CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KERO) — California City seeks applicants for two vacant council seats as ICE detention center nears opening California City is accepting applications to fill two vacant council seats after Jesse Hightower and Michael Kulikoff stepped down last week. The application deadline is July 29 at 4 p.m.
Mayor Marquette Hawkins said a special election would be the preferred method to fill the vacancies, but the city lacks the necessary funds. Instead, the city council will appoint new members after conducting interviews with applicants at a special meeting.
"They're stepping into a responsibility. Plain and simple. It's a responsibility to be held accountable for their actions and the decisions that they make. They're stepping into serving the community and helping to see the vision to help us raise the quality of life for the entire community and all stakeholders," Hawkins said.
The new council members will face numerous challenges in our neighborhood, including the imminent opening of an ICE immigration detention center.
CoreCivic, a private prison company, appears close to finalizing a contract with Homeland Security. California City's existing contract with CoreCivic ends next month, and the city stands to benefit from a new agreement that would include water and sewage rates.
Hawkins noted that California City residents are already working at the facility. He expressed support for community members voicing their opinions about the detention center.
"It's just between the federal government, CoreCivic. We have no power to do anything whatsoever or dictate anything. The only thing that we can do as a city is look into water and sewer rates. I requested personally that we have some oversight at the facility just to make sure that the conditions are humane and above board," Hawkins said.
The July 2 city yard fire remains under active investigation, according to Hawkins.
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