Five city councils in Southern California have voted to leave the League of California Cities, or CalCities, an organization that lobbies on behalf of state municipalities due to policy disagreements, Politico reported.
The city councils of Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Orange, and Yorba Linda have all voted in the last month to leave CalCities, the municipal lobbying group founded over 125 years ago that includes most of the state's 482 cities as members.
Many of those city councils cited the group's decision to join with Democrats in pushing back on a tax reform proposal led by business groups and for backing Gov. Gavin Newsom on Proposition 1, which overhauled how the state treats mental illnesses, addiction, and homelessness.
"I want to send a message that they shouldn't have been on board with Prop. 1 in the first place," Huntington Beach Councilman Tony Strickland said last month in a council meeting, according to the Los Angeles Times. "Their job is to represent us at the local government, not to represent Gavin Newsom."
Councilmembers in the city of Orange cited the large membership costs, which are based on population size and cost the city about $34,000 per year.
"I don't think we've had any influence," city of Orange councilmember Kathy Tavoularis said in March. "We certainly didn't with Prop. 1."
Yorba Linda Mayor Pro Tem Beth Haney told Politico that the council is "sending a message" by voting to leave the group, "along with the other cities that are disappointed."
"I'm certainly disappointed," Carolyn Coleman, executive director and CEO of CalCities, told Politico. "At the end of the day, I believe that we are stronger — and I also believe their cities have the opportunity to be stronger — by us working together."
She previously told the LA Times, "While not everyone will agree on every position CalCities takes, CalCities' advocacy positions are the result of a member-driven process that reflect a fundamental belief that cities in California are stronger when we stand united and advocate for the common interests of all cities."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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