A. 
There shall be two regular meetings of the city council during each calendar month, and such meetings shall be held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. A closed session under the provisions of the Brown Act shall be held when necessary at a time specific either before or after the regular session, and the regular session shall commence at six p.m. on said days; provided, however, that if the date of any such regular meeting falls on a holiday, the meeting shall be held on the next succeeding day which is not a holiday.
B. 
Except by majority vote of the city council, the city council shall conclude meetings by ten p.m. The determination of whether to continue the meeting or adjourn the meeting shall be made at the conclusion of the item of council business nearest to ten p.m. In the event there is unfinished business on the agenda, the council may continue any remaining items of unfinished business to the next regular meeting of the city council, or to a special meeting or adjourned meeting at the option of the city council.
(Ord. 2577 § 1, 2021; Ord. 2596 § 1, 2023)
All meetings of the city council shall be held in the council chambers in the civic center of the city of Westminster, unless it is determined by a majority of the city council that it is in the best interest of the city to hold a meeting elsewhere within the city, in which event notice of such change of meeting place shall be given in the same manner as is required for calling a special meeting of the council.
(Prior code § 2201)
A. 
Oral communications from any person other than a city council member shall be limited to matters that are germane to city business. At the discretion of the presiding officer, any matter may be referred to a city department when in the presiding officer's opinion such matter could be more expeditiously handled by the appropriate city department. In order to ensure that those present wishing to address the city council may be given an equal opportunity to be heard, oral communications shall be limited to three minutes per person per section of oral communications; however, by majority vote of the city council, this time limitation may be extended or reduced.
B. 
Oral communications from any person other than a city council member shall not be received until the time for oral communications in the order of business.
(Ord. 2438 § 1, 2009; Ord. 2599 § 1, 2023; Ord. 2605 § 1, 2023)
Following each council meeting, the city clerk may send or hand a type-written copy of the minutes thereof to each member of the city council at their respective residences. Thereafter, the reading of such minutes by the city clerk at the following meeting shall be dispensed with and the council may make corrections or additions at such meetings.
(Prior code § 2204; Ord. 1853 § 5, 1978)
Any person in the audience who, while in attendance at any council meeting, uses profane language or language tending to bring the council or any of its members, or any official of the city into contempt, or any person who persistently interrupts the proceedings of the council, or refuses to be seated or keep quiet when ordered to do so by the presiding officer, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
(Prior code § 2205)
A. 
Title. This section shall be known as the "Rules of Decorum for City Council Members."
B. 
Purpose and Applicability. In adopting these rules of decorum for city council members codified in this section, the Westminster City Council is committed to the democratic process, including each council member's and the public's rights of expression, robust debate and tolerance for disparate views. The city council is also aware that the increasing incivility in our society is particularly acute and detrimental in local political arenas where it threatens the government's ability to function democratically and effectively. An atmosphere of incivility and disrespect among city council members can lead to unnecessary and inappropriate disruptions of the meeting, stifle participation and debate, threaten the quality of decisions, promote an intimidating and harassing environment, and can undermine the local democratic process.
As part of the above commitment, the city council for the city of Westminster strives to practice civility and decorum in their discussions and debate, value each other's time by preserving the orderly conduct of the city's business, defer to the leadership of the mayor or other presiding officer, refrain from any activities or outside conversations during the course of a meeting which unnecessarily disrupts, delays, interrupts, or detracts from the council proceedings, avoid making remarks concerning issues which are not within the city council's jurisdiction, or which are determined to be hateful speech, or speech which is only intended to intimidate, harass or otherwise slander city staff or members of the city council, and refrain from any conduct or speech which interrupts other members of the council while that person has the floor.
These rules of decorum for city council members are adopted as applicable to all meetings of the city council to help ensure that civic engagement and local democracy continue to flourish in the city of Westminster.
C. 
