Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER (1) RESCINDING COUNCIL POLICY NO. 1.1.02 AND (2) INTRODUCING AN ORDINANCE REPEALING SECTION 2419 OF THE CARSON MUNICIPAL CODE RELATED TO RESTRICTIONS ON COUNCILMEMBER MASS MAILINGS AT PUBLIC EXPENSE (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
This item is being reintroduced from the February 7, 2023, City Council meeting and is on the agenda at the request of Mayor Davis-Holmes separate and apart from the item regarding District Councilmember Events and Town Halls.
The City's current rules surrounding Councilmembers' authority to send mass mailings using City funds are confusing, administratively burdensome, unnecessarily more restrictive than state law, and out of date, particularly in light of the City's switch to Council districts and the need for Council members to publicize District Events including District Town Hall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); and
(2) Introduce an Ordinance to Repeal Carson Municipal Code ("CMC") Section 2419 ("Prohibited Mass Mailings by Councilmembers").
The recommended actions would revert the City back to compliance with state law (the Political Reform Act and the FPPC Regulations thereunder) 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); and
2. INTRODUCE, for first reading by title only and with full reading waived, Ordinance No. 23-2302, entitled "AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ...
Click here for full text