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CC - ACTION ITEM: Adoption of a Resolution Establishing the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee and Approving the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee Bylaws.
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Meeting Date: January 22, 2024
Contact Person/Dept: Adam Ferguson/Parks, Recreation, and Community Services
Phone Number: (310) 253-6685
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (01/17/2024)
Department Approval: Ted Stevens, PRCS Director (01/02/2024)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council adopt a resolution to establish the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee and to approve the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee bylaws.
BACKGROUND
The Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK Jr.) Celebration Committee initially began as a small group of people who rented the picnic shelter at Veterans Memorial Park the weekend before the MLK Jr. holiday. They used Veterans Memorial Park as a place to remember his words and honor his legacy. With time, this celebration grew and a committee was created to help plan the celebration. Since the celebration began at a park site, PRCS was assigned to oversee the committee and the event. The committee was structured similarly to other committees that at that time were not Council appointed bodies, such as the Fiesta La Ballona Committee and the Sister City Committee.
In 2019, the last active period for the committee, it consisted of five members and two alternates. Bylaws, mirroring the bylaws of the Fiesta La Ballona Committee, were created for the committee; however, the bylaws were never ratified because City Council recommended at that time to keep the committee a volunteer committee, rather than an official City committee.
Their involvement in the event mirrored the Fiesta La Ballona Committee’s structure because they were an advisory committee to staff focusing on a specific event. At the July meeting, staff would explain the $5,000 budget that PRCS had for the event. The MLK Jr. Celebration Committee would vote if they wished to have a one-day event, or a multiple-day event. Throughout their meetings, MLK Jr. Celebration Committee members would recommend entertainers and speakers and staff would see if the recommendation would fit within the budget. All contracts, program designs, purchases, and invoices were handled by staff.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the event was transitioned to be a virtual event. A large population who attended the event each year were seniors aged 60 years and older. This demographic unfortunately did not attend the event virtually. The MLK Jr. Committee also stopped meeting during this time. When PRCS staff reached out in preparation for the 2022 MLK Jr. Celebration Event, there was not enough interest to meet by the five sitting members needed for the committee.
On July 10, 2023, City Council discussed the importance of the MLK Jr. Celebration Committee and the need for community involvement in the event. The City Council directed staff to bring back an item making the MLK Jr. Celebration Committee an official City Council appointed advisory committee to support staff in the planning and implementation of the event.
DISCUSSION
Reviewing the Fiesta La Ballona Committee bylaws and City Council Policy 3002, staff has drafted a resolution with MLK Jr. Celebration Committee Bylaws (Attachment 1) for City Council’s consideration. Some important highlights of the proposed bylaws are:
• The Committee shall be comprised of seven persons appointed by the City Council from applicants that submit an application to the City Clerk’s Office.
• Each member shall serve a term of four years (with the exception of the newly formed Committee which shall have some members serve a longer term to allow for staggering of terms).
• The Committee shall meet for an 8-month period, which will generally be from July 1-March 1.
• The MLK Jr. Committee is tasked with assisting in the planning and promotion of the annual MLK Jr. Celebration Event (the event continues to be a City of Culver City Event produced by the Special Events Manager and PRCS staff).
• As an official City Committee, the meetings of the Committee are subject to the requirements of the Brown Act (including public participation and notice).
Should the City Council approve the proposed action, the City Clerk’s Office would advertise for vacancies on the newly formed MLK Jr. Celebration Committee during its traditional spring recruitment for Commission, Board and Committee (CBC) members. City Council would consider such appointments in the spring/summer along with appointments to vacancies on other CBCs. The Committee would be able to hold its first meeting in July 2024, in line with the 8-month period described in the bylaws.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact associated with the adoption of the Resolution; however, the creation of this Committee would result in additional staff time and resources dedicated to its implementation and facilitation.
ATTACHMENT
1. 2024-01-22 - ATT 1 Proposed Resolution with MLK Jr. Celebration Committee Bylaws
MOTION
That the City Council:
Adopt a resolution to establish the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee and approve the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee bylaws.