Pursuant to Government Code Section 36805, council meeting dates and times shall be set by resolution of the city council.
(Prior code §1-6-1; Ord. 975 §1, 1996; Ord. 1025 §1, 2000)
The provisions of "Robert's Rules of Order," as revised, shall govern all proceedings of the council unless any portion thereof conflicts with any provision of this Code in which case, the latter shall prevail.
(Prior code §1-6-4)
All reports, ordinances, resolutions, contracts, documents, exhibits or other matters to be submitted to the council at their regular meeting shall be delivered to the city clerk not later than ten a.m. on the Tuesday preceding the day of the meeting. The city clerk shall prepare the agenda of all such matters according to the order of business numbering each item consecutively. In the event an emergency arises, in the opinion of a member of the council or the city manager, said member or the city manager may place an item on the agenda by adding an addendum to the agenda not later than five p.m. on the Wednesday preceding the day of the meeting. A complete copy of such agenda, excluding any addenda, shall be delivered or mailed to each member of the city council so as to reach the recipient not later than the sixth day preceding the council meeting. The agenda, including all addenda, shall be available to the public, in the manner prescribed by law, not later than seventy-two hours prior to the council meeting.
(Prior code §1-6-5; Ord. 783 §1, 1987; Ord. 953 §1, 1994; Ord. 975 §3, 1996)
No matters other than those on the agenda shall be discussed or acted upon by the council; provided, however, that matters deemed to be emergencies or of an urgent nature by any councilmember, the city manager or the city attorney, may be considered in accordance with Section 54954.2 of the Government Code.
(Prior code §1-6-6; Ord. 975 §4, 1996)
Any agenda matter on which the city council is unable to take action due to a tie vote or series of tie votes on the same matter shall automatically be continued to the next regular meeting. Such continued matter shall appear on the agenda under the heading of "Unfinished Business."
(Prior code §1-6-7; Ord. 763 §1, 1985)
A. 
The mayor shall state every question coming before the council, announce the decision of the council on all subjects and decide all questions of order, subject, however, to an appeal to the council, in which event a majority vote of the council shall govern and conclusively determine such question of order. He or she shall sign all ordinances and resolutions adopted by the council during his or her presence. In the event of the absence of the mayor, the mayor pro tem shall sign ordinances and resolutions as then adopted.
B. 
The mayor may designate any law enforcement officer of the city as sergeant at arms of the council meetings, and he or she shall carry out all orders and instructions given by the presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the council meeting. Upon instructions of the presiding officer, it shall be the duty of the sergeant at arms to place any person who violates the order and decorum of the meeting under arrest and cause him or her to be prosecuted under the provisions of this Code, the complaint to be signed by the mayor.
(Prior code §1-6-8; Ord. 763 §1, 1985)
The mayor, or in his or her absence the mayor pro tem, shall take the chair at the hour appointed for the meeting and shall call the council to order. In the absence of the mayor and the mayor pro tempore, the city clerk shall call the council to order, whereupon a mayor pro tempore shall be appointed by a majority of the councilmembers present. Upon the arrival of the mayor, the mayor pro tempore shall relinquish the chair at the conclusion of the business then before the council.
(Prior code §1-6-9; Ord. 763 §1, 1985)
Before proceeding with the business of the council, the city clerk shall call the roll of the members, and the names of those present shall be entered in the minutes.
(Prior code §1-6-10; Ord. 763 §1, 1985)
Unless a reading of the minutes is requested by a member of the council, such minutes may be approved without reading if the clerk has previously furnished each member with a copy thereof.
(Prior code §1-6-11; Ord. 763 §1, 1985)
The following rules shall apply to all councilmembers at meetings:
A. 
By Councilmembers. While the council is in session, the members must preserve order and decorum, and a member shall neither, by conversation or otherwise, delay or interrupt the proceedings or the peace of the council nor disturb any member while speaking or refuse to obey the orders of the council or its presiding officer, except as otherwise provided in this section.
