From: Ralph Taboada
To: CITY CLERK
Subject: Study Session Comments
Date: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:41:21 AM
Please forward this email to each of the Council members for Tuesday's Study Session...thank you
Ralph Taboada
Date: July 7, 2025
To: Mayor John Stephens and Costa Mesa City Council
CC: Interim City Manager - Cecilia Gallardo-Daly, City Clerk - Brenda Green From: Ralph Taboada
Subject: City Council Committees & Commissions
______________________________________________________________________________ I support the subject of Committees and Commissions is being reviewed by Council. Working collaboratively, I believe both can improve their support to Council and benefit the City as a whole.
Two items of particular concern to me are (1) to get the best work product from each committee each of their Scope of Authority need to be reviewed/revised and (2) while each committee is independent from each other, there are a number of practices that should be consistent across all committees but currently are not.
My suggestion is that working together the Committees, Council Liaisons, and Staff allow three months to review/revise each committee’s Scope of Authority and also as necessary review/revise the Committee Member Handbook.
Additional comments and suggestions are listed below.
Committee Public Comments:
Allow three minutes (same as Council and Commissions) per speaker for public comments with total allotted time of 15 minutes, unless specifically extended by the Chairperson.
Because this item deals directly with the public, allotted time per speaker must be consistent
among all committees. This is currently not the case. Some committees allow two and some allow three minutes per speaker.
Chair & Vice Chair Terms Length
Handbook wording (page 18) on this topic should be reviewed and revised. There needs to be consistency among the committees. Two-year and consecutive terms should be considered.
For example, earlier this year some committees held elections for Chair and Vice Chair and others did not.
Committee Minutes:
Council should establish a policy that Committee Minutes be approved in the committee’s subsequent meeting AND stipulate that minutes be posted for public access no later than 30 days after they have been approved by a committee.
The City’s track record on posting approved minutes in a timely manner is very poor. Minutes need to be posted and available to the public in a timely manner.
Alternate Council Liaisons:
If a committee has more than one Council Liaison clearly identify the primary and alternate liaisons.
Currently, several committees have multiple liaisons but only one committee identifies a liaison as an alternate. If other committees have Alternate Liaisons they should be identified as such so attendance expectations are not misinterpreted.
Committee Member Attendance:
Re-implement a committee member attendance policy.
I did not see any reference to committee member attendance in the current Handbook (10/4/23).
The prior Handbook (2012) addressed member attendance requirements. I suggest each Chairperson be responsible for maintaining attendance records and notifying the Council liaison and staff if a committee member falls out of compliance with the attendance policy.
Annual Report Requirement
Follow, amend, or delete his requirement included in the Handbook (page 23).
Only one committee has been providing annual presentations to Council. How many committees are providing an annual work plan to the Council as mentioned in the Handbook?
Thank you
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