Definitions. For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms are defined as set forth herein:
"Disruption" or "disrupting"
shall have the same meaning as in Government Code Section 54957.95(b)(1). This means engaging in behavior during a meeting of a legislative body that actually disrupts, disturbs, impedes, or renders infeasible the orderly conduct of the meeting and includes, but is not limited, one of the following:
1.
A failure to comply with reasonable and lawful regulations adopted by a legislative body pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.3 or any other law.
2.
Engaging in behavior that constitutes use of force or a true threat of force. This shall be interpreted to mean actual disruption, and not constructive disruption, technical disruption, virtual disruption, or disruption that is determined retroactively, or imaginary disruption.
Examples of disruptive conduct include, but are not limited to:
1.
A council member's persistence in discussing an agenda item, or any other matter, before being recognized by the presiding officer; or
2.
Speaking longer than the allotted time after being told by the presiding officer to stop, or
3.
Interrupting someone else who has the floor after being told by the presiding officer to stop the interruption; or
4.
Failure to comply with the presiding officer's request to maintain decorum during the proceedings; or
5.
Being unduly repetitious; or
6.
Extending discussion of irrelevant issues for the purpose of preventing the accomplishment of business in a reasonably efficient manner; or
7.
Threatening to use force or violence upon another person.
"True threat of force"
shall have the same meaning as in Government Code Section 54957.95(b)(2) and shall be interpreted to mean that a reasonable observer would understand it to be intended as a serious actual threat by the person making the threat to use force or violence.
D. 
Rules of Decorum for City Council Members. While any meeting of the city council is in session, the following rules of order and decorum shall be observed.
1. 
The presiding officer of the city council shall be responsible for maintaining order and decorum at council meetings.
2. 
Each member of the city council shall preserve order and decorum and shall strictly abide by these rules.
3. 
At city council meetings, each city council member shall:
a. 
Make stewardship of the public interest their primary concern.
b. 
Work for the common good of the people of the city of Westminster.
c. 
Treat other council members and members of the public courteously and fairly.
d. 
Listen to other council members respectfully.
e. 
Exercise self-control in demeanor and language.
f. 
Give open-minded consideration to the viewpoints of other council members and city staff.
g. 
Focus on the issues and avoid personalizing debate.
h. 
Refrain from ad hominem attacks, such as publicly criticizing or making intimidating, harassing, disparaging, rude or derogatory remarks regarding or directed to other council members or individual employees of the city.
i. 
Embrace respectful disagreement and dissent as democratic rights that are inherent components of an inclusive public process and tools for forging sound decisions.
j. 
Respect the council-manager form of government structure.
k. 
Not leave the dais for long periods of time.
l. 
Not intentionally miss entire discussions and votes.
m. 
Not to go out into the audience in a manner that disrupts the meeting. If a council member goes out into the audience during a meeting in a manner that is disruptive to the meeting, the council member will be deemed to be acting as a member of the public, and not as a member of the council. Therefore, rules applicable to members of the public will apply.
n. 
Not intentionally refuse to attend closed session meetings.
o. 
Shall not disrupt meetings with recording devices on the dais.
4. 
Acquiring the Floor. Every member of the council desiring to speak shall make a respectful request to the presiding officer and shall wait respectfully until recognized. Once recognized by the presiding officer, the member shall confine him or herself to the question under debate, seeking to avoid overly divisive, personal or indecorous language.
5. 
Every member of the city council shall respect the role of the presiding officer and shall not interrupt him or her unless called upon.
6. 
Every member of the city council shall show respect to other members of the council, and shall not interrupt, speak over, distract, or otherwise disrespect another member of the council when they have the floor to speak.
7. 
A member shall not by conversation, by the utterance of loud, threatening, profane, intimidating, harassing or abusive language, or by engaging in any other disorderly conduct at a city council meeting disrupt, delay or interrupt the city council proceedings.
8. 
Debate. Each council member shall be given an opportunity to speak on an agenda item in order to ask questions or make comments. No council member shall speak twice on any given subject unless all other council members have been given the opportunity to speak. To ensure that each council member has an equal opportunity to address each item, the following orderly sequence shall be followed:
a. 
