TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Liza Tamura, City Clerk
Martha Alvarez, Senior Deputy City Clerk
SUBJECT:Title
City Council Reorganization:
a) Recognition of Outgoing Mayor Howorth
b) Selection of Mayor
c) Selection of Mayor Pro Tem
d) Approve City Council Assignments
(City Clerk Tamura).
APPROVE
Line
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council recognize outgoing Mayor Howorth, proceed with the selection of the new Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem and approve the City Council assignments.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the recommended action.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Manhattan Beach was organized, formed, and incorporated under the laws of the State of California as a General Law City on December 2, 1912. The City has a “Council-Manager” form of government where the City Manager is appointed by the City Council and is the Chief Executive Officer of the municipal corporation.
The City Council acts as the board of directors of the municipal corporation and meets in a public forum where citizens may participate in the governmental process. The Mayor serves as the chairperson of the City Council. The Mayor Pro Tem is also a member of the City Council and is selected by a majority of the City Council every 9.5 months. The Mayor Pro Tem serves as backup to the Mayor, presides over the City Council meeting in the Mayor’s absence, and attends events when the Mayor is unavailable. The City Council consists of five members, elected at-large on a non-partisan basis, who serve staggered four-year terms, with a two consecutive term limit.
However, recent developments in State Law have required the City and its elected representatives to change election dates and subsequent terms lengths of the City’s elected officials.
The California Voter Participation Rights Act (Senate Bill 415, also known as SB 415) was passed on September 1, 2015. This new legislation prohibits a local government from holding an election on any date other than a statewide election date if doing so in the past has resulted in a significant decrease in voter turnout. SB 415 required the City of Manhattan Beach to either change their election dates to June or November of even years, or, prior to January 1, 2018, adopt a plan to consolidate the City’s General Municipal Election with the Statewide Election no later than the November 8, 2022 Statewide Election.
At the July 19, 2016, City Council Meeting, City Council directed staff to prepare election materials for the March 2017 and March 2019 election reducing the four-year councilmember terms to three years and eight months in order to comply with SB 415. In shortening the City Council’s four-year term, the Mayor’s terms were also adjusted to allow elected officials to serve one, nine-month term as Mayor (instead of 9.5 months).
At the October 18, 2016, City Council Meeting, City Council adopted Ordinance No. 16-0026 establishing new General Municipal Election dates to be held in November of even years beginning in November 2020, to meet state mandates imposed by SB 415. Therefore, in 2019, the City will hold the last General Municipal standalone election in March to be followed by the County consolidated elections in November of even years. Once the County consolidated elections commence, Mayoral terms will commence with the previous 9.5 months rotation amongst City Councilmembers.
For reference, upcoming mayoral terms are scheduled to begin and end at the following dates with the accompanying term lengths:
• September 4, 2018 - June 4, 2019 (9 Months - Steve Napolitano)
• June 4, 2019 - March 3, 2020 (9 Months - Nancy Hersman)
• March 3, 2020 - December 1, 2020 (9 Months - Richard Montgomery).
DISCUSSION:
Within a Councilmember’s term, the City Council conducts a reorganization at which time the Mayor and the Mayor Pro Tem are selected.
The Mayor is a member of the City Council and selected by a majority of the City Council every time a reorganization occurs. As a member of the City Council, the Mayor maintains the rights as a City Councilmember, with the additional ceremonial role of attending public events on behalf of the City Council. It has also been the discretionary responsibility of each Mayor to review the standing list of City Councilmember assignments to various government and community-related committees and make assignment changes as he or she feels are necessary. The City Council assignments will be delivered under separate cover.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council proceed with the selection of the new Mayor, the selection of the new Mayor Pro Tem and the approval of City Council assignments.
POLICY ALTERNATIVES:
There are no policy alternatives with the recommended action.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Upon selection of the new Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem, staff will notify all organizations to ensure that the agency has the updated names of the revised liaison representatives.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
There is no environmental review with the recommended action.
LEGAL REVIEW:
There is no legal review with the recommended action.
Attachment:
1. City Council Assignments (to be delivered under separate cover)