Anaheim Municipal Code Ch. 1.26 Election of City Council Members and Establishment of Council Member…

.010 City-wide Election of Mayor. The Mayor shall be elected in the manner and shall serve a term of office as provided in the City Charter.

.020 “By District” Election of City Council Members (Other than the Mayor). Beginning with the November 2016 general municipal election, a person elected as a member of the City Council other than the Mayor shall be a resident of his or her respective Council District created by Section 1.26.020.010 (as may be subsequently reapportioned as provided by the Charter and applicable law) and shall be nominated and elected only by the voters of his or her respective Council District. Only one member of the City Council shall be elected from each Council District by voters of that district.

.030 Eligibility for Office. Eligibility requirements for persons seeking and holding office as the Mayor or as a member of the City Council are provided in the City Charter.

.040 Transition Period; Change of District Boundaries. Notwithstanding anything in this Chapter 1.26, and as provided in Section 500 of the City Charter, the members of the City Council in office at the time this Chapter 1.26 takes effect (or any person selected by appointment or election to fill a vacancy created by a Council member elected prior to the effective date of this Chapter 1.26) shall continue in office until the expiration of their respective terms to which they were elected and until their respective successors are elected and qualified. No creation of a Council District or change in the boundary or location of any Council District shall abolish or terminate the term of office of any City Council member prior to the expiration of the term of office for which the member was elected, notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter 1.26. (Ord. 6360 § 1 (part); February 9, 2016.)

.010 Beginning with the November 2022 general municipal election, the members of the City Council (other than the Mayor) shall be nominated and elected on a “by district” basis as described in Section 1.26.010.020 from the Council Districts named and depicted in the map attached hereto as Exhibit “A”, which map is hereby adopted in the form and content attached to Ordinance No. 6527. A true and correct copy of said map shall be kept in the Office of the City Clerk. If necessary to facilitate the implementation of this Chapter 1.26, the City Clerk is authorized and directed to make technical adjustments to the Council District boundaries that do not substantively affect populations in the Council Districts, the shapes of the districts, the eligibility of candidates, or the residence of elected officials within any Council District. The Clerk shall advise the City Council of any such adjustments that are found to be required in the implementation of Council Districts. If any such action is taken, the City Clerk shall consult with the City Attorney, and report such technical adjustments to the City Council.

.020 Council members shall be elected in Council Districts 1, 3, 4 and 5 at the general municipal election in November 2016 and at the general municipal election every four years thereafter with the following exception: The Council member elected in Council District 3 shall serve a term of office of two years and such Council District 3 shall be subject to the electoral cycle schedule described in Section 1.26.020.030 following the outcome of the random selection conducted as provided in the remainder of this subsection. At the City Council meeting where the persons elected to the Council Districts referenced in the prior sentence are sworn in, and promptly following such swearing in, the newly sworn City Council shall select, by casting of lots, one of the four Council members elected at the November 2016 general municipal election to hold office for a term of two years and until his or her successor qualifies. Upon the selection of the Council member to serve the two-year term of office, the Council District from which this person was elected shall automatically by operation of law be next up for election as provided in Section 1.26.020.030. The City Clerk is directed to and shall promptly take the ministerial action of inserting that Council District number in the first sentence of this subsection .020 (in the clause following the “colon”) and in the last sentence of Section 1.26.020.030.

.030 Council members shall be elected in Council Districts 2 and 6 at the general municipal election in November 2018 and every four years thereafter. Council members elected in Council District 3 (whose member was elected at the November 2016 election and was thereafter randomly selected to serve a two-year term of office pursuant to Section 1.26.020.020) shall be elected at the general municipal election in November 2018 and every four years thereafter.

.040 The Council Districts specified in Section 1.26.020.010 shall continue in effect until they are repealed or amended as provided by law, including as provided in Charter Sections 500 and 50l.1.

.050 Any territory annexed to or consolidated with the City shall, prior to or concurrently with completion of the proceedings therefor, be added to an adjacent District or Districts in the manner provided by City Charter Section 500.1. (Ord. 6360 § 1 (part); February 9, 2016: Ord. 6527; March 15, 2022.)