The presiding officer shall afford each council member an opportunity to speak for up to five minutes.
b. 
During the five minutes, other council members shall not interrupt, except the presiding officer or as allowed under Roberts Rules of Order.
c. 
At the end of a council member's five minutes, they shall defer to the next council member and shall not interrupt.
d. 
At the end of the first round, after each council member has been afforded the opportunity to speak, if any council member desires to make further comments, a second round of up to five minutes per council member shall be provided.
e. 
At the conclusion of the second round no additional discussion shall be required unless a consensus of the city council expresses a desire to continue. If there is a dispute, a vote shall be immediately taken on whether to continue the discussion.
E. 
Sanctions against council members for disrupting meetings. The following rule is adopted to bring greater order to council meetings:
1. 
If a member of the city council does violate the rules contained in Section 2.04.065, a warning will be issued and the presiding officer shall affirmatively state that the member is disrupting the meeting, and that failure to cease the disruptive behavior may result in removal from the meeting.
2. 
If the disruptive conduct continues, a second warning will be given, and, if necessary, a third warning shall be made by the presiding officer. After the third warning, the presiding officer shall take a five minute recess to restore order. The purpose of the recess is to restore decorum and deference to the presiding officer's governance of the meeting, and to hopefully gain compliance by the offending council member to these rules.
3. 
Once the meeting reconvenes, if the disruption continues, the presiding officer shall formally declare that the offending council member is disrupting the presiding officer's ability to conduct the meeting, and the presiding officer shall demand the offending council member to leave. The presiding officer shall then take a five minute recess and renew the request for the offending council member to leave the meeting. If the offending council member refuses to leave, at the discretion of the presiding officer, the presiding officer may choose to end the meeting, or the removal of the offending council member may be enforced.
Prior to enforcing a removal, the presiding officer shall detail in the record the reasons for the removal, including an explanation how the actions of the offending council member are intentionally and pervasively disrupting the meeting, preventing the city council from being able to conduct its business, despite warnings and opportunities to stop the behavior.
4. 
It shall be the duty of any law enforcement officer serving as the sergeant-at-arms at the city council meeting to carry out all orders and instructions given by the presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum including, if necessary, the removal of the disruptive council member under Penal Code 403, or other law as applicable.
5. 
Resisting Removal. Misdemeanor; Penalty. Any council member who resists removal by the sergeant-at-arms shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
6. 
The city council may seek to take any other action authorized by law to prevent intentional and pervasive disruptive behavior, including, but not limited to, seeking a civil protective order or injunction.
7. 
Any actions or statements made by a council member in violation of these rules or in violation of local, state, or federal law does not represent the action or statements on behalf of the city of Westminster and may be considered outside the scope of the member's official duties. In the event of any legal action resulting from a council members actions or statements in violation of law or these rules, the council member may be held personally liable for those actions or statements.
(Ord. 2615, 1/8/2025)
In all matters and things not otherwise provided for herein, the proceedings of the council shall be governed by "Robert's Rules of Order, Revised Edition." However, no ordinance, resolution, proceedings or other actions of the city council shall be invalidated, or the legality thereof otherwise affected by the failure or omission to observe or follow said rules.
(Prior code § 2206)
When the city council conducts a study session, such session shall not be televised or videotaped, but shall be otherwise held in accordance with the law, including, but not limited to, the provisions of the Brown Act. A study session shall be a meeting of the city council wherein the city council takes no action regarding the items on the agenda for that session, provided however that the city council may take action at a study session on any item on the agenda which the city council determines is an emergency situation. An emergency situation shall be a set of circumstances which require immediate action and which cannot be delayed for either a special or regular meeting of the city council.