B. 
Getting the Floor—Improper References to Be Avoided. Every member desiring to speak shall address the chair, and upon recognition by the presiding officer shall confine him or herself to the question under debate, avoiding all personalities and indecorous language.
C. 
Interruptions. A member, once recognized, shall not be interrupted when speaking unless it is to call him or her to order, or as otherwise provided in this section. If a member is called to order while speaking, he or she shall cease speaking until the question of order is determined and, if in order, he or she shall be permitted to proceed.
D. 
Privilege of Closing Debate. The councilmember moving the adoption of an ordinance or resolution shall have the privilege of closing the debate.
E. 
Motion to Reconsider. A motion to reconsider any action taken by the council may be made only on the day such action was taken. It may be made either immediately during the same session or at a recessed or adjourned session thereof. Such motion must be made by any one of the prevailing side, but may be seconded by any member, and may be made at any time and shall have precedence over all other motions. It shall be debatable. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent any member of the council from making or remaking the same or any other motion at a subsequent meeting of the council.
F. 
Remarks of Councilmember—When Entered in Minutes. A councilmember may request, through the presiding officer, the privilege of having an abstract of his or her statement on any subject under consideration by the council entered in the minutes. If the council consents thereto, such statement shall be entered in the minutes.
G. 
Effect of Abstention. Unless a member of the city council states that he or she is abstaining, his or her silence shall be recorded as an affirmative vote. An abstention shall be counted as neither an affirmative nor a negative vote, but shall be counted for purposes of making a quorum.
H. 
Discussion by any councilmember making a motion shall be limited to five minutes of debate at the time of making the motion and an additional five minutes after debate by all other councilmembers has been completed. Each councilmember not making a particular motion shall be limited to five minutes' debate on that motion. Except where stated otherwise, the time limits delineated in this subsection may not be divided so as to permit a particular councilmember to speak more than once on a particular matter.
I. 
Each councilmember shall be limited to five minutes' discussion under his or her portion of the council agenda. Each councilmember shall limit his or her discussion during another councilmember's agenda to matters raised by the latter councilmember during his or her portion of the council agenda, and such discussion shall be limited to five minutes for each councilmember.
(Prior code §1-6-12; Ord. 763 §1, 1985)
Government Code Section 54950 et seq. (the "Brown Act"), mandates that city councils adopt rules for the conduct of business (Government Code Section 54954) and requires that agendas for regular meetings provide an opportunity for members of the public to directly address the city council on any item of interest to the public, including agenda items before or during the council's consideration of the item, that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the city council. The council shall enact rules of order for council meetings by resolution adopted at a regularly scheduled city council meeting.
(Prior code §1-6-13; Ord. 763 §1, 1985; Ord. 975 §5, 1996; Ord. 989 §2, 1997; Ord. 995 §1, 1997; Ord. 1014 §2, 1999; Ord. 1213 §1, 2017)
The following rules shall apply at each city council meeting:
A. 
By Councilmembers. While the council is in session, the members must preserve order and decorum. No member shall, either by conversation or otherwise, delay or interrupt the proceedings or the peace of the council or disturb any member while speaking or refuse to obey the orders of the council or its presiding officer, except as otherwise provided in this section.
B. 
Persons Addressing the Council. Each person who addresses the council shall not make personal, impertinent, slanderous or profane remarks to any member of the council, staff or the general public. Any person who makes such remarks, or speaks without being recognized by the presiding officer, or who utters loud, threatening, personal or abusive language, or continues to speak after being told by the presiding officer that his or her allotted time to address the council has expired, or engages in any other disorderly conduct of any council meeting shall, at the discretion of the presiding officer or a majority of the council, be barred from further audience before the council during that meeting.
C. 
