Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, February 07, 2023
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER (1) RESCINDING COUNCIL POLICY NO. 1.1.02, (2) INTRODUCING AN ORDINANCE REPEALING SECTION 2419 OF THE CARSON MUNICIPAL CODE, AND (3) APPROVING A REVISED COUNCIL POLICY NO. 1.45, RELATED TO RESTRICTIONS ON COUNCILMEMBER MASS MAILINGS AND TOWN HALL MEETINGS AT PUBLIC EXPENSE (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
This item is on the agenda at the request of Mayor Davis-Holmes. The City's current rules surrounding Councilmembers' authority to send mass mailings and hold town hall meetings using City funds are confusing, administratively burdensome, unnecessarily more restrictive than state law, and out of date, particularly in light of the City's switch to Council districts and the need for Council members to conduct and publicize town hall meetings to discuss matters of City governance with their constituents. To address these issues, approval of the recommendation for this item would do the following:
(1) Rescind Council Policy ("CP") No. 1.1.02 ("Council Communications [Flyers, Handouts, Ceremonial Letters for Distribution and Other Printed Materials]") (formerly SMP 1.56);
(2) Introduce an Ordinance to Repeal Carson Municipal Code ("CMC") Section 2419 ("Prohibited Mass Mailings by Councilmembers"); and
(3) Adopt a revised version of CP No. 1.45 ("Meetings Convened by Less than a Quorum of the City Council and Use of City Staff Resources, of Free Use of City Facilities for the Same").
The recommended actions would revert the City back to compliance with state law (the Political Reform Act and the FPPC Regulations thereunder) on these topics rather than also being subject to compliance with the more restrictive current City codes and policies, as detailed in the background section of this report.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE all of the following actions:
1. RESCIND CP No. 1.1.02 in its entirety (Exhibit No. 1);
2. INTRODUCE, for first reading by title on...
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