Sunnyvale voters asked to amend city charter

November ballot measure would make 3 administrative changes.

Charter vote set

The Sunnyvale City Council decided last month to place a city charter amendment measure on the Nov. 5 election ballot.

The Sunnyvale City Charter governs how the city operates and provides services to the community. Sunnyvale voters adopted the charter in 1950 to increase local control over municipal affairs.

Amendments to the charter require voter approval. The charter was last amended in 2020 when voters approved changing to a directly elected mayor and a district-based electoral system for selecting city councilmembers.

In late 2023, the city council discussed several proposed changes to the charter. Voters will be asked to decide on three administrative changes: replacing gendered references throughout the charter with gender-neutral language; requiring 24 regular council meetings per year vs. two per month to provide greater scheduling flexibility; and eliminating voter registration and citizenship requirements for all boards and commissions to remove barriers to volunteering.

To learn more about the proposed ballot measure, visit Sunnyvale.ca.gov and search on “elections.”

Marketable bike valet

The City of Sunnyvale is funding the operation of a free bike valet service at the Sunnyvale Farmer’s Market every Saturday through July 20.

From 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., shoppers can drop off their two-wheelers at the designated bike valet station on Murphy Avenue between Washington and McKinley avenues and pick them up when they’re done at the market. Unclaimed bikes will be left onsite.