(a) 
The regular meeting time for the Escondido city council will be on the first four Wednesdays of each month, commencing with closed session items at 4:00 p.m. and a regular public meeting at 5:00 p.m. Such meetings may be canceled from time to time depending on the number of agenda items, availability of council members or related circumstances. Unless publicly noticed otherwise, all meetings shall take place at Escondido City Hall, 201 North Broadway, Escondido, California.
(b) 
The Escondido city council may adopt rules of decorum and procedure from time to time by means of city council resolution. Rules adopted to expedite the transaction of the business of the council in an orderly fashion are deemed to be procedural only and the failure to strictly observe such rules shall not affect the jurisdiction of the council or invalidate any action taken at a meeting that is otherwise held in conformity with law.
(c) 
Any person using vulgar, profane, loud or boisterous language at any meeting or otherwise interrupting the proceedings of the council, or who refuses to carry out orders and instructions given by the presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the council meeting, or who interrupts proceedings, shall upon conviction be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.
(d) 
The chief of police, or such member of the police department as designated, shall be sergeant-at-arms of the city council, and shall attend meetings at the request of the presiding officer, city manager, or city council, and shall carry out all orders given by the presiding officer or council for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the council meetings.
(Code 1957, § 1111; Ord. No. 81-59, § 1, 8-12-81; Ord. No. 82-101, § 1, 10-20-82; Ord. No. 87-7, § 1, 2-25-87; Ord. No. 90-13, § 1, 3-28-90; Ord. No. 2005-15, § 1, 6-15-05; Ord. No. 2006-15, § 1, 3-22-06; Ord. No. 2011-05R, § 1, 1-12-11; Ord. No. 2014-09, § 1, 3-19-14; Ord. No. 2019-05, § 1, 4-10-19; Ord. No. 2021-03, § 1, 2-10-21)
The council at any meeting may cancel the holding of any subsequent meeting or meetings of the council. Notice of the cancellation shall be posted by the city clerk on the bulletin board near the council chambers.
(Code 1957, § 1111; Ord. No. 82-60, § 1, 6-30-82)
Editor's note — Section 2-23, providing for the manner of excusing council members from meetings was repealed by Ord. No. 81-59, § 2, adopted Aug. 12, 1981.
(a) 
The city council shall meet on the first Wednesday following certification of the results of the general municipal election and select a deputy mayor by appointment from among the councilmembers. If the deputy mayor leaves elected office, the city council shall appoint a new deputy mayor at the next regular city council meeting.
(b) 
The deputy mayor shall serve a one year term.
(c) 
The deputy mayor position shall rotate among councilmembers representing the four council districts.
(1) 
The city council shall appoint the deputy mayor based on seniority in current office. Each councilmember shall be appointed deputy mayor at least once during their four year term in office.
(2) 
If multiple councilmembers have the same seniority at the time of appointment, the city council shall appoint the deputy mayor based on the highest votes received in the general election.
(3) 
If a councilmember fails or refuses to serve as deputy mayor, the councilmember shall not serve as deputy mayor until the other three councilmembers have another opportunity for appointment.
(d) 
No city councilmember should be appointed deputy mayor during their first year in office.
(e) 
The city council retains the right to appoint the deputy mayor by majority vote, notwithstanding subsection (b), whenever it deems necessary.
Editor's note — It should be noted that Propositions L and M of Res. No. 88-289, passed by the voters on June 7, 1988, provided that the mayor and council members be elected by the voters and that the mayor's term be two years. Proposition N, passed by the electorate on November 5, 1996, provided that the elected mayor's term of office shall be four years (to be effective at the next general municipal election.)
(Ord. No. 2020-28, § 2, 11-18-20)
(a) 
No person shall serve more than two terms as the mayor, whether consecutive or not. This term limit applies to appointed terms and elected terms. A partial term of two years or more in that office shall count as one term. A partial term of less than two years in that office shall not count as one term.
(b) 
No person shall serve more than three terms as a councilmember, regardless of the district represented, whether consecutive or not. This term limit applies to appointed terms and elected terms. A partial term of two years or more in that office shall count as one term. A partial term of less than two years in that office shall not count as one term.
Editor's note — Ord. No. 81-59, § 3, enacted Aug. 12, 1981, repealed § 2-25, providing that council members absent from meetings would be deemed in contempt and fined. Said section was derived from Code 1957, § 1122.
(Ord. No. 2022-20, § 1, 12-14-22)
(a) 
Unless otherwise provided by state law, the mayor shall appoint members and alternates to all state, county, city, and other interagency boards and commissions, including subcommittees.
