At such date as the City Manager shall determine, each board or commission and each department head shall furnish to the City Manager, personally, or through the Director of Finance, estimates of the department's, board's or commission's revenue and expenditures for the ensuing fiscal year, detailed in such manner as may be prescribed by the City Manager. In preparing the proposed budget, the City Manager shall review the estimates, hold conferences thereon with the respective department heads, boards or commissions as necessary, and may revise the estimates as may be deemed advisable.
The City Manager shall submit the proposed budget to the City Council at least thirty days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year. After reviewing the proposed budget and making such revisions as it may deem advisable, the City Council shall hold a public hearing thereon at least fifteen days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year and shall cause to be published a notice thereof not less than ten days prior to said hearing. Copies of the proposed budget shall be available for inspection by the public in the office of the City Clerk at least ten days prior to said hearing.
At the time so advertised or at any time to which such public hearing shall from time to time be adjourned, the City Council shall hold a public hearing on the proposed budget, at which interested persons desiring to be heard shall be given such opportunity.
At the conclusion of the public hearing the City Council shall further consider the proposed budget and make any revisions thereof that it may deem advisable and on or before the last day of the fiscal year it shall adopt the budget with revisions, if any, by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the total members of the Council. Upon final adoption, the budget shall be in effect for the ensuing fiscal year. Copies thereof, certified by the City Clerk, shall be filed with the City Manager, Director of Finance, City Treasurer and the person retained by the City Council to perform the post audit function, and a further copy shall be placed, and shall remain on file in the office of the City Clerk where it shall be available for public inspection. The budget so certified shall be reproduced and copies made available for the use of the public and of departments, offices and agencies of the City.
From the effective date of the budget, the several amounts stated therein as proposed expenditures shall be and become appropriated to the several departments, offices and agencies for the respective objects and purposes therein named; provided, however, that the City Manager may transfer funds from one object or purpose to another within the same department, office or agency. All appropriations shall lapse at the end of the fiscal year to the extent that they shall not have been expended or lawfully encumbered.
At any public meeting after the adoption of the budget, the City Council may amend or supplement the budget by motion adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the total members of the City Council.
The City Council shall prescribe by ordinance for the assessment, levy and collection of taxes upon property which is taxable for municipal purposes. If the City Council fails to fix the rate and levy taxes on or before August 31 in any year, the rate for the next preceding fiscal year shall thereupon be automatically adopted and a tax at such rate shall be deemed to have been levied on all taxable property in the City for the current fiscal year.
(a) 
The City Council shall not levy a property tax for municipal purposes in excess of One Dollar annually on each One Hundred Dollars of the assessed value of taxable property in the City, except as otherwise provided in this section, unless authorized by the affirmative vote of a majority of the electors voting on a proposition to increase such levy at any election at which the question of such additional levy for municipal purposes is submitted to the electors. The number of years that such additional levy is to be made shall be specified in such proposition.
(b) 
There shall be levied and collected at the same time and in the same manner as other property taxes for municipal purposes are levied and collected, as additional taxes not subject to the above limitation, if no other provision for payment thereof is made:
1. 
A tax sufficient to meet all liabilities of the City of principal and interest of all bonds and judgments due and unpaid, or to become due during the ensuing fiscal year, which constitute general obligations of the City; and
2. 
A tax sufficient to meet all obligations of the City for the retirement system in which the City participates, due and unpaid or to become due during the ensuing fiscal year.
(c) 
Special levies, in addition to the above and not subject to the above limitation, may be made annually, based on City Council approved estimates, for the following specific purposes, but not to exceed the following respective limits for those purposes for which limits are herein set forth, to wit: parks and recreation and human services not to exceed $0.20 per One Hundred Dollars; Libraries not to exceed $0.15 per One Hundred Dollars; promotional interests and cultural affairs not to exceed $0.07 per One Hundred Dollars; and civil defense and disaster preparedness not to exceed $0.03 per One Hundred Dollars. The proceeds of any special levy shall be used for no other purpose than that specified.
No tax, property tax, or other measure whose principal purpose is the raising of revenue, or any increase in the amount thereof, shall be levied, enacted or established except by ordinance adopted by the affirmative vote of at least five (5) members of the City Council; provided, however, that any tax levied or collected pursuant to Section 607(b) of this Charter shall be exempt from the minimum voting requirement of this section.
