Burbank City Council
February 27, 2024

Review of the
2022 Charter Review Committee
Final Recommendations
City Council
February 27, 2024
City Manager’s Office
1 Charter of the City of Burbank
• Burbank is a “Charter City” meaning we are
governed by our own Charter.
• The Charter provides guidance on the
municipal affairs of the City and can only be
changed or altered by a vote of the people.
2 Charter Section 1400
• Charter must be reviewed every 5 years
• Council appoints members to the Charter
Review Committee
• Recommendation to City Council:
• Full Review;
• Limited Review; or
• No Review.
3 2022 Charter Review Committee
• Chair Christopher Rizzotti
• Vice Chair Gloria Salas
• Member Alejandro Escobar
• Member Kevin Muldoon
• Member Isabel Omero (replaced Gavin Cho)
• Appointed March 15, 2022
4 Initial Meetings
• Charter Review Committee met six (6)
times between March and August of 2022.
• In August 2022, the Charter Review
Committee presented to City Council and
recommended a full review of the City’s
Charter.
5 Charter Review Committee
Recommendations – AUGUST 2022
Conduct a full review of the Charter.
1) Term limits for City Council members and Board and
Commission members;
2) The addition of a social equity and anti-discrimination clause in the Charter; and
3) Amending section 1400 of the Charter to allow a
charter citizen’s committee to be appointed every
eight years, and at a minimum, one year prior to an
election year.
• The Committee respectfully requests that they be
considered as members of the Full Charter Review
Committee.
6 Charter Review Committee
Recommendations
• Since August of 2022, the Charter Review Committee
met eight (8) times.
• Staff liaisons included Assistant City Manager Judie
Wilke, then Courtney Padgett, Senior Admin Analyst
Viviana Garzon, Assistant to the City Manager
Cathryn LaBrado, and City Attorney Joe McDougall.
7 Term Limits
• The Committee initially recommended term limits for
Burbank City Council and Boards and Commissions
• A community outreach plan was developed and
Board/Commission members were surveyed
regarding term limits.
• Community outreach was delayed several times due
to ongoing outreach regarding the City’s current
election process and the possibility of districting.
• In November 2023, the Committee voted to cease
work on term limits due to ongoing litigation.
8 Section 1400
• The Committee initially recommended changing the
charter review schedule from every five (5) years to
every eight (8) years.
• In November 2023, the Committee voted to not move
forward with this recommended charter review.
• The Committee felt that it would not be prudent to
change the charter review schedule when there is a
possibility that the City’s election process could
change drastically over the next couple of years.
9 Social Equity & Anti-Discrimination
• The Committee initially recommended adding a social
equity and anti-discrimination clause to the Charter.
• During Fall 2023, the Committee developed a revised
preamble to the City’s Charter to include language
aimed at social equity.
• The Committee recommends that Council consider
placing the revised preamble on the 2024 ballot.
• It should be noted that the Committee also felt
concerned about placing this single charter
amendment on the 2024 ballot, given the amount of
time and resources that would be needed.
10 Conclusion
• On behalf of the committee, we would like to thank
City Council for allowing us to complete this work
and trusting us throughout the process.
• The Committee is eager to receive feedback from the
Council.
• Questions/Comments
Review of the
2022 Charter Review Committee
Final Recommendations
City Council
February 27, 2024
City Manager’s Office