The Chair then presented the resolution to the City Council and, while the resolution could not be discussed in detail at the meeting, the Council directed staff to bring the item to committee for further discussion. The topic was brought to the Finance and Governance Committee (Committee) meeting on March 11, 2025. Please see the “Committee Outcome” section of this report for additional details. Based on a 2-1 vote at the Committee, the draft ordinance and resolution would provide a per-meeting stipend of $150 to each Commissioner.
ANALYSIS
Summary
The Commission is one of seven CAGs established by the OCC within the City, however, their roles and responsibilities are defined in State Law. While there is a potential for up to 24 meetings each year, one or two meetings are often removed from the calendar due to conflicts with holidays. Meetings are held on an as-needed basis, with an average of 15 meetings per year, with each meeting averaging approximately one hour and 30 minutes. The Chair conducted a survey of other neighboring agencies in Kern, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties, which was verified by City Staff.
As shown in the table (Attachment 4), the majority of agencies surveyed (29 of 38 (not including Oxnard)) provided some sort of stipend. The agencies that provide a stipend generally provide a stipend on a per-meeting basis and the majority of those require attendance to receive the stipend. The per-meeting stipend ranged from $10 to $350. As an alternative, a few agencies provide a flat monthly stipend which ranged from $50 to $543.
In the Memo the Commission Chair provided to the Planning Commission, and during the Committee meeting, the Chair stated that Oxnard was one of only two cities in the County that did not provide a stipend. However, staff would like to clarify that applies only for those cities in the County the Chair received responses from. In his Memo to the Commission there is the following footnote:
“The City of Port Hueneme does not have a separately appointed planning commission, it is unknown if and how much the compensation for the City of San Buenaventura is, and the Cities of Ojai and Fillmore have not yet responded to inquiries regarding compensation for members of their Planning Commission.”
At the Committee meeting, the Commission Chair provided a slide that indicated Ojai does not pay their Commission. In addition, Ventura is not listed in the presentation, but the list of agencies subsequently verified by City Staff, provided in Attachment 4, shows that the commissioners are not paid in Ventura. The Chair also presented a slide to indicate that a $150 per meeting stipend the Planning Commission recommended to the Council was below the per capita amount, but there was no actual discussion or additional data provided on the rationale to use a per capita data point. The slide presented by the Chair, pasted below, notes that currently seven (7) of the thirty-eight (38) cities surveyed pay $150 or more per meeting.
“PCs in Ventura, Kern, Santa Barbara, & Los Angeles Counties: Stipend Amounts per Meeting”
492
The slide noted that the per-meeting amounts were calculated at 50% of the per-month rate for the cities that paid a monthly stipend, such as Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks. See the “Committee Outcome” section for additional details.
Role of the Commission
The Commission’s role is to make sound land use decisions supporting the mission statement. The mission of Oxnard’s Planning Division is to create, preserve and enhance the quality of the City’s natural and built environments through implementation of the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, Adopted Specific Plans, Local Coastal Plan, and the Coastal Zoning Ordinance. More specifically, pursuant to Section 2-95 of the OCC, the Commission has three core functions:
1. The functions and duties assigned to the commission by the code and other ordinances and resolutions of the city council;
2. The functions set out in Cal. Gov't Code, Sections 65103, 65400, 65401 and 65402; and
3. The duties imposed on a commission by Cal. Health and Safety Code, Section 33000.
Under State Law, the primary applicable code section is Government Code Section 65103, which outlines that each planning agency (Commission) shall perform all the following functions:
a. Prepare, periodically review, and revise, as necessary, the general plan. b. Implement the general plan through actions including, but not limited to, the administration of specific plans and zoning and subdivision ordinances.
c. Annually review the capital improvement program of the city or county and the local public works projects of other local agencies for their consistency with the general plan, pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 65400).
d. Endeavor to promote public interest in, comment on, and understanding of the general plan and regulations relating to it.
e. Consult and advise with public officials and agencies, public utility companies, civic, educational, professional, and other organizations, and citizens generally concerning the implementation of the general plan.
f. Promote the coordination of local plans and programs with the plans and programs of other public agencies.
g. Perform other functions as the legislative body provides, including conducting studies and preparing plans other than those required or authorized by this title.
