Fullerton City Council is pushing to become a charter city. What is a charter city? What does that look like and what will that mean for Fullerton residents?

Fullerton College’s Professor of Political Science Jodi Balma, hosted a workshop on June 12th that aimed to educate the public about charter cities, their operation, and what Fullerton’s pathway will look like heading into next year’s midterms.

On June 3rd, Fullerton City Council passed a motion to investigate a charter for the City of Fullerton. In a 3-2 vote (Charles and Zahra opposed), the city council approved the “Council City Charter Method with Advisory Group,” which would allow the city to construct a charter by an advisory committee with one member appointed by each Councilmember. The City council did not mandate that representatives on the advisory board had to live in the district. Additionally, the council majority chose to draft the charter instead of forming a citizen committee to do so. 

“You could, hypothetically, […] have five people that live in the same house be appointed by those five advisory positions, and not be fully representative of that district,” Balma said to a lecture hall of Fullerton residents.

If council approves the proposal to transfer to a charter form of government the issue may go to voters as soon as the November 6th election next year, but what would that look like?

“A charter is the constitution of a particular city. It is neither good nor bad,” said Professor Balma.  Fullerton is a General Law city, which means it follows the general laws of California’s constitution. If the council decides to put the Charter City choice on the ballot, Fullerton residents could vote to switch over to a city constitution or stay a General Law city. If the Charter option is selected by voters it would mean the city’s rules will hold more power than those of the state in some areas, however charter cities must continue to comply with the state’s laws. For example, charter cities can increase their minimum wage to be higher than California’s, but it cannot be lower.

A city’s charter can also vary in length depending on what is necessary. For example, San Francisco’s charter is 538 pages long, while Buena Park’s is two pages long.

Fullerton City Council could vote sometime next summer to officially add the charter question to the November 2026 ballot. The total costs to include the charter on the ballot are currently unknown. Based on the June 3rd city council meeting, however, The Orange County Registrar of Voters reports each measure will cost $8,500 to include on the municipal ballot, while a special election could range from $250,000 to $500,000.

The total cost could vary depending on several factors, including, but not limited to: potentially outsourcing of legal reviews, hiring a consultant to draft the charter, efforts to inform the public through mailers or other informational materials, and staff time. 

The charter could be used to create a nepotism ban within the government or to raise the wages of city officials, among other actions. Ultimately, Fullerton residents could amend the charter however they see fit through subsequent public votes. To amend a city charter, a process needs to be followed that involves proposing the amendment, gathering support, and then either having it approved by the voters in a citywide election or the governing body, or both. The specific steps can vary by jurisdiction.

Fullerton residents broke into groups and suggested potential ideas and concerns they had regarding Fullerton’s charter city status. Some expressed concerns regarding government overreach and potential fraud. Others proposed the charter to implement an ethics committee to oversee the city council.

Overall, residents expressed deep concern about how city officials will use the charter. However, some remained optimistic, hoping that their voice would help shape the future of government within Fullerton.

Watch the full lecture here.

Click here to read, “Who asked for a Charter City?”

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