DATE: February 21, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dominic Lazzaretto, City Manager
By: Justine Bruno, Deputy City Manager
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION NO. 7483 ADOPTING A LIST OF PUBLIC PLACES TO
MEET THE PUBLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR ORDNANCES,
LEGAL NOTICES, AND OTHER PUBLIC NOTICES OF THE ARCADIA
CITY CHARTER
CEQA: Not a Project
Recommendation: Adopt
SUMMARY
On November 8, 2022, voters approved amendments to the Arcadia City Charter, including an amendment that specifies an alternative process to meet the public notice requirements for ordinances, legal notices, and other public notices of the Arcadia City Charter.
The amended language of the Arcadia City Charter now allows public notices to be posted in three public places and on the City’s website in lieu of publication in the local newspaper. It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 7483 adopting a list of public places to meet the publication requirements for ordinances, legal notices, and other public notices of the Arcadia City Charter.
DISCUSSION
On November 8, 2022, Arcadia voters approved Measure CA with 66.81% of the vote and the City Council certified the election results during the December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting. Subsequently, the City was notified on January 25, 2022, that the Secretary of State had filed and accepted the amended City Charter, allowing implementation of the approved Charter amendments.
The amended City Charter now permits posting in three public places and on the City’s website to meet the publication requirements for ordinances, legal notices, and other public notices. Posting in the specified public locations and on the City’s website may be undertaken in lieu of posting in the City’s adjudicated newspaper, which has historically
Resolution No. 7483 – List of Public Places for Public Notice February 21, 2023
been the Arcadia Weekly. With this amendment, a cost-friendly alternative to meet the public posting requirements has been created, without negating the City’s ability to publish in the local newspaper, if so desired.
This amendment to the City’s Charter can be found in Section 416.Ordinances.
Publication and Section 420. Publishing of Legal Notices. It is recommended that the City Council approve the list of alternate sites for posted notices to include the following locations:
1. City Council Chambers;
2. City Clerk’s Office;
3. Arcadia Public Library;
4. Arcadia Community Center; and
5. Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage
Any required notice would be posted in at least three of the locations listed above.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), and it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the environment. Thus, this matter is exempt under CEQA under Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines.
FISCAL IMPACT
Each year, the City Clerk’s Office brings forward an annual agreement for publication of legal notices. For the last few years, Beacon Media (publisher of the Arcadia Weekly) has been the only responsive bidder for legal advertising services, and in Fiscal Year 2022-23, the contract amount totaled $24,000. With City Council adoption of this resolution, the costs for newspaper publications should be largely eliminated with fewer newspaper publications for ordinances, legal notices, request for proposals, and other publications.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council determine that this action is exempt under CEQA and adopt Resolution No. 7483, adopting a list of public places to meet the publication requirements for ordinances, legal notices, and other public notices of the Arcadia City Charter.
Attachment: Resolution No. 7483