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Receipt and Filing of a Presentation on City Council Policy Statement No. 3002, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration and Juneteenth Celebration Advisory Committee’s Bylaws, the Brown Act, and Rules of Order
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Meeting Date: July 16, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Adam Ferguson/PRCS
Phone Number: (310) 253-6685
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration & Juneteenth Celebration Advisory Committee Updates (07/11/2025); (E-Mail) Parks, Recreation & Community Service Department Updates (07/11/2025)
Department Approval: Ted Stevens, PRCS Director (07/10/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration & Juneteenth Celebration Advisory Committee receive and file the presentation regarding City Council Policy Statement No. 3002, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration and Juneteenth Celebration Advisory Committee’s Bylaws, the Brown Act, and the Rules of Order (Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration & Juneteenth Celebration Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee) was expanded from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Advisory Committee by City Council on June 6, 2024, with Resolution 2024-R021 (Attachment 2). Traditionally, new Advisory Committee Members begin their terms in July after the City Clerk has completed a recruitment and City Council has appointed the new members. Staff added to the agenda this presentation in order to introduce the new Members to City Council Policy Statement No. 3002 (Attachment 3), the Advisory Committee’s Bylaws, the Brown Act (Attachment 4) and the rules of order (Attachment 5) as well as remind all the current Members of these items.
City Council Policy Statement No. 3002
This policy provides guidelines on topics relevant specifically to the duties and meetings of the City’s Commissions, Boards, and Committees (CBC). Highlights of the City Council Policy Statement include:
• Attendance: Any member who is absent from three consecutive meetings or a total of five meetings in any six-month period shall automatically forfeit their membership on the Advisory Committee.
• Applicable Laws: The Advisory Committee is subject to all applicable laws, including but not limited to, the City Charter, the Culver City Municipal Code, and other applicable Ordinances and Resolutions. The Advisory Committee Members are also subject to codes of conduct and ethics.
The Advisory Committee Bylaws
Attached to Resolution 2024-R021, the Advisory Committee’s Bylaws defines the purpose of the Advisory Committee and outlines the organization and duties of the Advisory Committee. Highlights from the Bylaws include:
• Purpose of the Advisory Committee: To advise and make recommendations to the City Council and the Director of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services (PRCS) on policies and issues related to the City’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration and Juneteenth Celebration.
• Chair and Vice-Chair: The Advisory Committee shall elect a Chair and Vice-Chair from among its membership to serve one-year terms. The Chair shall preside over all meetings and the Vice-Chair shall act as the Chair in their absence.
• Regular Meetings: The Committee shall meet the third Wednesday of each month at the Culver City Senior Center.
• Special Meetings: Shall be called anytime by the PRCS Director or by a vote with a consensus of the Members present at an Advisory Committee’s meeting.
• Quorum: 5 Members constitute a quorum. A quorum of Members is required to hold a meeting.
• Placing Items on an Agenda: Consensus among a majority of the Advisory Committee Members present must exist to place an item on a future agenda. Staff may also place items on future agendas.
The Brown Act
The Brown Act requires that all meetings of a government body be open to the public. This includes public notices posted at least 72 hours prior to a regular meeting and at least 24 hours prior to a special meeting. Discussion among the majority of members of a legislative body outside of a public meeting is strictly prohibited. It defines a meeting as a gathering of a majority of members to hear, discuss, or deliberate any item of business or potential business in which is within its subject matter jurisdiction. This can include gatherings in person or through the use of technology, such as email, telephone, or social media. A serial meeting is a series of private meetings that allows a majority of the CBC Members to commit to a decision or engage in deliberation of public business. Serial meetings can occur in one of two formats:
• Daisy Chain contact: Person A speaks to Person B and then Person B speaks to Person C until a quorum of members has deliberated on an issue without having a public meeting.
• Hub & Spoke Contact: One person is the hub who feed and receives information to and from other members.
Emails can also violate the Brown Act. The Attorney General has ruled that even if the emails are posted and made publicly available, it is a violation of the Brown Act for the majority of members to email each other.
By avoiding violations to the Brown Act, we can ensure transparency and allow for equitable opportunity for the public to give input.
Rules of Order
Robert’s Rules of Order is a procedural and complex guide for governing bodies. Rosenberg’s Rules of Order is a simplified version and is most used among local municipalities. If Rosenberg’s Rules of Order and City Council policy are in conflict, City Council policy is controlling. Highlights from Rosenberg’s Rules of Order include:
• Order of the Agenda: A meeting must follow the agenda that has been made public. The only time items can be rearranged is during “Order of the Agenda.” At that time, Members can request the order of items to be changed. Nothing new can be added to an agenda during a meeting.
• Public Comment: The Chair determines the length of time for speakers making public comment. It is required that all speakers in the queue have the same amount of time. Discussion on the public comment is not allowed between Members and/or the public making the comment.
• Member Comments: After each staff report, the Chair will call on each Member to make comments and/or ask questions pertaining to the topic at hand. Members are not allowed to speak during another member’s turn or interrupt another member. If a Member wishes to comment on the remarks made by another Member, he or she must ask permission from the Chair to comment. The Chair may allow the comment or choose to move on with the meeting.
• Motions: After the Advisory Committee has finished discussing an item, a Member may make a motion to approve the item, to receive and file the information, or to approve as amended. Here is sample language used when making a motion:
Chair: May I get a motion to approve?
1st Member: I make a motion to approve.
2nd Member: I second the motion to approve.
Secretary: I have a motion by ____ and a second by ______ to approve.
• Voting: All votes must be done by a roll call/ voice vote. Members may not vote by raising their hands.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact associated with this presentation.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2025-07-16- ATT 1 Presentation Regarding City's Policy, the Advisory Committee Bylaws, the Brown Act, and the Rules of Order
2. 2025-07-16- ATT 2 RESO 2024-R021 - Expanding Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee to MLK Jr. and Juneteenth with Bylaws
3. 2025-07-16 - ATT 3 Culver City Policy Number 3002
4. 2025-07-16 - ATT 4 Summary of the Major Provisions and Requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act
5. 2025-07-16 - ATT 5 Rosenberg’s Rules of Order Simple Parliamentary Procedures for the 21st Century
MOTION
That the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration & Juneteenth Celebration Advisory Committee:
Receive and File a presentation on the City Council Policy Statement No. 3002, the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration & Juneteenth Celebration Advisory Committee’s Bylaws, the Brown Act, and the Rules of Order.