STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: February 5, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor & City Council
From: Nancy Hunt-Coffey, City Manager
Subject: Consideration of Recommendations by the City Council Elections Ad Hoc Committee Related to the Timing of the Municipal Elections and the Election of Mayor and Vice Mayor
Attachments: 1. Page 19 of 2009 City Council Policy Manual
2. Election Committee Options
INTRODUCTION
The City Council has been engaged in updating the City Council Policy Manual which was last published in 2009. At the September 17, 2024, City Council Study Session, the Council directed the Elections Ad Hoc Committee, comprised of Councilmembers Corman and Wells, to review the sections of the Policy Manual related to elections, such as when the election of Mayor and Vice Mayor should occur.
DISCUSSION
From 1997-2017, the election of new Councilmembers occurred in March of odd numbered years. Any new Councilmembers were installed toward the end of March of those years, and per page 19 of the 2009 City Council Policy Manual, the Mayor and Vice Mayor would be elected “among and by the presiding City Council” and installed toward the end of every March on an annual basis.
In 2015, Senate Bill 415 was approved by the California State legislature and required cities to hold their elections at the same time as a statewide election. At this point, the City Council changed the election years to even numbered years to comply with this new state law. In 2020, the State legislature once again revised its election schedule under SB 970 which impacted the City of Beverly Hills in the following ways:
• City Council municipal elections now occur in June during non-presidential election years and in March in presidential election years.
This election pattern is reflected as: March 2020 (presidential election year), June 2022 (non-presidential election year), March 2024 (presidential election year) and so on.
Meeting Date: February 5, 2025
The following is the current practice is in place regarding elections and installations:
The Mayor and Vice Mayor are installed in April of each year, regardless of municipal election dates. Two Councilmembers are elected in March of presidential election years and are installed in April (at the same meeting where the new Mayor and Vice Mayor are elected/installed).
It should be noted that the LA County Registrar is currently working to formalize that all election certifications are to be provided in 30-days, even if the votes are counted sooner. This situation may cause the first regular Council meeting date to be moved to later in April, since there may not be 30 days between the March election date and the first meeting in April.
Three Councilmembers are elected in June during non-presidential election years and are installed in July after the election results are certified by the County. Therefore, in non-presidential election years, the installation of the new Mayor/Vice Mayor occurs in April and the installation of elected Councilmembers occurs in July, resulting in two installation ceremonies in those years.
As a result of the changes in State law and the current practice of electing/installing Mayor/Vice Mayor in April, it is feasible that the third place Councilmember (by vote count) during a non-presidential election year could be elected by their fellow Councilmembers to the position of Mayor or Vice Mayor in April of the last year of that term, and cease to hold this office in July of the same year because he/she is not reelected, terms out or decides not to run for office.
Therefore, the Mayor or Vice Mayor could hold the office for 3 months after which time other Councilmember(s) would need to be elected to fill the vacated Mayor/Vice Mayor position(s) in July. Should this scenario occur, it is not clear if the term as Mayor/Vice Mayor would then be for a full year (July to July) or for 9 months (July to April) to align with the April election/installation of the new Mayor/Vice Mayor.
However, changes to the election cycle have led the City Council to express interest in examining the terms, timing, and conditions that need to be met in order to become Mayor/Vice Mayor.
At the September 17, 2024 City Council meeting, the City Council tasked the Election Ad Hoc Committee with working through these issues and to return to the Council with recommendations.
The Election Ad Hoc Committee met on January 22, 2025 to discuss the issues outlined above and to consider various options to address them.
Some of the questions considered by the Election Committee were:
Should a Mayor or Vice Mayor continue to serve a 1-year term, or when the cycle follows the scenario above, should they serve a 3-month term? If a 3-month term is permitted, then should the subsequent Mayor/Vice Mayor’s term be for 9 months (to complete the year) or should the term be for 12 months? Would a Councilmember serve as Vice Mayor if they are not able to serve as Mayor due to term limits, not being reelected or deciding not to run for reelection?
Meeting Date: February 5, 2025
Several options for realigning the elections were considered by the Election Ad Hoc Committee. These options are laid out in Attachment 1.
The Election Ad Hoc Committee discussed these questions and options and indicated that to the greatest extent possible, the Mayor should serve a full 1-year term, similar to the way in which the Chairs of the City Commissions must be able to serve a full year term. If there is a possibility that a Councilmember cannot serve as Mayor, due to the possibility of not being reelected, terming out or deciding not to run for reelection, they would not serve as Mayor or Vice Mayor.