(b) 
Notwithstanding any other provisions of state law or any other laws of the city, the members of such boards and commissions shall serve at the pleasure of the city council and shall at all times be residents of the geographic area within the city's general plan.
(c) 
Except for the planning commission and the library board of trustees, all city-created boards and commissions shall be governed by a uniform set of bylaws which shall be approved by the city council through adoption of a resolution.
(Ord. No. 2021-14R, § 4, 3-2-22)
The council and its members shall deal with the administrative service of the city only through the city manager, except for the purpose of inquiry; and neither the council nor any member thereof shall give orders to any subordinates of the manager.
(Code 1957, § 1321)
(a) 
Effective on the date the city council members to be elected at the 2026 regular municipal election are sworn into office, the members of the city council shall receive a monthly salary of $2,469.57 per month in accordance with the provisions of section 36516 of the Government Code.
(b) 
In addition to the salary provided for council members in subsection (a), the mayor of the City of Escondido shall receive a monthly salary of $4,035.06, in accordance with the provisions of section 36516.1 of the California Government Code.
(Ord. No. 2023-19R, 12/13/2023; Ord. No. 2025-12R, 1/7/2026)
Pursuant to Section 36503.5 of the California Government Code, the general municipal election for the City of Escondido shall be held on the same day as the day of the statewide general election.
(Ord. No. 82-88, § 1, 9-8-82; Ord. No. 95-4, § 1, 4-19-95)
Unless otherwise provided by this code, appointments of members of all boards and commissions created by the city council and their terms of office shall be governed by the following provisions:
(a) 
The members of all boards and commissions shall be appointed by the mayor from among the residents of the geographic area within the city's general plan.
(b) 
The members of all boards and commissions shall serve at the pleasure of the council, and may be removed from office at any time, without cause.
(c) 
The terms of office for members of all boards and commissions established by the City of Escondido, with the exception of the library board of trustees and planning commission, shall be for a two year period commencing with the actual date of appointment and ending on March 31st of the second year thereafter.
(d) 
Any vacancy which occurs prior to the expiration of a term shall be filled by appointment for the unexpired portion of such term consistent with the nomination procedure provided for in this section.
(Ord. No. 2021-14R, § 4, 3-2-22)
Decisions of all boards and commissions established by the city council shall be appealable to the city council in accordance with the provisions of this section, unless specified otherwise in this code.
(a) 
Any interested party may appeal the decision of a city board or commission within 10 calendar days of the resolution or memorandum of the decision. If there is no resolution or memorandum of decision, an appeal must be filed within 10 calendar days of the date of the board and commission action.
(b) 
All appeals shall be in writing, and shall be accompanied by a filing fee, which shall be established by resolution of the city council. The appeal shall state the decision from which the appeal is taken, and shall contain a concise statement of the reasons for the appeal.
(c) 
Appeals shall be filed with the city clerk. The filing of an appeal shall immediately stay the effective date of the board or commission decision, until the city council has acted upon the appeal.
(d) 
Within the time limits set forth in subsection (b) of this section, the city council, or any individual member of the council, may request review of any decision of a city board or commission. Such review shall be requested in writing, and shall be filed with the city manager and/or city clerk. There shall be no appeal fee payable upon a request for a review by the city council or a member of the city council.
(e) 
The council shall set all appeals of decisions of the board or commission for hearing before the council within 30 days of the date the appeal is filed. By majority vote, the council may approve, modify, or disapprove the decision of the board or commission.
(Ord. No. 92-12, § 1, 3-18-92)
The four city council members shall be elected from four districts and the mayor shall be elected at-large. Each district council member shall reside within and be elected by voters within their respective district. Such districts shall be used in all matters concerning the appointment, recall, vacancy or any other aspects of that particular council seat.
(Ord. No. 2013-17, § 4, 12-11-13)
The city clerk shall maintain a map of the city showing the current boundaries and numbers of each city council district as may be established and amended from time to time by ordinance of the city council.
(Ord. No. 2013-17, § 4, 12-11-13)
(a) 
The city shall hold elections for the seats representing city council districts one and two in November of 2014. The two individuals so elected shall fill the seats of the council members whom were elected in November of 2010.
(b) 
The city shall hold elections for the seats representing city council districts three and four in November of 2016. The two individuals so elected shall fill the seats of the council members whom were elected in November of 2012.
(Ord. No. 2013-17, § 4, 12-11-13)