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

MISSION VIEJO, CA — Mission Viejo residents will have the chance to elect an entire city council after a county judge ruled that all five members of the city council must stand for election in November, Voice of OC reported Tuesday.

Originally, three members of the five-person council were running for re-election this November. This changed during a hearing Tuesday, when Orange County Superior Court Judge Walter Schwarm ruled that all five must join the ballot this election season.

The ruling was not challenged by Mission Viejo City Attorney Bill Curley, Voice of OC reported. However, Curley said during the hearing that after the 2022 election season, the city will not be able to have all five seats on the ballot every election.

According to Voice of OC, Curley said the city will consider staggering elections by designating some seats to four-year terms, and other seats to six-year terms.

The ruling comes after a lawsuit between the City of Mission Viejo and a resident, who claimed that the city illegally decided two council members did not need to run for reelection this election season despite their terms ending in 2022, according to a previous Patch report.

To read more about the 2022 Mission Viejo City Council Election, view the full article on Voice of OC.