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CC - ACTION ITEM: (1) Approval of Remit Question and Schedule for the Civic Assembly as Recommended by the Civic Assembly Ad Hoc Committee; and (2) Other Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: March 16, 2026
Contact Person/Dept: Elizabeth Shavelson/Finance Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-5865
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Public Notification: (Email) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (03/12/2026); (Email) Ongoing Topics - Fiscal and Budget Issues (03/12/2026)
Department Approval: Lisa Soghor, Assistant City Manager (03/10/2026)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) approve the remit question and schedule for Civic Assembly as recommended by the Civic Assembly Ad Hoc Subcommittee; and (2) provide other direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND
On June 9, 2025, the City Council approved the Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 which included $250,000 for budget outreach consultant services and requested that staff return to Council for more direction regarding how the funding would be spent.
On October 27, 2025, the City Council considered conducting a civic assembly to develop strategies to increase public participation in the budget process. By majority vote, Council authorized conducting a civic assembly to consider how the public wants to be engaged or participate in the City's budget process, placed a cap on the budget for the civic assembly of $250,000 to include all City costs and directed staff to solicit proposals from organizations to develop and conduct a civic assembly.
On November 10, 2025, the City Council received an update on staff's efforts to solicit proposals for a consultant to develop and create a civic assembly and, by majority vote, established the Civic Assembly Ad Hoc Subcommittee (Subcommittee) and...
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