Every voice matters! Appoint a voting delegate for the 2026 General Assembly

The General Assembly will convene on Sept. 25 during the Annual Conference and Expo. Appoint a voting delegate to represent your city by Sept. 1

By Zach Seals, governance and leadership support manager

Every year, Cal Cities convenes a member-driven General Assembly to vote on policy resolutions that impact local control. The General Assembly, held this year in Anaheim on Sept. 25, is a meeting of all voting delegates — one from every member city. Cities must appoint a voting delegate by Sept. 1.

Who is a voting delegate, and what are they responsible for?

A voting delegate is a council-appointed city official — elected or appointed — who represents their city at the General Assembly. Delegates play an important role during the General Assembly by voting on resolutions, which if approved, become Cal Cities policy.

Voting delegates should attend the full conference through the General Assembly, which takes place on the Friday of the annual conference. However, delegates can register for just the Friday portion of the annual conference if they cannot attend the full conference.

How does a voting delegate prepare for their role?

Cal Cities wants to ensure each voting delegate understands their role. A voting delegate may want to prepare by reviewing Cal Cities’ resolutions process and General Assembly procedures.

Should Cal Cities receive a resolution by the July 25 deadline, the resolution will be sent to member cities for council consideration. Discussing resolutions during a council meeting is a helpful way to prepare voting delegates for the General Assembly.

How does my city appoint a voting delegate?                 

Per Cal Cities’ bylaws, every member city may designate a delegate and up to two alternates, by approval of the city council. The voting delegate appointment packet contains the necessary information cities need to appoint a delegate.

After your city council selects its delegates, complete this online form to submit your delegates. The form must be completed by Wednesday, Sept. 1. Email all questions to votingdelegates@calcities.org.