The Fremont City Charter question will not be placed on this November’s ballot, after a vote by the city council on July 28. The city charter initiative received pushback at the July 7 second public hearing by residents who thought the process was too rushed and were not aware of the initiative. More than half of 36 public comments at the July 28 meeting continued that sentiment.
The council would instead continue community engagement on the city charter initiative and hold study or work sessions discussing ordinances that don’t require a city charter. These items include the mayor being able to add agenda items, hiring or firing a staff member who would serve the council, and filling a suddenly vacant council seat with the candidate who received the next highest number of votes.
Mayor Raj Salwan congratulated residents for showing up and caring about their local government. “More Fremont residents understand what a charter is today than at many previous points in our history. That alone is an achievement.”
For web, replace this paragraph with: Vice Mayor Yajing Zhang said this gives the community more time to understand why a city charter would benefit the procurement process. “I think that what needs to be done is, focus more on the operational improvement. So that [people] can clearly see the benefit of being a charter.” She said government transparency and staffing an independent auditor are things that can only be done by a city charter.
One resident said she doesn’t see the charter solving financial problems or corruption. “Charter cities are not immune from ethics violation or corruption. In fact, that is one of the first concerns I had, when I read about the charter city proposal, we have laws in place regarding corruption, so the question is about implementation. The unusual fast tracking of such a significant change, and using confusing legal language, makes me question the council’s commitment to the community’s opinion and our interest.”
Some residents support the charter idea. One who attended Fremont schools said a charter gives a chance for residents to decide how the city is governed. “Rather than relying entirely on rules written in Sacramento, for hundreds of different cities,” he said, “a charter allows Fremont residents to help shape a governing framework that reflects the priorities and values of our own community.”