(Ord. 2319 § 1, 2001)
Pursuant to California Government Code Section 36516 and this section of the Westminster Municipal Code, the city council of the city of Westminster hereby establishes council member compensation in the amount of nine hundred fifty-five dollars and fifty cents per month for the office of mayor and eight hundred fifty dollars and fifty cents per month for council members, effective upon the commencement of a new term of office by the mayor and by any council member.
(Prior code § 2207; Ord. 1853 § 6, 1978; Ord. 1932 § 1, 1981; Ord. 2118 § 1, 1989 Ord. 2425 § 1, 2008)
At the second meeting in November of each year or when the vote has been certified, the city council shall select from its members a vice mayor to serve for a period of one year.
(Prior code § 2208; Ord. 1898 § 1, 1980; Ord. 1993 § 1, 1984; Ord. 2000 § 1, 1984; Ord. 2058 § 1, 1987; Ord. 2539 § 1, 2017)
The general municipal election for all elected city officers shall be consolidated with the statewide general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in each even-numbered year. There shall be an elected mayor, who shall serve a four-year term. There shall be four elected councilmembers, who shall each serve a four-year term.
(Ord. 2362 § 4, 2003; Ord. 2554 § 1, 2018)
The election or appointment of a commissioner or employee of the city as a member of the city council shall constitute the immediate removal of such commissioner or employee from any commission(s) on which he or she is then serving.
(Ord. 2362 § 5, 2003)
The city council may delegate, whether by ordinance, resolution, or other formal action of the council, the authority to execute written contracts, conveyances, instruments and other documents made or entered into by the city. This section is executed pursuant to California Government Code Section 40602.
(Ord. 2482 § 1, 2011)
A. 
City Council. The four elected council members shall be elected by district at the times and in the manner provided in this chapter, in a sequence to be determined by ordinance.
B. 
Residency in Districts. Each member of the city council, except the directly elected mayor, must be a resident of the council district from which the member is nominated at the time the member is nominated, elected, and throughout that member's term of office. In the event any member of the city council ceases to be a resident of the district from which the member (or, in the case of an appointee, a predecessor) was nominated, the office shall immediately become vacant and shall be filled in the same manner as herein provided for other vacancies. If a member of the city council ceases to be a resident of the district from which the member (or, in the case of an appointee, a predecessor) was nominated solely because of a change in the boundaries as provided herein, the member shall not lose office during that term by reason of such change.
C. 
Council Districts. The city is hereby divided into four districts, as set forth herein. Candidates for council seats in each district shall be nominated and elected only by the voters of that district and shall reside in that district.
D. 
District Boundaries. The boundaries of the council member districts of the city shall be established in the manner required by Government Code Section 34877.5 and California Elections Code Section 10010.
E. 
Changes in Boundaries. The boundaries of said city council districts, but not the number thereof, may be changed by ordinance adopted by the city council by three-fifths vote of all its members; provided that districts established by the city council shall be as nearly equal in population and as geographically compact as possible. Boundaries shall be adjusted by the city council before the first day of November of the year following the year in which each decennial federal census is taken by three-fifths vote of the total membership of the city council, and as provided in Elections Code Sections 21601, 21602 and 21607. However, the city council shall not change the boundaries of districts more than once in any two-year period and no such change shall be made within the period of one hundred eighty days preceding a general municipal election. The preceding limitations shall not apply to changes made necessary by changes to city boundaries, as provided in Elections Code Section 21603. After city council has exercised its power to change the boundaries of districts, these changes shall immediately be reflected in the district boundaries specified by ordinance adopted by city council.
F. 
Current Officeholders. The mayor and four members of the city council in office at the time this section takes effect shall continue in office until their terms expire.
(Ord. 2562 § 3, 2019)
A. 
No person shall be eligible to serve in the office of city council member or mayor, in any combination, for more than three four-year terms following the adoption of this measure, commencing with those elected in the November 3, 2020 election.
B. 
Notwithstanding the foregoing and for the purpose of term limitation, any person who is appointed by the city council or elected to fill a vacant office of a city council member or mayor for an unexpired term of more than one-half the original term shall be deemed to have served a full term.