493
In the City, the Commission is the decision maker on Special Use Permits, Variances, Administrative Relief from Parking Provisions, Parcel Map Waivers, and Coastal Development Permits. The Commission is the appeals body for Development Design Review Permits, Downtown Design Review Permits, Minor Modifications, Temporary Use Permits, Coastal Exemptions, Emergency Permits, Categorical Exclusions, Development Review Permits, Administrative Modifications, and Final Restoration Plans. Lastly, the Commission is responsible for making recommendations to the City Council on Zoning Code/Subdivision Ordinance Text Amendments, Zone Changes, Tentative Subdivision Maps, Development Agreements, Specific Plans, General Plan Amendments, and Annexations.
In addition to the items above, pursuant to Government Code Section 65402, a Finding of General Plan Conformity must be made by the Commission for any acquisition, disposition, vacation, or abandonment of any real City property by the City. Specifically, the Commission is to determine whether the location, purpose, and extent of such proposed real property transaction conforms with the 2030 General Plan. This section also applies to acquisitions and depositions by the County or other local agencies within City jurisdiction.
Time Commitment
The Commission currently holds their meetings on the first and third Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, however, while rare, special meetings can be convened as needed. While there is a potential for up to 24 meetings each year, one or two meetings are often removed from the calendar due to conflicts with holidays. Meetings are held on an as-needed basis, so meetings are canceled when there are no items that are ready for the Commission’s review or if the Commission fails to achieve a quorum (4 members). Based on data from 2023 and 2024:
• There were a total of 16 meetings held in 2023 and 14 meetings held in 2024. • Over that time period, there was an approximately 80 percent attendance rate. • The average meeting lasted 1 hr and 20 minutes and 1 hr and 41 minutes, respectively. However, it is important to note that, due to the variation in the items that come before the Commission, the time of meetings varies from approximately 30 minutes to 6 hours.
• The same variation can be found in the length of the Commission Packets as well, which can range from around 125 pages to over 3,000 pages when including environmental documents, such as the recent Teal Club project and Lockwood 3 projects.
Potential Benefits of Commission Stipends
As noted above, the Commission serves important functions prescribed by the State. These functions are critical for the growth of a city, as sound decision-making is important for the development of a city, particularly, as planning and, more specifically, housing planning has become a focus of state regulations. While staff are not making a recommendation in favor or against the provision of stipends, the Chair laid out the following potential benefits:
1. Encourage qualified people to become members of the Planning Commission.
2. Increase retention of members, which helps with institutional and historical knowledge of projects.
Although not stated in the Chair’s memo to the Planning Commission, if the stipend requires attendance at meetings, then the stipend would also encourage attendance of those appointed to the Commission. Although it rarely occurs, lack of attendance by Commissioners can delay decisions on development projects, impacting developer timelines. Also, commissioner turnover requires additional training and funding (approximately $2,000 per commissioner) and additional staff time to bring the new commissioners up to speed. Returning Commissioners can also bring much-needed experience and continuity, which is beneficial for new members and developers.
Survey of Other Agencies
The Chair conducted a survey of other neighboring agencies in Kern, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties, which was verified by City staff. As shown in the table (Attachment 3), the majority of agencies surveyed (29 of 38 (not including Oxnard)) in the region provide some sort of stipend. There was less information and consistency on data related to reimbursements, but the Planning Commission resolution included “reimbursement of actual and necessary expenses incurred for City-related business”. Of those cities surveyed, only three (3) are confirmed to provide mileage reimbursement.
The agencies that provide a stipend generally provide a stipend on a per-meeting basis and the majority of those require 494
attendance to receive the stipend. The per-meeting stipend generally ranged from $10 to $350. In some cases, cities that provide a per-meeting stipend also had a max stipend per month (i.e. Santa Maria). As an alternative, a few agencies provide a flat monthly stipend which ranged from $50 to $543, some of which required commissioner attendance and some did not.
The Chair’s memo (and the Resolution) presented to the Planning Commission stated in Section 3 that Oxnard is the only planning commission body which does not receive compensation in Ventura County.
“WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of Oxnard is the only municipal or county planning commission in the County of Ventura which has a body separate from the elected members of the municipality or county which does not receive compensation.”
Staff would like to clarify that the Chair’s research included 7 of the 10 cities in the County and the County, and with the exception of Port Hueneme, specific data was not provided on when a body was separate from the elected members.
