The Torrance City Council has set three public hearing dates to discuss proposed changes to the city charter, effectively kickstarting the process of potentially amending the municipal guideline.
These hearings are slated for March 12, April 23 and June 4, the City Council decided during a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 27. There will also be a fourth hearing, tentatively scheduled for June 25, during which the panel will decide whether to submit the amendments to voters during the Nov. 5 statewide general election.
However, since June 25 falls on a City Council dark night, a special meeting will need to be called if the panel opts to proceed with a hearing on that date.
In addition, the panel also directed staff to conduct a comprehensive review of the city charter incorporating proposed changes from a July 2019 city council meeting. This review will also consider potential amendments related to runoff elections, the city treasurer position, and the city’s general municipal election date.
As outlined by a staff report, proposed changes from 2019 include modifications to the the city attorney and city manager positions, as well as adjustment to the city council compensation.
During the Feb. 27 meeting, Councilmember Mike Griffiths suggested adding a city-run mailed ballot runoff election for any elected offices where the winner fails to secure at least 50% plus one of the district’s votes.
“For instance, if we had five people running for a council seat in a district, somebody could conceivably win a council seat with as little as 20% plus one of the vote, which in my mind, is not a very strong endorsement of any particular candidate,” Griffiths said.
Mayor George Chen, however, said he is concerned that this would result in a special election and drive up costs.
“We could define what a special election is as you just defined it as a mail-in,” Chen said. “It’s still not zero cost.”
Griffiths also suggested the city implement a removal procedure for city treasurer and consider another method of choosing the city’s election dates that is “a little bit more routine and not subject to changes made by the state.”
Additionally, staff proposes updating the city charter to ensure gender neutrality, as numerous terms assume male representation for elected or appointed positions, they said. Moreover, staff suggests updating position titles and removing obsolete terms.
California law recognizes two categories of cities: general law cities and charter cities. Charter cities are governed by a charter, which is approved by the electorate and functions as the city’s constitution.
If the City Council chooses to amend the city charter, it must hold at least two public hearings before it can submit the amendments to the voters. It also cannot vote on whether to send the amendments to the voters until 21 days after the last public hearing.
Most amendments to the city charter can be voted on during the next regular general municipal election or any established statewide general or primary election. However, amendments affecting employment rights, benefits, or employment status must be decided upon during the statewide general election, per the staff report.
As there are proposed amendments that fall under this category, they must be included in the statewide general election on November 5, 2024, the report went on to say.
The original Torrance City Charter was approved and ratified by eligible voters in an election held on August 20, 1946, and filed with the Secretary of State on Jan. 7, 1947. It has since been amended over a dozen times from 1948 to 2020.
The most recent amendments occurred in 2020, when the City Council proposed three amendments to the voters during the March 3 election of that year. These amendments sought to grant the city 60 days to fill a vacancy on the city council and to make the positions of city clerk and city treasurer appointed instead of elected roles.
Measure U was approved by voters, granting the City Council a 60-day window to fill vacancies. However, Measures Q and J were rejected, thereby retaining the positions of city clerk and city treasurer as elected positions.