C. 
If a member of the city council is elected mayor, his or her uncompleted term of office shall not count towards the term limits established in subsection A above, provided that:
1. 
The member of the city council is elected to the office of mayor at a general municipal election; and
2. 
The member of the city council's office is not scheduled for election at such general municipal election.
(Ord. 2570 § 1, 2020)
A. 
Westminster is a general law city governed by the council-manager form of government. The mayor and city council make policies and fundamental governmental decisions for the city ("council members"). The city council make decisions with advisory assistance from the members of the city's subservient bodies, boards, commissions, and committees. For purposes of this section the council members, together with the members of these subservient bodies, boards, commissions, and committees, are hereinafter collectively referred to as "public officials."
The city manager is charged with implementing the policies and decisions of the city council, and with administering the day-to-day affairs of the city with the assistance of his or her staff. The city council has direct authority over the city manager and the city attorney. All other employees of the city ("city staff" or "staff") are under the direct authority of the city manager. In seeking to carry out the city council's vision, it is the city manager's role to help protect city employees from outside influences, and to keep them focused on performing their duties in a professional and timely manner. This potentially includes protecting them from improper influences or interruptions from public officials. Although to some degree there is a need for partnership and collaboration between public officials and city staff, the following policies are adopted to help protect the proper implementation of council-manager form of government, to establish appropriate boundaries and expectations, and to help maintain positive and effective working relationships between public officials and city staff.
B. 
Policy and Rules. To help enhance a proper working relationship, public officials shall abide by the following policies and rules when interacting with city staff. Following each policy is a set of rules that give specific application to the policy. In italics following each rule is an explanation of the rule and guidance for interpreting and applying the rule.
1. 
Policy One. Public officials shall deal with city staff solely through the city manager or his or her designee.
a. 
Public officials should not get involved in administrative functions. To prevent raising concerns of misdeeds, or questionable motives, public officials must not attempt to influence city staff on the making of appointments, awarding of contracts, selection of consultants, processing of development applications, or granting of city licenses and permits.
b. 
Public officials shall not direct, order, or make demands on any city employee, other than simple inquiries that can be answered routinely and without research and support. All requests for information shall be made in accordance with protocols established by the city manager.
City staff is organized in a hierarchical structure, and all employees work under the direction and control of several layers of management culminating with the city manager. The municipal code states that individual public officials are not part of that management structure and have no authority to direct staff members outside of official action taken by the city council as a whole. When a public official attempts to give staff direction, staff is put in an awkward position and the management structure is undermined. In some cases, such actions have the potential to create liability for the city.
c. 
Public officials are not authorized to give work assignments to staff, except that public officials may seek the assistance of individual staff members who have been specifically designated by the city manager to provide such support.
City staff members are instructed not to take directions or work assignments from individual public officials, and to report any such attempts to their department director or to the city manager. A public official may ask a routine question of staff, but beyond that, concerns about work assignment should be addressed to the city manager or his or her designee.
d. 
Public officials shall not attempt to reorganize city staff's priorities, or otherwise influence the manner by which city staff perform their assigned functions or duties.
City staff are directed in their everyday tasks by their immediate supervisor in accordance with approved work plans. Interference with a city staff's work routine, priorities or decision-making processes by a public official creates confusion and stress and places the staff member in the difficult position of either disregarding his or her assigned work or appearing to disrespect the public official's wishes. All requests for work or research should be directed to the city manager, or his or her designee. From time to time a public official may believe that a problem must be looked into immediately and is tempted to direct city staff to drop everything and focus on that problem. In those situations, it is important for the public officials to only communicate their concerns to the city manager or his or her designee.
e. 
Public Officials shall treat all staff as professionals.
