1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: May 20, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Kimberley Clark, City Clerk
BY: Maria Sanchez, Administrative Analyst I
SUBJECT: Appointment to Fill a Vacanc y on the Landlord-Tenant Commission for an Unexpired Term
RECOMMENDATION
Appoint one member to the Landlord-Tenant Commission to fill an unexpired term ending July 31, 2026.
BACKGROUND
All Board, Commission, and Committee (BCC) Members shall be appointed by a three- fifths (3/5) vote of all Council Members and serve without compensation from the City. No person shall serve on more than one BCC at the same time. Vacancies on a BCC occurring during the term of office shall be filled within 90 days from the date the vacancy occurs. Any person appointed to fill a vacancy shall hold office for the remainder of the unexpired term. In addition, all applicants must be electors of, and reside in, t he City of Burbank with the exception of three positions on the Burbank Cultural Arts and the Sustainable Burbank commissions, as established in Ordinance No. 16- 3,874 adopted February 9, 2016 (per Burbank Municipal Code (BMC) §§ 2-1-404, 2-1-405, 2-1-406, and 2-1-407).
Once a vacancy is established, the City Clerk advertises the vacancy for 30 days, accepts applications, and provides the applications received to Council for consideration.
Applicants have the option of applying for up to two BCCs, indicating their first and second choice.
CITY CLERK’S
OFFICE
2 The voting process established allows for each Council Member to vote as many times as there are vacancies on the BCC being considered; the applicants receiving a majority of the votes in the first round are either appointed or move into the second round, if necessary. The process continues for as many rounds as are necessary to attain the correct number of applicants to fill the vacancy(ies).
Landlord-Tenant Commission
According to the Council minutes dated December 18, 1979, the Landlord- Tenant Voluntary Arbitration Committee (Committee) was established by the Council “as a panel to attempt to solve some of the problems of the renters and the landlord.” The makeup of the Committee did not distinguish a specific composition. On July 2, 1985, the Council formally changed the Committee to the Landlord- Tenant Commission (Commission) by adopting Ordinance No. 3008. The Commission often addresses a wide variety of issues, including conflicts involving property maintenance, repairs, lease disagreements, evictions, rent increases, and at times mediation between landlords and tenants. The Commission has limited ability to solve all problems unless the issue involves a potential violation of the BMC or other local regulations. However, the Commission can often resolve issues involving property maintenance by referring complaints to the Code Enforcement Division to determine if a health or safety violation has occurred.
The Commission is committed to resolving residential landlord and tenant disputes through education, informal mediation, and providing resources and shall have the following powers and duties:
- R ecommend to the Council rules, regulations, and guidelines for rent increases; - M ediate rent adjustment disputes between landlords and tenants; - R eceive complaints pertaining to rent adjustments which exceed the guidelines established by the Council;
- S erve as a medium through which landlords and tenants may exchange information, coordinate programs, and engage in joint endeavors concerning landlord-tenant relations;
- B ecome familiar with landlord-tenant developments in other communities; - P rovide tenant referrals to appropriate public and private agencies; and - P erform such advisory functions as are delegated to it by the provisions of BMC § 2-1-417 or other action of the Council.
DISCUSSION
On April 3, 2025, the City Clerk’s Office began advertising and accepting applications for one vacancy on the Commission for an unexpired term ending July 31, 2026, created by the resignation of Commissioner Judy Smith.
3 To obtain qualified candidates, a Notice of Vacancy was advertised through the following:
• City website
• City Council meeting announcements
• All social media platforms managed by the City Clerk’s Office • Press releases sent to the Burbank Leader and MyBurbank.com • Notices posted on the City Hall Bulletin Board
• Community groups and organizations
• Constant Contact Email Notification
The deadline to submit applications to the City Clerk’s Office was Monday, May 5, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. The City Clerk’s Office received a total of four applications for the Commission: Cameron Hunter, Constantine Metallinos, Joseph Massimini, and Maria Rodriguez. The applications are listed in order received.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This activity has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment and, as such, is not a “project” subject to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) 14 Cal. Code Regs § 15378.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.
CONCLUSION
The City and the community both realize substantial benefits from civic involvement.
Appointments to the boards, commissions, and committees help to encourage public participation in the governmental process and ensure Burbank residents have a voice.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Applications and Resumes
Attachment 2 – BMC § 2-1-417