reflect current practices rather than retain what she described as outdated or impractical language dating to 2000. "If you see a glaring error ... I don't think you shirk away from it. I think you try and fix that," Blauer said, volunteering to draft an argument if no other councilmember took the task.
Council Member Wright quoted Martin Luther King Jr., saying, "The time is always right to do right," and said while some might prefer to wait for a broader charter rewrite, this item was ready for voters. Vice Mayor Walmsley also voiced support, calling the proposed revision the first of several updates the city should pursue.
A motion to approve the resolution passed. The meeting record states "Motion passes" and records a 6-0 tally with one member absent; earlier in the record that absence is identified as Council Member Padilla. The transcript contains an inconsistent reference to the absent member's name in one line (see audit), and the discussion of who will draft ballot arguments included both an offer by Blauer to write the argument and a council exchange about possibly assigning the task to another councilmember or staff.
Next steps: staff will coordinate with the county registrar to place the item on the ballot and, as required by elections rules, the council or proponents will file any formal arguments for or against the measure by the county deadlines.