This section shall not apply to any license, permit, or any other fee or charge whose principal purpose is to pay or reimburse the City for the cost of performing any regulatory function of the City under its police power in connection with the City's duty to preserve or maintain the public peace, health, safety and welfare.
This section shall not apply to any user or service fee or charge provided such fee or charge is directly related to such use or service, is charged to the user or person receiving such service, and is to pay or reimburse the City for the costs of providing such use or service.
This section shall not apply to any fee or charge relating to any franchise or proprietary function of the City.
The City Council shall not levy a tax on the transfer or conveyance of any interest in real property unless authorized by the affirmative vote of a majority of the electors voting on a proposition submitted to the electors to authorize such tax at a general or special election.
The City shall not incur an indebtedness evidenced by general obligation bonds which shall in the aggregate exceed the sum of 12 percent of the total assessed valuation, for purposes of City taxation, of all the real and personal property within the City.
No bonded indebtedness which shall constitute a general obligation of the City may be created unless authorized by the affirmative vote of the majority required by law of the electors voting on such proposition at any election at which the question is submitted to the electors.
Bonds which are payable only out of such revenues, other than taxes, as may be specified in such bonds, may be issued when the City Council by ordinance shall have established a procedure for the issuance of such bonds. Such bonds, payable only out of revenues, shall not constitute an indebtedness or general obligation of the City. No such bonds payable out of revenues shall be issued without the assent of the majority of the voters voting upon the proposition for issuing the same at an election at which such proposition shall have been duly submitted to the registered voters of the City.
It shall be competent for the City to make contracts and covenants for the benefit of the holders of any such bonds payable only from revenues and which shall not constitute a general obligation of the City for the establishment of a fund or funds, for the maintaining of adequate rates or charges, for restrictions upon further indebtedness payable out of the same fund or revenues, for restrictions upon transfer out of such fund, and other appropriate covenants. Money placed in any such special fund for the payment of principal and/or interest on any issue of such bonds or to assure the application thereof to a specific purpose shall not be expended for any other purpose whatever except for the purpose for which such special funds were established and shall be deemed segregated from all other funds of the City and reserved exclusively for the purpose for which such special fund was established until the purpose of its establishment shall have been fully accomplished.
(a) 
No public utility or park or beach or portion thereof now or hereafter owned or operated by the City shall be sold, leased, exchanged or otherwise transferred or disposed of unless authorized by the affirmative votes of at least a majority of the total membership of the City Council and by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the electors voting on such proposition at a general or special election at which such proposition is submitted.
(b) 
No golf course, driving range, road, building over three thousand square feet in floor area nor structure costing more than $161,000.00 may be built on or in any park or beach or portion thereof now or hereafter owned or operated by the City unless authorized by the affirmative votes of at least a majority of the total membership of the City Council and by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the electors voting on such proposition at a general or special election at which such proposition is submitted after the appropriate environmental assessment, conceptual cost estimate, and reasonable project description has been completed and widely disseminated to the public. Effective January 1, 2011, and each year thereafter, the maximum cost will be adjusted by the Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County area.
(c) 
Section 612(a) and 612(b) shall not apply;
(1) 
to libraries or piers;
(2) 
to any lease, franchise, concession agreement or other contract where;
-
the contract is to perform an act or provide a service in a public park or beach AND
-
such act was being performed or service provided at the same location prior to January 1, 1989 AND
-
the proposed lease, franchise, concession agreement or other contract would not increase the amount of parkland or beach dedicated to or used by the party performing such act or providing such service.
(3) 
to above ground public works utility structures under 3,000 square feet;
(4) 
to underground public works utility structures if park or beach use is not impeded;
(5) 
to any public works construction, maintenance or repair mandated by state or federal law that does not negatively impact recreational opportunities; or
(6) 
to renewable energy projects that do not negatively impact recreational opportunities.
(d) 
If any section, subsection, part, subpart, paragraph, clause or phrase of this amendment, or any amendment or revision of this amendment, is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining sections, subsections, parts, subparts, paragraphs, clauses or phrases shall not be affected but shall remain in full force and effect.
Except as hereinafter provided, the City shall be bound by a contract only if it is made in writing, approved by the City Council and signed on behalf of the City by the Mayor and City Clerk or by a City officer designated by the City Council and only upon the direction of the City Council. Exceptions to this procedure are as follows:
(a) 
By ordinance or resolution the City Council may authorize the City Manager or other officer to bind the City, with or without a written contract, for the acquisition of equipment, materials, supplies, labor, services or other items included within the budget approved by the City Council, and may impose a monetary limit upon such authority.
