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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 07a - Appoint Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem STAFF REPORT OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK DATE: May 19, 2026 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Dominic Lazzaretto, City Manager By: Justine Bruno, Deputy City Manager SUBJECT: APPOINT THE MAYOR AND MAYOR PRO TEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH RESOLUTION NO. 7463 CEQA: Not a Project Recommendation: Make Appointments SUMMARY On December 6, 2022, Eileen Wang was sworn into the Arcadia City Council and held public office until her resignation on May 11, 2026. The resignation of Ms. Wang from the Arcadia City Council creates a vacancy in the Mayoral position and in Arcadia’s District 3 for the balance of the term, which is set to conclude upon the certification of the results of the November 3, 2026, General Municipal Election. In a separate agenda item, the City Council will provide direction on the process they seek to fill the vacancy in District 3; however, in the interim, it is recommended that the City Council appoint a Mayor, and potentially, a Mayor Pro Tempore. It is recommended that the City Council appoint a new Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem from among the current membership of the City Council, in accordance with Resolution No. 7463. BACKGROUND During the General Municipal Election of November 8, 2022, Arcadia voters approved three ballot measures, one of which included amendments to the City’s Charter. Measure CA included a series of modernizations and updates to the Arcadia City Charter that also included establishing the rotation for the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempore (“Mayor Pro Tem”). Under the approved Charter amendments, the Mayor Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem Appointments May 19, 2026 Page 2 of 3 and Mayor Pro Tem position rotate every 9½ months. In anticipation of the passage of the proposed Arcadia City Charter amendments, Resolution No. 7463 was adopted by the City Council on October 4, 2022. Under Resolution No. 7463, the rotation of City Council Members, by district, into the position of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem was established, as well as the procedures to address resignations and vacancies. According to Resolution No. 7463, if a City Council Member resigns from the office of Mayor or if there is a vacancy in the district that is to serve as Mayor, then the City Council should select one of its members, by majority vote, to serve as the Mayor for the remainder of the unexpired term. The process outlined under Resolution No. 7463 allows for the new Mayoral appointment to continue to hold office for the remainder of the current 9½-month term. The same process applies to selection of the Mayor Pro Tem. DISCUSSION On December 6, 2022, Eileen Wang was sworn into the Arcadia City Council and held public office until her resignation on May 11, 2026. The resignation from the Arcadia City Council creates a vacancy in the Mayoral position and in District 3 for the balance of the term, which is set to conclude upon the certification of the results of the next General Municipal Election. In a separate agenda item, the City Council will provide direction on the process they seek to fill that vacancy. Due to the vacancy created by the resignation of former Mayor Eileen Wang, a new Mayor should be selected to fill the vacancy of that role from among the current City Council Members. The current Mayoral term began on February 3, 2026, and will conclude upon the certification of the results from the General Municipal Election on November 3, 2026. In previous election cycles, the results of the General Municipal Election have been transmitted to the City Clerk for certification by the City Council prior to the first meeting in December; however, it is possible that more time would be required. Based upon who is selected to fill the Mayoral vacancy, the selected Council Member should expect to serve until December 1, 2026, possibly until December 15, 2026. If the City Council is unable to reach a consensus on the Mayoral appointment by majority vote, then the Mayor Pro Tempore shall serve as the Acting Mayor until that appointment occurs or the Mayoral term elapses. The City’s current Mayor Pro Tem Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem Appointments May 19, 2026 Page 3 of 3 is District 4 Council Member Paul Cheng, who would, otherwise, be the next Council Member to rotate into the Mayoral position in December 2026. Continuing with the rotational order established in Resolution No. 7463, the next rotational Mayor Pro Tem in December 2026 would be District 1 Council Member David Fu. According to Resolution No. 7463, it is recommended that the City Council select a member from among its current body to fill the Mayoral seat for the remainder of the unexpired term, approximately 6½ months. If the appointment to the Mayoral seat necessitates the appointment of a new Mayor Pro Tem, it is recommended that the City Council make that appointment as well. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), as it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the environment. FISCAL IMPACT Fiscal impacts associated with the appointment of a new Mayor and/or Mayor Pro Tem are minimal and can be absorbed within the Fiscal Year 2025-26 City Council Operating Budget. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council determine that this action is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”); and appoint a Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem from among the current City Council, in accordance with Resolution No. 7463. Attachment No. 1: Resolution No. 7463 RESOLUTION NO. 7463 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AR CADIA ESTABLISHING THE ROTATION FOR THE MAYOR AND MAYOR PRO TEMPORE WHEREAS, Section 404 of the Charter of the City of Arcadia currently requires the City Council to select a Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempore annually by majority vote of the City Council; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution No. 7451, the City Council has proposed an amendment to the City Charter, which the City's voters may adopt by approving Measure CA at the November 8, 2022, election; and WHEREAS, if adopted by the voters, the amendment will modify Section 404 of the Charter to require that the offices of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempore shall be filled automatically by rotation among the Councilmembers with each serving a term of approximately nine (9) and one-half (1/2) months; and WHEREAS, if adopted by the voters, the amendment to Section 404 will direct the City Council to establish implementing procedures to enable the automatic rotation of offices; and WHEREAS, in anticipation of the voters potentially approving Measure CA, the City Council now desires to establish procedures to implement the revised Section 404 so that the Mayoral rotation will be in place when the new City Council is seated; and WHEREAS, the revised Section 404 delegates the responsibility to the City Council to determine appropriate implementing procedures for Mayoral rotation, which includes the power to consider such matters as the order of rotation, procedures for resignation or vacancy, and grounds for removal; and 1 Attachment No. 1 5