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Receipt and Filing of a Presentation on City Council Policy Statement No. 3002, the Brown Act, and Rules of Order
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Meeting Date: July 1, 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) Meetings and Agendas - Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission (06/26/2025); (E-Mail) Parks, Recreation & Community Service Department Updates (06/26/2025)
Department Approval: Ted Stevens, PRCS Director (06/26/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) Commission receive and file the presentation regarding City Council Policy Statement No. 3002, the Brown Act, and the Rules of Order (Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
At their regular meeting on May 5, 2025, the PRCS Commission added to their agenda a presentation reviewing City Council Policy Statement No. 3002 (Attachment 2), the Brown Act (Attachment 3) and the rules of order (Attachment 4).
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:
• Purpose of Commissions: 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 all matters within its jurisdiction.
• 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 Commission.
• Applicable Laws: The Commission 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 Commission is also subject to codes of conduct and ethics.
• Chair and Vice-Chair: The Commission shall elect a Chair and Vice-Chair from among its membership to serve one-year terms. The Chair shall preside over all Commission meetings and the Vice-Chair shall act as the Chair in their absence.
• Regular Meetings: The Committee shall meet the first Tuesday of each month at the Mike Balkman Council Chambers located at City Hall.
• Special Meetings: Shall be called anytime by the PRCS Director or by a vote with a consensus of the members present at the Commission meeting.
• Quorum: 3 members constitute a quorum. A quorum of members is required to hold a meeting.
• Placing Items on an Agenda: Consensus among a majority of Commissioners 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. 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 (Attachment 5) 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 Commissioners 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 PRCS Commission 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: If the electronic voting system in Chambers is not working, then 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. 2025-07-01 - ATT 1 Presentation Regarding City's Policy, the Brown Act, and the Rules of Order
2. 2025-07-01 - ATT 2 Culver City Policy Number 3002
3. 2025-07-01 - ATT 3 Summary of the Major Provisions and Requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act
4. 2025-07-01 - ATT 4 Rosenberg’s Rules of Order Simple Parliamentary Procedures for the 21st Century
MOTION
That the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission:
Receive and File a presentation on the City Council Policy Statement No. 3002, the Brown Act, and the Rules of Order.