To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Steve Potter, City Manager
Prepared By: Caitlin Saldanha, Deputy City Clerk
TITLE:
Title
Discussion on the Use of Official Titles and Vice-Mayor Selection
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Discuss the use of official titles for the Mayor, Vice-Mayor, and Councilmembers, and reconsider the appointment of the Vice-Mayor for the term ending December 15, 2020.
Body
DISCUSSION:
At the December 17, 2019 City Council meeting, Councilmember Gentry was appointed to serve as Vice-Mayor for a term ending December 15, 2020. During the discussion held at the January 14, 2020 Special City Council meeting under the City Governance portion of the Council Workshop, Council discussed reconsidering the Vice-Mayor appointment due to the upcoming 2020 General Municipal Election and requested staff to bring back an agenda item on this matter at a future City Council meeting. At the January 21, 2020 City Council meeting, City Manager Potter asked Council for clarification on this matter and Council directed staff to bring back an agenda item regarding a discussion about the use of official titles such as Mayor, Vice-Mayor, and Councilmember.
Use of Official Titles of Mayor, Vice-Mayor, or Councilmember
The City Council is committed to conducting business ethically and following all state and local regulations, including the Political Reform Act, the Ralph M. Brown Act, and Council Policy Resolution No. 19 ("Norms of Operation and Rules of Order and Procedure"). Under Policy Resolution No. 19, Section 9.5, "each member of Council shall take care when communicating with the public to distinguish personal opinions and comments from positions of the City Council." Therefore, it is important for each member of Council to carefully consider each individual situation before using their official City titles, since the use of an official City title might be construed (or misconstrued) by a member of the public as an ...
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