By Kota Suzuki, Data team intern Nov 20, 2024
https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/charter-city-tax-voters-19907027.php
The residents of St. Helena recently rejected a charter adoption measure. Brian L. Frank/Special to the Chronicle
Over the last several decades, an increasing number of California cities have transitioned to “charter cities,” and many more could follow suit. The main obstacle? Recent elections show many residents don’t actually want that designation.
Charter cities in California are incorporated jurisdictions that can impose special taxes at higher rates and with greater flexibility than the state law allows, as long as they receive voter approval. For example, charter cities like Oakland and Los Angeles can implement a business license tax for any purpose or levy a property transfer tax, options unavailable to non-charter cities like Cupertino and Fremont.
To become a charter city, a city has to adopt a charter through a majority vote of the city’s electorate.
Currently, 126 of California’s 482 cities are charter cities, making up just over 26% of all municipalities in the state. That’s up from just 86 charter cities in 1993. With major cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego all operating as charter cities, over 58% of Californians currently reside in a charter city.