To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: MICHAEL W. WEBB, OUTGOING CITY ATTORNEY JOY A. FORD, INCOMING CITY ATTORNEY CHERYL PARK, ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY
TITLE
title
DISCUSSION, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE DIRECTION TO STAFF REGARDING RULES OF CONDUCT FOR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
end
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
None.
RECOMMENDATION
Review the current rules, discuss, and provide direction to staff.
BACKGROUND
A City Council may adopt and change its own procedural rules. However, the procedural rules cannot violate the City's charter or statutes. (See City of Pasadena v. Paine (1954) 126 Cal.App.2d 93. The last time a Redondo Beach City Council amended its rules was on November 8, 2022. With the swearing in of three Councilmembers and the Mayor to four-year terms, this is an ideal time to review and possibly amend the Rules of Conduct.
Rosenberg's Rules
The City of Redondo Beach has not adopted any rules of parliamentary procedure. In the past, questions have been resolved by looking to past practice and informally to Robert's Rules of Order. Some cities have formally adopted Robert's Rules. However, the California League of Cities has noted:
Some city councils use the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order as a nonbinding guide to the conduct of meetings. However, Robert's Rules of Order was not written to apply to legislative bodies nor local agencies, and it cannot be strictly followed: therefore, it should not be formally adopted by the council except as a guide to conduct. Many city councils have adopted their own rules or are now using Rosenberg's Rules of Order: Simple Rules of Parliamentary Procedure for the 21st Century.
It is recommended formally adopting Rosenberg's Rules (attached) for more clarity in resolving parliamentary disputes.
Disclosure of Ex Parte Communications
Procedural due process relates to adjudicatory proceedings. Ex parte communications must be substantive and relevant to the matter in order to impact due process rights. However,...
Click here for full text