By Members of the Audience. It is unlawful for any person in the audience at a council meeting to engage in disorderly, disruptive, disturbing, delaying or boisterous conduct such as, but not limited to, hand clapping, foot stomping, whistling, noise making, use of profane language or obscene gestures, yelling, chanting or other demonstration which substantially interrupts, delays, or disturbs the peace and good order of the proceedings of the council.
D. 
Enforcement of Decorum. The rules of decorum set forth in this section shall be enforced in the following manner:
1. 
Warning. The presiding officer shall request that a person who is breaching the rules of decorum be orderly and silent. If after receiving a warning from the presiding officer, a person persists in disturbing the meeting, the presiding officer may bar the offender from further audience before the council and may order that person to leave the council meeting. If such person does not remove him or herself, the presiding officer may order any law enforcement officer who is on duty at the meeting as sergeant-at-arms of the council to remove that person from the council chambers.
2. 
Resisting Removal. Any person who resists removal by the sergeant-at-arms shall be charged with a violation of this section.
3. 
Penalty. Any person who violates any provision of this section may be prosecuted pursuant to Penal Code Section 403.
(Ord. 1026 §1, 2000)
The city clerk shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings of the council in books bearing appropriate titles and devoted exclusively to such purposes. The books shall have a comprehensive general index. The city clerk shall be required to make a record only of such business as was actually passed upon by a vote of the council, and shall not be required to make a verbatim transcript of the proceedings. A record shall be made of the names and addresses of the persons addressing the council, the title of the subject matter to which their remarks related and whether they spoke in support of or in opposition to such matter. The city clerk shall maintain a record in reproducible form of all noticed public hearings. As soon as possible after each council meeting, the city clerk shall cause a copy of the minutes thereof to be forwarded to each councilmember and the city administrator.
(Prior code §1-6-14; Ord. 763 §1, 1985)
The city administrator is authorized to receive and open all mail addressed to the city council and give it immediate attention to the end that all administrative business referred to in the communications and not necessarily requiring councilmember action may be disposed of between council meetings, provided that all actions taken pursuant to such communications shall be reported to the city council thereafter. Any communications requiring council action will be reported to the city council at its next regular meeting together with a report and recommendation of the city administrator.
(Prior code §1-6-15; Ord. 763 §1, 1985)
A. 
Each member of the city council shall receive a monthly salary for each month during which he or she is a councilmember. The amount of such monthly salary shall be determined in accordance with the schedule set forth in Section 36516 of the Government Code as now in effect or as hereafter amended. The monthly salary shall be the amount specified by that portion of the schedule which is applicable during the respective month for which salary is due; provided, however, that such salary shall commence, and any increase therein shall become applicable, only as specified in said Section 36516 of the Government Code.
B. 
Effective on or about December 10, 2024, the monthly salary for each member of the city council shall be one thousand two-hundred forty-seven dollars.
(Prior code §1-6-16; Ord. 763 §1, 1985; Ord. 800, 1987; Ord. 894 §1, 1991; Ord. 951 §1, 1994; Ord. 993 §1, 1997; Ord. 1052 §1, 2003; Ord. 1093 §1, 2007; Ord. 1125 §1, 2009; Ord. 1158 §1, 2011; Ord. 1170 §1, 2013; Ord. 1196 §1, 2015; Ord. 1259 §1, 2022; Ord. 1276, 10/8/2024)
Each member of the city council shall receive reimbursement for all expenses actually and necessarily incurred in the performance of activities performed for the benefit of the city.
(Prior code §1-7-3; Ord. 716 §1, 1984; Ord. 721 §1, 1984; Ord. 755 §1, 1985; Ord. 838 §1, 1988; Ord. 852 §1, 1989; Ord. 1021 §1, 1999; Ord. 1061 §1, 2004; Ord. 1082 §1, 2006)
No mass mailing, as defined by Section 82041.5 of the California Government Code, may be sent at city expense by an individual member of the city council.
(Prior code §1-7-5; Ord. 721 §2, 1984; Ord. 286 §2, 1997)