Public forum about charter cities, and if South Lake Tahoe should take steps to become one

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City of South Lake Tahoe is hosting a forum about the pros and cons of being a charter city on Tuesday, September 5 at 5:30 p.m.

The forum will take place in City Council Chambers at the airport. It will also be streamed on Facebook (their page here).

Cities that have not adopted a charter are general law cities, which is what the City of South Lake Tahoe is. General law cities are bound by the state's general law, even with respect to municipal affairs. Of California's 478 cities, 108 of them are charter cities.

From the California League of Cities:

The California Constitution gives cities the power to become charter cities. The benefit of becoming a charter city is that charter cities have supreme authority over “municipal affairs.” In other words, a charter city’s law concerning a municipal affair will trump a state law governing the same topic.

The charter city provision of the State Constitution, commonly referred to as the “home-rule” provision, is based on the principle that a city, rather than the state, is in the best position to know what it needs and how to satisfy those needs. The home-rule provision allows charter cities to conduct their own business and control their own affairs. A charter maximizes local control.

A city charter, in effect a city’s constitution, need not set out every municipal affair the city would like to govern. So long as the charter contains a declaration that the city intends to avail itself of the full power provided by the California Constitution, any city ordinance that regulates a municipal affair will govern over a general law of the state.

A charter city is not bound by the California Elections Code and may establish its own election dates, rules, and procedures.

A charter city may impose a real property transfer tax.

For a full chart of the differences between Charter and General Law cities, visit HERE.