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Compton charter panel debates restoring elected city attorney and rewriting Measure CA
Summary
Committee members and residents urged clarifying or undoing Measure CA so the city attorney’s role and selection process are clearer to voters; the committee agreed to revisit Measure CA language and consider options including reestablishing an elected city attorney or tightening appointment rules.
Chairman Griffin said the Charter Review Committee will reopen Section 500 and Measure CA after staff circulated a certified copy of the charter amendment language.
Residents and commissioners pressed the committee to make Measure CA’s language plain and to consider restoring an elected city attorney. "We need to bring the position back," Commissioner Marquez said, arguing that council-appointed attorneys have left the city without consistent legal guidance and that voters may have approved Measure CA without fully understanding its effects. Public commenter Lynn Boone said Measure CA "was not really explained to the people" and urged clearer ballot language.
Staff advised the group that Measure CA is a charter amendment requiring a ballot process and Secretary Lister noted the committee should tie any proposed recommendations to specific charter sections (for example, Section 500 and Section 702). Committee members discussed two main paths: (1) reintroduce language that would restore an elected city attorney, or (2) amend Measure CA’s appointment language to increase community involvement and clarify qualifications, residency, and timelines for appointment. "Bring the measure back and add language to it so the community is more involved," Commissioner Marquez said.
Questions centered on practical limits and legal process. Acting staff counsel and administrative staff explained that charter amendments must be placed on the ballot with specific language and then certified by the Secretary of State if approved by voters. Commissioners asked staff to verify whether an elected city attorney must be a resident of Compton; staff said they would confirm residency requirements with the charter and report back at the June 29 meeting.
The committee did not take a final vote on Measure CA; instead members requested clearer options and drafted direction to staff to prepare revised language and legal clarifications for the next meeting. The committee also discussed outreach: several speakers and commissioners urged neighborhood workshops and more substantial public engagement rather than relying on two-minute public comments.
The committee expects to revisit Measure CA and related language at an upcoming special meeting and to receive legal follow-up on the residency question and on whether settlement agreements or prior litigation constrain future charter choices.