Toward this end, the Election Committee made the following recommendations:
--Keep the annual election of Mayor/Vice Mayor in April. --Keep the Council election cycle the same as it is presently - March in even numbered presidential election years and in June in non-presidential even numbered election years.
--In the non-presidential even numbered election years, the third highest vote getter would neither serve as Vice Mayor nor as Mayor during that term.
This recommendation would ensure that mayoral terms, to the greatest extent possible, would be for a full 1 year, and there would be some level of assurance that the Vice Mayor would ascend directly to Mayor, rather than the possible scenario where a Councilmember would ascend directly to the mayorship due to the results of the election.
It should be noted that since the Ad Hoc meeting, one of the Ad Hoc members has changed their position and moved to another option that was brought up at the meeting, involving moving the annual election of Mayor/Vice Mayor to July. This Ad Hoc member will present this alternate option at the City Council meeting. As a result, while there was consensus between the two Ad Hoc members at the meeting, there is not currently consensus.
RECOMMENDATION
The City Council is requested to consider the information above and provide direction related to the timing of elections, particularly related to Mayor and Vice Mayor, and considering the changes to the election cycles.
Nancy Hunt-Coffey,
City Manager
Approved By
Attachment 1
Rev. March 200919
CHAPTER 4 - Roles and Responsibilities of City Council
Mayor/Vice mayor Selection and Rotation
The mayor and Vice mayor are elected among and by the presiding City Council. Past practice has provided for the transition of the positions to take place annually during the month of March.
Since 1981, the election of the mayor and Vice mayor is as follows: The Vice mayor position is rotated each year. The Vice mayor becomes the mayor (except in the cases where the Vice mayor does not run or is not re-elected).
The position of mayor follows a sequence based on (a) election date and (b) order of finish within each election. For instance, the third-place vote recipient in the 1998 election would become mayor before the top vote recipient in the 2000 election. There have been no exceptions made for seniority or for first time Vice mayors.
Listing Names of councilmembers
The order of presenting City councilmember names follows seniority in the order that councilmembers rotate into the position of mayor. The first name listed is the mayor, followed by the Vice mayor. Thereafter, councilmember names are by seniority based on their election as noted in the preceding section.
Seating on the Dais
Seating on the dais is within the discretion of the mayor. Notwithstanding, historically, seating on the dais is based on seniority following the rotation established for the position of mayor. Protocol dictates that the Vice mayor sits to the right of the mayor. To the left of the mayor, sits the councilmember with the most seniority that would follow the existing Vice mayor in the position of Vice mayor. To the left of this councilmember, next to the City Attorney, sits the councilmember with the least seniority. The last remaining seat, beside the Vice mayor and next to the City Manager, is the councilmember that follows in seniority behind the councilmember sitting to the left of the mayor.
Role of the mayor
Presiding Officer
The mayor serves as the presiding officer and acts as Chair at all meetings of the City Council.
In this role, the mayor is responsible for maintaining the order and decorum of meetings. The presiding officer shall also maintain control of communications between councilmembers and between the City Council and the public. The mayor may participate in all discussions of the Council in the same manner as any other member. The mayor does not possess any power of veto. The mayor may make or second, unless otherwise delegated by the City Council, any motion. The mayor acts as signatory to all documents requiring Council execution. The mayor is the spokesperson for the Council.
Ceremonial Representative
Responsibility to act as the City Council’s ceremonial representative at public events and functions has been assigned to the mayor. The mayor is vested with the authority to initiate and execute proclamations. In the mayor’s absence, the Vice mayor assumes this responsibility.
Attachment 2
Mayor/
Vice Mayor RotationOption 1
Mayor/
Vice Mayor RotationOption 2
Mayor/
Vice Mayor RotationOption 3
Mayor/Vice Mayor Rotation—Option 4
• Option 4—Move City Council elections to align
with the November election cycle. Installation of new Councilmembers and election of Mayor/Vice Mayor in December.
Mayor/Vice Mayor Rotation—Option 5
Option 5—3rd highest vote getter in non
- presidential election not eligible to serve as
Mayor
In presidential election years, City Council elections occur in March (new Councilmembers installed in April)
In non-presidential election years, elections occur in June (new Councilmembers installed in July)
Mayor and Vice Mayor may still be installed in April of each year, regardless of municipal election dates.