Fremont Charter City Initiative Public Meeting

Fremont’s Charter Advisory Committee is meeting Monday, April 20, as the city races to finish a proposed charter for the November 3, 2026 ballot. (fremont.gov) The meeting is set for 5 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 3300 Capitol Avenue, Building A. Fremont says the seven-member committee has been meeting every Monday from March 23 through April 27. (nextdoor.com) Fremont is now a general law city, which means it follows the California Government Code for local governance. A charter city writes its own “home rule” document for municipal affairs, subject to voter approval. (fremont.gov) The push started February 17, 2026, when the City Council approved a referral from Vice Mayor Zhang to convert Fremont to charter city status. The council then voted 5-2 to pursue an accelerated schedule aimed at the November 2026 election instead of a later 2028 option. (fremont.gov) On March 3, 2026, the council approved a workplan that created a seven-member, mayor-appointed Charter Advisory Committee. City records say the committee’s job is to help draft and review charter provisions before the proposal goes back to the council. (fremont.gov; fremontcityca.iqm2.com) The seven members listed by the city are Dharminder Dewan, Brad Hatton, Rick Jones, Sue Kwong, Kim Marshall, Sathya Sankaran, and Ben Yee, all appointed March 20, 2026. The committee page says agendas are posted in Fremont’s Agenda Center. (fremont.gov) Fremont says agenda packets for committee meetings are posted the Friday before each meeting, and the Zoom link is included in that packet. The city also says meetings are televised on Comcast Channel 27 and streamed on its website. (fremont.gov; nextdoor.com) The Agenda Center says regular meeting agendas are posted at least 72 hours in advance. It also says public comments can be submitted by email by the deadline listed on the agenda, with messages distributed to officials and published online. (fremont.gov) Monday’s meeting is one of two remaining sessions on the committee’s published schedule, with April 27 listed as the final regular meeting date. The next step after that is council consideration of a proposed charter before voters decide in November. (fremont.gov; fremont.gov)