Cassandra Chase starts her Lakewood City Council service
Published on July 13, 2022
The three winners of the June 7 election in Lakewood were sworn into office at the July 12 Lakewood City Council meeting, including new Council Member Cassandra Chase and re-elected Mayor Steve Croft and Council Member Todd Rogers.
(Photo: From left, Council Member Todd Rogers, Council Member Cassandra Chase, Mayor Steve Croft, Vice Mayor Ariel Pe and Council Member Jeff Wood.)
Vice Mayor Ariel Pe and Council Member Jeff Wood were not on the 2022 ballot but continue serving, as their existing council terms last until 2024. Council Member Vicki Stuckey lives in a district of Lakewood that will not have its election until 2024, but her term in office ended in 2022, so she stepped down from the council at the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting, after she joined other council members in adopting the results of the June 7 election.
Council Member Chase was joined at the council meeting by her parents and many friends and family.
Chase was born and raised in Lakewood, and graduated from St. Joseph High School in Lakewood and the University of California, Irvine.
Chase says her parents instilled in her the value of service. She has been a longtime volunteer with the Lakewood Jaycees, serving as a former Miss Greater Lakewood, which she says inspired her about a community’s ability to come together toward a common purpose.
Chase was one of the first Lakewood community members to be appointed to serve on the Measure L Citizens Oversight Committee starting in 2020.
View the complete bio on Chase and all Lakewood City Council Members.
You can hear Council Member Chase’s remarks after she was sworn in, and those of Mayor Croft and Council Member Rogers, at www.lakewoodcity.org/July12CouncilVideo. The remarks start at the 21:36 mark in the video.
By-district voting and citywide governance
Starting this year, Lakewood is converting from its traditional system, where all five council members were elected at-large by the entire city, to a new district system where each council member is elected by the residents of one of five districts in the city.
Residents in newly created Districts 1, 2 and 5 have now elected council members based on the June 7, 2022 election. In 2024, voters in Districts 3 and 4 will elect new council members. View maps of the districts and learn more about the new district election system.
The change to district elections was brought about by a state law, the California Voting Rights Act, which is leading to hundreds of small and mid-sized cities and school districts making the transition to district elections. In the past, the district system was used primarily just in large cities.
Citywide Governance Policy
At their July 12 meeting, council members approved a “Citywide Governance Policy” to help guide the approach that council members will take in the new era of district elections. The policy reads in part:
- The City Council will govern on a citywide basis and ensure decisions are made based on the needs and interests of the entire community; and
- The City Council wishes to remain united in its customer service to the community and providing excellent quality of life for all; and
- All members of the City Council will help all members of the community regardless of which district residents reside in or from which districts the City Council Members are elected.