STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The City of El Cerrito was incorporated as a general law city in 1917 by residents seeking the right to manage local affairs. Since then, the authority of general law cities over local affairs has diminished. Furthermore, the State has continually added mandates for cities that require local resources to address State concerns, increased its control over local matters, and redirected much needed local revenue for its own purposes. Changes in State law have limited the ability of El Cerrito to decide how to use local dollars for local needs. The power of home rule, granted by the California Constitution, makes available to charter cities a variety of tools to use to construct local policy and address local concerns. The voters of each charter city get to decide which tools to put in their tool box. With this Charter, El Cerrito will reclaim more local autonomy and expand the economic and fiscal independence of our City government to promote the health, safety, and welfare of all its residents. Therefore, we do hereby exercise the express right granted by the Constitution of the State of California to enact and adopt this Charter for the City of El Cerrito.

( Ord. of 11-6-2018 )