Governance · Initiative
The City Charter Initiative | Rocha for Turlock Mayor 2026
THE CITY
CHARTER
Transitioning Turlock from a general-law city to a voter-approved Charter City — with a full-time 6-District + 1 Mayor governance model, performance-based compensation, City Manager stability, strict ethics and accountability provisions, and a full realignment of city commissions aligned to the five pillars.
This takes time to do right. Charter City transition requires legal review, community input, a ballot measure, and voter approval. If pursued, the process begins when the decision is made — full implementation follows over multiple years.
Funding Principle
Charter City transition is primarily a legal and governance reform — not a capital expenditure. The process requires legal review, community engagement, and a ballot measure. Costs are administrative in nature and modest relative to the long-term fiscal flexibility a Charter City structure can provide.
Part One
WHY CHARTER CITY STATUS
Turlock currently operates as a general-law city — its powers and structure largely dictated by state law. A Charter City operates under a voter-approved charter, granting expanded "Home Rule" authority over municipal affairs. This is the legal and structural foundation that makes everything else in the Turlock Horizon possible.
HOME RULE AUTHORITY
A Charter City can govern its own municipal affairs without waiting for state permission. Turlock gains the legal authority to set its own rules on contracting, procurement, elections, ethics, and compensation — tailored to Turlock's needs, not Sacramento's defaults.
STRONGER ETHICS FRAMEWORK
State law sets a floor for ethics rules — a Charter sets a ceiling of accountability. Turlock's charter will codify term limits, contribution caps, residency requirements, and audit obligations that cannot be weakened by future councils without a public vote.
FASTER PROJECT DELIVERY
Charter Cities have greater flexibility in public works contracting and procurement. This means the Civic Anchor Project, Horizon District, and other major initiatives can move faster and at lower cost — without being constrained by state prevailing wage and bidding rules that apply only to general-law cities.
VOTER-APPROVED GOVERNANCE
The charter is approved directly by Turlock voters — not imposed by the state or adopted by council resolution. It creates a permanent, accountable governance framework that outlasts any single administration and can only be changed by the people.
Part Two
THE 6-DISTRICT + 1 MAYOR MODEL
The charter establishes six geographically defined council districts plus a citywide-elected Mayor — replacing the current at-large structure with direct neighborhood representation, a clear executive mandate, and a full-time professional governing body.
Northwest Turlock — full-time district-elected council member
Northeast Turlock — full-time district-elected council member
Central Turlock — full-time district-elected council member
Southwest Turlock — full-time district-elected council member
Southeast Turlock — full-time district-elected council member
Growth corridor / new development areas — full-time district-elected council member
Elected citywide — executive leadership with a citywide mandate and reasonable premium compensation reflecting regional representation
Full-Time Professional Council
WEEKLY COUNCIL MEETINGS
The City Council will meet weekly — replacing the current bi-monthly schedule. Regular Council meetings, study sessions, budget hearings, constituent service, regional assignments, intergovernmental boards, committee work, and long-range strategic planning are all part of the full-time role.
PERFORMANCE-BASED COMPENSATION
Council compensation will be benchmarked at a cap of approximately 50% of Turlock's Median Household Income. The Mayor's compensation will be set at a reasonable premium reflecting citywide leadership, regional representation, and additional public-facing responsibilities. This structure is designed to give more working residents, small business owners, educators, parents, and professionals the financial freedom to pursue public service — broadening the candidate pool and strengthening competition for office.
ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION STANDARDS
Council Members will be expected to maintain strong attendance at regular Council meetings, study sessions, budget hearings, and assigned outside committee, regional, intergovernmental, and special district board meetings. Consistent failure to meet adopted attendance and participation standards may result in proportional compensation reduction, subject to clear rules, due process, and public reporting.
LEAVE & PUBLIC SERVICE STANDARDS
Because Council service is treated as a full-time professional role, Council Members may receive reasonable sick leave, family leave, and scheduled absence allowances consistent with the demands of full-time public service — while maintaining accountability to residents.
Part Three
THE "WATCHDOG" GUARDRAILS
Three binding accountability provisions codified in the charter — designed to reduce the influence of money and incumbency in Turlock city government, and to ensure that elected officials remain answerable to residents, not donors or political machines.
LIFETIME TERM LIMITS
A 12-year lifetime cap on holding any combination of elected city offices, structured in 4-year terms. Once a person has served 12 years in Turlock city government, they are permanently ineligible for further elected office — preventing career politicians from cycling between seats indefinitely.
4-YEAR RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT
Candidates must maintain continuous residency within their district or the city for a minimum of four years prior to eligibility for office — ensuring that those who seek to lead Turlock have a genuine, established stake in its community.
$1,000 CAMPAIGN FINANCE CAP
A strict $1,000 contribution cap for all individual and organizational donations to any Turlock city candidate — reducing the influence of large donors, developers, and special interests in local elections.
Part Four
CITY MANAGER STABILITY &
PROFESSIONAL ADMINISTRATION
Establish a clear Charter-based City Manager framework to ensure professional, accountable, and nonpolitical administration of city operations — providing continuity beyond election cycles while preserving full Council authority over policy.
Serves as Turlock's chief administrative officer — responsible for implementing Council policy, managing city departments, preparing the budget, overseeing service delivery, and maintaining professional standards across city government
May serve under a renewable six-year employment agreement — providing continuity beyond election cycles
Subject to annual public performance evaluation and clear professional standards
Removable by the City Council for cause, poor performance, misconduct, or loss of confidence under procedures established by the Charter or municipal code
Preserves Council authority over policy while protecting daily city administration from short-term political interference
The Core Principle
This structure preserves Council authority over policy while protecting daily city administration from short-term political interference — ensuring that professional management of city services continues uninterrupted across election cycles and leadership transitions.
