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CC - ACTION ITEM: Discussion and Direction Regarding Transitioning the City Council Ad Hoc 2025 Police Policies Subcommittee to a Standing City Council Public Safety Subcommittee.
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Meeting Date: July 9, 2025
Contact Person/Dept.: Jesse Mays, Assistant City Manager
Phone Number: City Manager’s Office - (310) 253-6000
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [] No [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (07/08/2025)
Department Approval: John Nachbar, City Manager (07/08/2025) _____________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council discuss and provide direction regarding transitioning the City Council Ad Hoc 2025 Police Policies Subcommittee to a Standing City Council Public Safety Subcommittee.
BACKGROUND
At the February 10, 2025 City Council Meeting, the City Council received a majority consensus to discuss transitioning the Ad Hoc 2025 Police Policies Subcommittee to a Standing City Council Public Safety Subcommittee, to allow for public participation in the meetings. Council Member Vera and Council Member Fish are currently the two members of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee.
In January 2025, the City Council added discussion of a Public Safety Element to the purview of the General Plan Subcommittee, which is comprised of Vice Mayor Puza and Council Member McMorrin.
DISCUSSION
A Standing Subcommittee requires significantly more staff time than an Ad Hoc Subcommittee. A Standing Subcommittee is subject to the Brown Act, which involves additional requirements beyond those needed for an Ad Hoc Subcommittee. Additional staff time will be required for scheduling, preparation of the agenda, staff reports, and minutes, posting of the agenda and meeting videos, adding the meeting to the Granicus online agenda management system, and management of the IT required for any of the meetings to be livestreamed. Staff will need to reprioritize existing work and delay existing work priorities to accommodate.
This would be the third new Standing Subcommittee created in the past six months. (The other two are the new Governance Subcommittee and the Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee.) The cumulative staff time needed for the growing list of Standing Subcommittees is significant. Given the City’s budget situation, no additional staff have been budgeted for this additional work. Increasing the amount of work without adding staff necessarily slows the speed at which new policies and programs are brought forward. If approved, City Council can expect further slowing compared to the current pace at which items are brought forward, due to the reprioritization of projects to include this new standing subcommittee.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The change from an ad hoc subcommittee to a standing subcommittee will have a negligible direct cost to the City. As mentioned above, the change will add significantly to the staff time necessary for this committee and divert staff resources from other City priorities.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
MOTION(S)
That the City Council:
Provide direction to the City Manager as to whether the City Council Ad Hoc 2025 Police Policies Subcommittee is to be transitioned to the Standing City Council Public Safety Subcommittee.