4-Year Terms For City Council Members Approved In Mission Viejo

MISSION VIEJO, CA — Mission Viejo City Council members may get more time on the dais, after the city council opted unanimously to move forward with establishing four-year terms for all five seats on the council Tuesday.

The development comes weeks after a county judge ruled that all five members of the city council must stand for election in November, according to a previous Patch report.

RELATED: Judge Rules All Mission Viejo Council Members Must Join Ballot In Nov.

"While this matter is essentially still pending before the courts and wouldn't have reached a final resolution for months, the city council... took preemptive action to prevent confusion and uncertainty heading into the general election," the City of Mission Viejo said in a statement.

The city also said that the vote was taken particularly for voters and potential city council candidates, and to accommodate "recent requests" from the Orange County Registrar of Voters regarding ballots and campaign materials.

“We proactively establish… that all five districts be up for election,” Mayor Wendy Bucknum said in a statement. “We run our City in a smart, efficient and common sense manner.”