Palm Springs City Council continues discussion on possibly switching to elected mayor

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - Palm Springs City Council continued its discussions over a potential change to how the city selects its mayor. 

Since 2019, the city has rotated the mayor's role each year among the five city council members. Changes then also moved the city to district council elections to avoid a lawsuit involving a lack of Latino representation.

Critics of switching back to a directly elected mayor with voting power say it could reintroduce those possible conflicts with the California Voting Rights Act. 

The council discussed the prospect of a new proposal for a mayor without voting power, which city staff would say would negate any Voting Rights Act liability. 

The ceremonial mayor could have the ability to run council meetings, represent the city publicly, and set agendas but also cast votes in case of ties and sometimes veto matters voted on by the council. 

The council pressing the city attorney for answers as to the powers of that non-voting position in relation to them.

No direct action was issued tonight and the city will continue to debate the issue and will be looking for community input on the issue.