(b) 
By ordinance or resolution, the City Council may provide a method for the sale or exchange of personal property not needed in the City service or not fit for the purpose for which intended, and for the conveyance of title thereto.
(c) 
Contracts for the sale of the products, commodities or services of any public utility owned, controlled or operated by the City may be made by the manager of such utility or by the head of the department or City Manager upon forms approved by the City Manager and at rates fixed by the City Council.
Except as hereinafter expressly provided, every contract involving an expenditure as set forth by ordinance of the City Council for the construction or improvement (excluding maintenance and repair) of public buildings, works, streets, drains, sewers, utilities, parks and playgrounds, and each separate purchase of materials or supplies for the same, where the expenditure required for such purchase shall exceed the amount set by ordinance, shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder after notice by publication in accordance with Section 503 by two or more insertions, the first of which shall be at least ten days before the time for opening bids.
The City Council may reject any and all bids presented and may readvertise in its discretion. After rejecting bids, or if no bids are received, or without advertising for bids if the total amount of the contract or project is below the amount set by ordinance, the City Council may declare and determine that in its opinion, the work in question may be performed better or more economically by the City with its own employees, or that the materials or supplies may be purchased at lower price in the open market, and after the adoption of a resolution to this effect by the affirmative vote of a majority of the total members of the City Council, it may proceed to have said work done or such materials or supplies purchased in the manner stated without further observance of the provisions of this section.
All public works contracts exceeding the amount set by ordinance may be let and purchases exceeding the amount set by ordinance may be made without advertising for bids if such work or the purchase of such materials or supplies shall be deemed by the City Council to be of urgent necessity for the preservation of life, health, or property and shall be authorized by at least five affirmative votes of the City Council.
Projects for the extension, replacement or expansion of the transmission or distribution system of any existing public utility operated by the City or for the purchase of supplies or equipment for any such project or any such utility may be excepted from the requirements of this section by the affirmative vote of a majority of the total members of the City Council.
The City Council shall provide for an independent annual audit of all City accounts and may provide for such more frequent audits as it deems necessary. Such audits shall be made by a certified public accountant or firm of such accountants who have no personal interest, direct or indirect, in the fiscal affairs of the City government or any of its officers. The Council may, without requiring competitive bids, designate such accountant or firm annually provided that the designation for any particular fiscal year shall be made no later than thirty days after the beginning of such fiscal year. As soon as practicable after the end of the fiscal year, a final audit and report shall be submitted by such accountant to the City Council, one copy thereof to be distributed to each member. Additional copies of the audit shall be placed on file in the office of the City Clerk where they shall be available for inspection by the general public, and a copy of the financial statement as of the close of the fiscal year shall be published in the official newspaper.
(a) 
All revenue raised by vote of the electors or imposed by vote of the City Council on or after March 5, 2002, by a measure which states that the revenue to be raised is for the purpose of infrastructure, as said term is defined in this paragraph, shall be placed in a separate fund entitled "Infrastructure Fund." The term "Infrastructure" shall mean long-lived capital assets that normally are stationary in nature and normally can be preserved for significantly greater number of years. They include storm drains, storm water pump stations, alleys, streets, highways, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, bridges, street trees, landscaped medians, parks, beach facilities, playgrounds, traffic signals, streetlights, block walls along arterial highways, and all public buildings and public ways. Interest earned on monies in the Infrastructure Fund shall accrue to that account. Monies in said Fund shall be utilized only for direct costs relating to infrastructure improvements or maintenance, including construction, design, engineering, project management, inspection, contract administration and property acquisition. Monies in said Fund shall not be transferred, loaned or otherwise encumbered for any other purpose.
(b) 
Revenues placed in the Infrastructure Fund shall not supplant existing infrastructure funding. The average percentage of general fund revenues utilized for infrastructure improvements and maintenance, for the five- (5) year period of 1996 to 2001, is and was 14.95%. Expenditures for infrastructure improvements and maintenance, subsequent to 2001, shall not be reduced below 15% of general fund revenues based on a five- (5) year rolling average.
(c) 
The City Council shall by ordinance establish a Citizens Infrastructure Advisory Board to conduct an annual review and performance audit of the Infrastructure Fund and report its findings to the City Council prior to adoption of the following fiscal-year budget.