The City Manager serves under a renewable six-year employment agreement, subject to annual public performance evaluation and removal by the City Council for cause, poor performance, misconduct, or loss of confidence.
Part Five
MODERNIZATION,
TECHNOLOGY & TRANSPARENCY
Three additional charter provisions that modernize how Turlock operates, holds itself accountable, and engages with voters — ensuring that city government keeps pace with technology while remaining transparent and accessible to every resident.
AI EFFICIENCY & IMPLEMENTATION INITIATIVE
Establish a standing AI task force to evaluate and implement artificial intelligence applications across city services — including permitting, infrastructure maintenance, public safety support systems, budgeting, forecasting, and resident service platforms. All implementations will require strict safeguards for privacy, cybersecurity, and human oversight.
QUADRENNIAL FORENSIC FINANCIAL AUDIT
Require an independent, comprehensive financial audit every four years covering city finances, procurement, contracts, and expenditures. The audit will incorporate advanced analytics to detect inefficiencies, irregularities, and performance gaps — with results published publicly in accessible language and presented at a dedicated City Council meeting.
PUBLIC CANDIDATE ACCESS
The City will publish an official voter guide for municipal elections, providing each qualified candidate with equal space for a statement, while also linking official campaign websites and contact information on the City's election portal — ensuring voters have direct, equal access to information about every candidate.
Part Six
CITY COMMISSION
REALIGNMENT
Today's commission structure was designed for a general-law city operating at a smaller scale. As Turlock transitions to Charter status, its advisory commissions must be realigned — restructured, renamed, and right-sized to match the responsibilities of a modern Charter City with a clear five-pillar strategic framework.
RENAMED FOR CLARITY
Every commission name will accurately reflect its scope and function. Vague or legacy titles that obscure accountability — and confuse residents about where to engage — will be replaced with clear, descriptive names tied to specific policy areas.
RESTRUCTURED FOR EFFICIENCY
Overlapping or underutilized commissions will be consolidated. Each body will receive a defined charter document, clear deliverables, and a direct reporting relationship to the City Council — eliminating advisory bodies that produce noise instead of recommendations.
7-MEMBER DISTRICT-BASED STRUCTURE
Each commission will be standardized to a 7-member structure — one member appointed from each of the six council districts, plus one at-large member. Appointments are made by the district's council member, with the at-large seat appointed by the Mayor. Terms are 4 years with bi-monthly meetings.
12-YEAR MAXIMUM SERVICE
Commission members are subject to a 12-year lifetime cap on service across any combination of city commissions. All commission sessions will be publicly streamed. This prevents entrenchment, opens civic participation to more residents, and ensures advisory bodies reflect the evolving priorities of the community they serve.
ALIGNED TO THE FIVE PILLARS
Commission portfolios will be mapped directly to the five pillars of the Turlock Horizon — Governance, Economic Development, Education & Workforce, Entertainment & Media, and Community. Every advisory body will have a clear home in the city's strategic framework.
Specific Commission Changes
Current Name
PLANNING COMMISSION
Renamed To
URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (UDC)
The Planning Commission's current name understates its actual scope. Under the Charter, this body will be renamed the Urban Development Commission — reflecting its expanded mandate to guide land use planning, transit-oriented development, architectural standards, and design review for higher-density development where appropriate. The new name signals to residents, developers, and regional partners that Turlock is thinking strategically about its urban future, not just processing permits.
Current Name
PARKS, ARTS & RECREATION COMMISSION (PARC)
Renamed To
PARKS, ARTS, RECREATION & COMMUNITY COMMISSION (PARCC)
The existing PARC Commission is renamed the Parks, Arts, Recreation & Community Commission. Its role is expanded to include formal oversight and advisory authority over parks programming, public art, and recreation services — including oversight of citywide parks and recreation systems, community programming, and multi-use agreements related to the Sports and Entertainment District. PARCC also serves as the City's primary community accountability and engagement commission, providing the first formal layer of public review and input on recreational, cultural, and community-facing city programs prior to City Council consideration. The addition of "Community" reflects this strengthened civic role and the commission's direct accountability to the residents it serves.
Commission-to-Pillar Alignment
01
GOVERNANCE
Ethics, charter compliance, elections, audit
02
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Horizon District, Civic Anchor, business growth
03
EDUCATION & WORKFORCE
Tri-Agency, youth programs, workforce pipelines
04
ENTERTAINMENT & MEDIA
Venues, events, broadcast, tourism
05
COMMUNITY
Housing, utilities, parks, neighborhood services
Implementation Timeline
First 180 Days
Full audit of all existing commissions, boards, and advisory bodies — documenting mandates, membership, meeting frequency, and recent output.
Year One
Public input sessions to gather resident feedback on commission structure. Draft realignment plan presented to City Council for deliberation and amendment.
Charter Ratification
Commission structure codified in the city charter — ensuring stability across future administrations and requiring a public vote to alter the framework.
Ongoing
Annual performance review of each commission tied to pillar-specific outcomes and deliverables. Results published publicly and presented at an annual governance hearing.
"
Experience only matters if it produces results. After years of the same approach, we're still dealing with preventable problems. It's time for a higher standard — one built on accountability, long-term thinking, and real reform.
— Jeremy Rocha
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