On February 17, 2026, the Fremont City Council officially approved Vice Mayor Yajing Zhang’s recommendation to change Fremont from a general law city to a charter city. This massive transformation — considering Fremont has been a general law city since its incorporation — aims to “provide Fremont with greater flexibility, stronger local control over municipal affairs, and the ability to modernize governance, streamline procurement, enhance project delivery, and tailor administrative and electoral systems to local needs. (Fremont.gov)
When asked about the reason behind this proposal, Vice Mayor Zhang replied, “Fremont has grown into a large and complex city, but our current system is still based on state rules . . . [those] rules don’t always give us the flexibility to operate as effeciently as we could.Fremont is a large city without a charter, which is less common at our size, and because of that our charter must reflect clear guardrails aroudn authority to maintain trust, and to balance efficiency with collaboration. Our end goal is not to copy another city, but to design something that truly fits Fremont.”
Becoming a charter city would give Fremont the authority to manage municipal affairs, which are defined as the operations concerning a city’s internal management, such as taxes, land usage, zoning, public safety, and local elections (UC Berkeley Law). Simply, this would mean that the City Council would hold the power to determine land-use delegation and neighborhood density. Additionally, this transition would grant Fremont the authority to bypass many state-level mandates, instead favoring local opinion.
Regarding the impacts on Fremont residents, people could possibly see a change in how municipal processes function. A charter would allow Fremont to decide how and when it elects city officials, which could include a transition to rank-based voting, unique term limits (as long as they do not violate the constitution), district boundaries, and much more.
However, the biggest impact on residents, as previously mentioned, would be the possible tax changes. Property transfer taxes, specialised business license taxes, and city-only transfer taxes are just some of the different charter-city-exclusive taxes that would be available for the city council to impose. Additionally, Fremont would also have greater freedom in choosing how to spend those tax funds, as a result of increased control over municipal affairs. That might mean the frequency and types of construction projects that occur in Fremont would also be subject to change. Because Fremont would be more involved in the process and have the final say, developers will no longer be able to bypass resident objections. Zhang commented on this, saying that “residents will see faster and more efficient city services and clearer accountability. In terms of daily interaction, residents will still be able to contact their officials and hold public meetings, but the speed and responsiveness of doing so will be improved.”
Currently, around 26% of California cities are classified as charter cities. However, among those 26%, California’s ten most populous cities, including San Jose, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, are all charter cities. According to the SF Chronicle, over 58% of Californians currently live in a charter city.
While the extra flexibility and increased control over internal affairs may seem like a no-brainer for some, others fear that a transition into a charter city leads to higher taxes. The traditionally year-long process is also being rushed to be completed by November, another cause of concern for voters. Adding on to that, some critics point out that many of the issues present can be solved through Fremont’s preexisting framework, rather than pursuing a long and costly chartering process, according to East Bay Insiders.
When originally proposed, council members were presented with the choice to put the issue on either the November 2026 ballot or the 2028 ballot. However, because it was voted to be included in the 2026 ballot, council members will have to condense the normally year-long procedure into a 4-month process. Select council members also reflected this concern, instead pushing for the issue to be postponed until the 2028 ballot.
AP Gov teacher Ms. Fields worried about what exactly the charter could entail, saying, “It’s kind of just speculation right now, like some cities have switched to charters and been fine. But then there are charters that have been used to legally kick all homeless people out of the city. Again, the devil is really in the details.”
Nevertheless, the deliberation process will still be a complex procedure, with residents having the final say in the November midterms.
The Charter Advisory Committee, created in order to provide input for the development of the charter, will meet on Monday nights from March 23 to April 27. All meetings will be televised on Comcast Channel 27, where residents will be able to watch.
