Cypress Mayor Pro Tem Stacy Berry has stepped down from city council, marking the third time in recent months an Orange County, Calif. city has been faced with replacing a councilmember.
Berry, citing personal reasons, submitted her resignation June 28 and will effectively resign from her position July 5.
“I would like to thank Mayor Pro Tem Berry for her years of dedicated service on behalf of Cypress,” Mayor Jon Peat said in a statement. “We wish her the best in her new endeavors.”
Cypress city council will discuss options to fill the seat during its July 12 meeting.
The Cypress city charter allows council to appoint a replacement; it must decide how to fill the seat within 60 days of the vacancy. Otherwise, a special election will be held.
The new council member will complete the rest of Berry’s term, which ends in November 2022.
Berry was initially elected to council in November 2014 and reelected in November 2018. She was appointed mayor by her council colleagues in 2018.
Earlier this year, the city council in Orange, Calif. appointed a new councilor to fill a vacancy after a judge ruled that a newly-reelected councilmember was in violation of term limits.
Orange councilmember Mike Alvarez was replaced by Kathy Tavoularis after he ran and won a third term, despite the city’s two-term limit.
More recently, Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz stepped down from his role. Ortiz met with much criticism throughout his term due to his anti-mask stance.
He said his resignation was initiated after his family’s safety was threatened.
“As of recent, the attacks against me have involved my family,” Ortiz said during a June 1 council meeting. “I’ve tried as hard as I possibly could, but when my children’s safety becomes a matter, I’m a father and I will protect my children. Once again, I did as best as I possibly could do and hope I didn’t let anybody down.”
Huntington Beach is in the process of interviewing candidates for his replacement.
