The Saratoga City Council is the local governing body for the City of Saratoga, California. Saratoga resides in Santa Clara county and is a general law city under California law. The City Council has five members, including one mayor and one vice-mayor. These members are elected democratically by the public and the mayor and vice-mayor are appointed within the membership. The mayor acts as the chairman for council meetings, and it the leader of local government. The mayor does not have a veto. The Vice-mayor is the second level of leadership and serves in the absence of the mayor. Council members serve four year terms with elections happening every two years, either for two or three positions on the council. The City Council of Saratoga, California meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7:00 o'clock p.m. in the Civic Theater of Saratoga City Hall. The current city council as of September 2015 is composed of Howard Miller (Mayor), Manny Cappello (vice mayor), Rishi Kumar, Emily Lo, and Mary Lynne Bernald.
Decisions
The Saratoga City Council has had to make many controversial decisions in a community with residents known to be protectionist of their existing exclusivity. The council was a leader in dealing with the unfunded pension crisis in California.