Joe Patterson resigns from Rocklin City Council to pursue State Assembly run in November

Rocklin Councilmember Joe Patterson resigned from his seat Thursday ahead of his November bid for State Assembly.

Patterson first joined the Rocklin City Council in 2016 and served as the city’s mayor in 2019. Now running to represent California’s 5th Assembly District, he chose to step down from the council to ensure his seat would be filled through an election, rather than by an appointment.

Under California state law, any vacancy before July 2, 2022 must be filled by election, rather than appointment. In his letter of resignation, Patterson wrote that he hoped the timing of his resignation would cause the city to fill his vacant seat during the November election, rather than holding a separate special election.

“In my opinion, democracy is always better when citizens choose their elected representatives and spending $300,000 on a special election is not the best use of taxpayer resources,” Patterson wrote in his letter of resignation. “In this case, I have the ability to save taxpayers money and give the power to the people to choose my successor — even if it means taking the risk that I am not elected to the State Assembly.”

In a news release announcing Patterson’s resignation, the City of Rocklin said that they will hold a special council meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m. to discuss filling the vacancy “either by appointment until a special election can be held, or by calling for a special election without appointment.”

Patterson’s successor will carry out the remainder of his term, which is set to end in November 2024. Two other seats on the Rocklin City Council are also up for election this November, both with four-year terms.

In his November Assembly election, Patterson, a Republican, will face Democrat Rebecca Chenoweth. The Assembly seat is currently held by Republican Frank Bigelow, who is not seeking re-election.

Even as he turns toward statewide office, Patterson said that serving on the Rocklin City Council was “one of the greatest honors of my life.”

“Rocklin is such a beautiful and historic city that has been led by dynamic leaders for generations while laying the groundwork for our thriving community,” Patterson wrote in his resignation letter. “... This is a deeply difficult decision that I have struggled with over the past few weeks, but one that I believe is in the best interests of our city and its residents.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2022 at 5:09 PM.