Fremont May Alter Council Powers, Pay

Fremont leaders are considering whether a proposed city charter should rewrite parts of how the city’s elected officials work, including what authority the council holds and how the mayor and councilmembers are compensated. The discussion is unfolding through a charter process the City Council launched this year, with a target of sending a proposed charter to voters on November 3, 2026. Fremont is now a general law city, meaning many rules on municipal structure and pay are set by state law rather than local charter provisions. The current review began on February 17, 2026, when the Fremont City Council approved a referral submitted by Vice Mayor Yajing Zhang to begin the process of transforming Fremont into a charter city. On March 3, 2026, the council approved a work plan that created a seven-member, mayor-appointed Charter Advisory Committee to help draft provisions for council consideration. Mayor Raj Salwan appointed the committee’s seven members on March 20. (fremont.gov) ### Why are council powers and pay even on the table? California’s charter-city system allows cities to write a local governing document that can control some municipal affairs, including elements of administrative and electoral structure, instead of relying only on the California Government Code. Fremont’s charter initiative page says the stated goal is to give the city “greater flexibility, stronger local control” and the ability to tailor administrative and electoral systems to local needs. (fremont.gov) Fremont’s own description of the current system says the City Council adopts the budget, makes major policy decisions and appoints the city manager, who hires staff and manages day-to-day operations. A charter could preserve that structure or alter parts of it, depending on what the council ultimately places before voters. ### What specific changes have surfaced so far? Patch and other local coverage have pointed to two live areas of discussion inside the charter process: elected-official compensation and the scope of council authority. (fremont.gov) Independent summaries of Charter Advisory Committee meetings say the panel discussed pay structures for the mayor and councilmembers in April and later continued discussing council salary levels. (fremont.gov) One outside summary of the committee’s recommendations said the panel backed aligning councilmembers’ health benefit allowance with other city employees and recommended 1.5 dedicated staff positions to support elected officials, including one half-time allocation for the mayor. That same summary said staff presented comparative compensation data showing Fremont’s mayor and council near regional medians. The city’s public charter materials reviewed here confirm the committee’s role in drafting recommendations, though the full committee record on those compensation points was not fully accessible through search results. (opgov.news) ### How far can Fremont go without voters? Fremont cannot become a charter city without voter approval. The city’s charter initiative page says the process requires preparation of a proposed charter, public review and placement of the measure on a ballot, followed by majority approval from Fremont voters. The City Council also retained control over development of the proposed charter rather than using an elected charter commission. (citizenportal.ai) In Fremont’s process, the advisory committee drafts and reviews provisions, but the council decides what proposal, if any, advances to the ballot. ### Who is writing the draft now? The seven-member Charter Advisory Committee was established by the council on March 3 and was scheduled to meet Monday evenings from March 23 through April 27 at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 3300 Capitol Avenue. (fremont.gov) The listed members are Dharminder Dewan, Brad Hatton, Rick Jones, Sue Kwong, Kim Marshall, Sathya Sankaran and Ben Yee. The city says agenda packets for the charter process are posted in advance and that public comments can be submitted before meetings. Fremont also provides council agendas, meeting materials and instructions for public comment through its Agenda Center and meeting pages. ### What should Fremont residents watch next? November 3, 2026, is the date Fremont leaders are aiming for if the council decides to place a proposed charter before voters. (fremont.gov) The city’s charter initiative page says the council chose an accelerated schedule over a later 2028 option in a 5-2 vote. Residents can track the next step through the City Council agenda pages, where the committee’s draft and any council action would be posted before a vote on ballot placement. (fremont.gov)