City staff are professionals who have been selected for their jobs based on a process which takes into account their education, experience and demonstrated abilities for their position. in most instances city staff has substantially more experience and expertise than the public officials with respect to their job duties. So, it is important to give staff room to utilize their skills freely, and in a manner that is not hindered by outside influences. All interactions from public officials to city staff should involve clear, honest communication that respects the skills, expertise, experience, and dignity of each staff member. Poor behavior towards staff is not acceptable. This includes behavior toward staff that seeks to intimidate or undermine staff's independent decision making in performing their job duties.
f. 
Public official's communications with city staff should be limited to normal city business hours, unless the city manager has expressly authorized it or unique circumstances warrant it. Responses to city council questions posed outside of normal business hours should be expected no earlier than the next business day.
Except in extraordinary circumstances, as a general rule it's important to let city staff to only have to work during normal working hours for their position. Public officials shall also understand that the ability to obtain timely answers to questions may be affected by staffing shortages, or by other city business that takes priority. Public official-initiated questions will only be answered as staff is reasonably available to give attention to the matter, without unduly distracting them from the duties of their position. Normal day-to-day city business duties, including the processing of project applications in a timely manner, shall take priority over a public official's inquiry, unless a majority of the city council or the city manager specifically direct otherwise.
g. 
Public officials shall not attend meetings between city staff and private parties and developers, unless specifically requested by staff.
Although public officials often feel their attendance at meetings between staff and developers will be helpful, their presence can place undue influence on the staff members. Even if the public official does not say anything, their presence can impact the meeting by implying support, showing partiality, intimidating staff, and/or hampering city staff's ability to do their job objectively and in the best interests of the city.
h. 
Members should not ask staff to deviate from established policies and procedures. It is staff's responsibility to report any such requests directly to the city manager.
i. 
Public officials need to understand that legal restrictions may limit certain requests for information, such as the ability to disclose information concerning a personnel matter, labor negotiations or project negotiations.
j. 
Public officials shall not make promises to individual staff members about receiving a promotion, raises or other benefits, nor shall they retaliate, or threaten retaliation, against city staff members as a result of disagreements over policy matters or for other reasons.
It is critical to the success of the city that its staff members are promoted based on the performance of their job duties, and not upon relationships they may have established with a public official or upon their support of policies or positions taken by a public official.
It is also important that city staff enjoy a workplace free of the fear of retaliation. The city takes great pride in its creativity and its receptivity to new and different ideas. Creativity is fostered by an open and nonjudgmental atmosphere where candor is not penalized. City staff are hired to offer their professional judgments and opinions, especially in those areas where they have expertise and experience. Public officials are certainly free to disagree with statements made by city staff. Indeed, in most situations those public officials will have the final word on what policy will be adopted by the city. But disagreements over policy must not extend to threats or generate fear of reprisal. Public officials enjoy substantial authority within City Hall, and this authority must not be exercised in a manner that intimidates staff and degrades morale with resulting damage to the fabric of the organization.
k. 
When a public official is concerned about the performance of a city staff member that concern should be shared privately with the city manager or his or her designee. A public official shall not take any action on their own to threaten staff members with disciplinary action, or to otherwise spread their concerns about a staff member to others.
Once the city manager is informed about a public official's concerns about a staff member, those concerns can then be addressed in accordance with the city's personnel rules, in a manner that protects the city staff member's rights and protects the city's authority to discipline its employees in a proper manner. It is never acceptable for a public official to directly threaten disciplinary action of any kind. Public officials should also avoid publicly criticizing staff members, especially those in non-managerial positions. Public officials should certainly have high expectations of city staff's work performance, but there is no room in the organization for public humiliation of any person.
2. 
Policy Two. The city council sets the city policy, but individual public officials shall not interfere with the manner by which the city manager, or city staff, perform their duties.
a. 
The city manager shall be allowed to perform his or her assigned duties without interference from individual public officials.
The city manager takes direction from the city council acting as a body, not from individual members or other public officials. While the city council as a body may offer its views on matters within the city manager's area of authority, it is the city manager, as chief executive officer of the organization, who makes the final decisions on such matters. The city manager cannot function effectively if he or she receives inconsistent direction from individual council members or is not given the support and independence necessary to perform his or her duties in the administration of the city.
Even if a project or program was initially conceived and initiated by a specific public official, that public official must avoid interfering with or directing the city manager's method of carrying out the city council's decisions. Once a project or program receives council approval to proceed, such activity becomes an official activity of the city and not of any particular public official. Public officials do not have authority and should refrain from giving directions or instructions to city staff, contractors, or consultants.
In certain instances, the council as a whole may authorize one or more council member(s) to be involved as part of an ad hoc committee or otherwise. In such instances the council member should only be involved to the extent specifically authorized by the city council, or as requested by the city manager.
b. 
Public officials shall not interfere with the implementation by city staff of projects and programs directed by the city manager. Any council member concerns should be directed solely to the city manager or designee.
3. 
Policy Three. City resources shall only be used for city business and those activities for which there is a valid public purpose.
a. 
City resources shall be used for city business, when there is a valid public purpose and proper authorization.
b. 
City staff shall not be asked or directed to spend time on non-city business.
It is improper to ask or require a city employee to engage in non-city related activities. Non-city activities include, among other things, personal errands, work, or research that has not been approved by a majority of the council.
c. 
Public officials should not solicit political support from staff.
Public officials, particularly elected officials, should not solicit any type of political support (financial contributions, display of posters or lawn signs, name on support lists, or otherwise request help or assistance, etc.) from city staff. However, city staff, as private citizens, have their own constitutional rights and may as private citizens support political candidates of their own choosing. All such activities must be conducted away from the workplace and cannot involve the use any city funds.
C. 
Sanctions. Public officials who intentionally and repeatedly do not follow proper conduct as outlined in this policy may be reprimanded or formally censured by the council, lose seniority or committee assignments (both within the city or with intergovernmental agencies), or have official travel restricted. Serious infractions of this policy could lead to other sanctions as deemed appropriate by council.
It is the responsibility of individual public official to initiate action if another public official's behavior may warrant sanction. The alleged violation(s) can be presented to the full council in a public meeting. The city council may order an investigation in any situation where they believe additional facts are needed in order to determine if a violation of this policy has in fact occurred.
(Ord. 2579 § 1, 2022; Ord. 2595 § 1, 2023)
A. 
Purpose and Authority.
1. 
The purpose of this section is to require the filing of campaign disclosure statements and statements of economic interest by elected officials, candidates, staff, consultants, or committees to be completed electronically. The city council enacts this section in accordance with the authority granted to cities by state law. This section is intended to supplement, and not conflict with, the Political Reform Act.
2. 
While electronic filing of statements will be mandated under this section, the city clerk, as the city's filing officer, will have the right to accept a paper filing in lieu of an electronic filing at the city clerk's discretion, under certain circumstances, and to accommodate an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) request.
B. 
Basic Requirement.
1. 
An elected officer, candidate, committee, or other person required to file statements, reports, or other documents required by Chapter 4 of the Political Reform Act or designated in the city's local conflict of interest code adopted pursuant to Government Code Section 87300, shall file any required statement of economic interests (Form 700) online or electronically with the city clerk. Electronic filing is mandatory unless the officer, candidate, or committee is determined to be exempt as described Government Code Section 8415(a).
2. 
The city clerk shall issue an electronic confirmation that notifies the filer that the statement was received, and the notification shall include the date and the time that the statement was received and the method by which the filer may view and print the data received by the city clerk. The date of filing for a statement filed online shall be the day that it is received by the city clerk.
3. 
If the city's filing system is not capable of accepting a statement due to technical difficulties or other valid reasons in the Clerk's discretion, then a statement in paper form at shall be filed with the city clerk.
4. 
The city clerk will operate the electronic filing system in compliance with the requirements of California Government Code Section 84615.
(Ord. 2611, 5/22/2024)