Based on the Chair’s research, the City of Port Hueneme does not have a separately appointed planning commission. It was unknown if and how much the compensation for the City of Ventura is, and the cities of Ojai and Fillmore did not respond to his inquiries when the Resolution and memo were presented to the Planning Commission.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
This agenda item supports the Organizational Effectiveness strategy. The purpose of the Organizational Effectiveness strategy is to reinforce, stabilize, improve, and strengthen the organizational foundation of the City in order to build a modern, high-functioning City government that effectively and efficiently supports the operating departments in providing high-quality services and programs for our residents and businesses.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
If a $150 per meeting stipend for the Commission is ultimately approved by City Council, the funding for the Commissioner stipend would come from the General Fund.
Based on the recommendations, the maximum cost would be approximately $25,200 per year, assuming a stipend of $150 per Commissioner per meeting and a total of 24 meetings per year with all commissioners in attendance. However, based on the data from the last two years, there were a total of 16 meetings held in 2023 and 14 meetings held in 2024. Over that time period, there was an approximately 80 percent attendance rate. Based on these two data points, with seven Commissioners, the stipend would have been approximately $13,440 and $11,760, respectively, with attendance required.
The amounts above are for illustrative purposes only, as the exact cost could vary based on the number of meetings held.
While application fees are collected for projects that are presented to the Planning Commission to pay for staffing and noticing costs, fees do not include costs associated with Planning Commission Stipends. Therefore, a budget appropriation of $26,250 is needed for the Planning Commission Stipends.
For Finance Use Only:
General Fund (Org. 1011101 Obj. 52350)
COMMITTEE OUTCOME
The Finance and Governance Committee recommended 2-1 on March 11, 2025 to establish a $150 per meeting stipend, for meetings attended. The Council Committee did not discuss reimbursements in detail, and did not include reimbursements in their motion.
At the Committee meeting Planning Commission Chair presented a powerpoint in which he outlined many of the elements of the Planning Commission’s resolution to establish a stipend (attachment 3).
Committee deliberations ensued and Chair Mc Arthur stated his position that he supports $150 per meeting stipend, primarily as a tool to recruit young people that may be sacrificing potential earnings, and giving long hours to prepare and participate in the meeting. Chair Mc Arthur also stated that he believes $150 is on the low end and a starting point. Chair 495
Rodriguez, supported $150 per meeting stipend, also drawing on the amount of time spent for this role. Committee Member Starr (Starr) did not support pay for volunteer positions, and expressed that the “pay” the volunteer receives is that the members get a bigger say over what happens in the city. Starr also responded to a point raised by the Planning Commission Chair that the stipend would help retain members. Starr pointed out that historically members of the Commission did serve multiple terms and offered that the reason we may have less retention with the Commission may be term limits or lack of advertisement for the role, not necessarily compensation. Lastly, Starr raised the concern of the precedent this would set for other CAGs to seek compensation.
Prepared by: Joe Pearson II, AICP, Planning & Environmental Services Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Chair Arruejo’s Proposal for Stipends for Members of the Planning Commission Memo
2. Planning Commission Resolution 2024-22
3. PC Chair Arruejo’s Committee Presentation
4. Survey of Other Communities
5. Proposed Ordinance
6. Proposed Resolution
7. Presentation
496
MEMO
DATE: August 15, 2024
TO: Planning Commission
CC: Joe Pearson II, Planning & Environmental Services Manager Ken Rozell, Chief Assistant City Attorney
FROM: Ronald Arruejo, Planning Commission, Chair
SUBJECT: Proposal for Stipends for Members of the Planning Commission UPDATED
1. Recommendation: That the Planning Commission:
a. Adopt Resolution No. 2024-XX pertaining to compensation for members of the Planning Commission; and
b. Consent to the Chair and up to two other members (as selected by the Chair) of the Planning Commission to represent the Commission regarding the aforementioned Resolution in accordance with Rule 10 – ‘Restriction on Representation’ of the Rules and Procedures of the Planning Commission of the City of Oxnard.
2. Summary of Planning Commission
The current Duties (Sec. 2-95), Composition (Sec. 2-96), Finances (Sec. 2-97), and Televised Proceedings (Sec. 2-98) of the Planning Commission of the City of Oxnard are detailed in Sections 2-95 through 2-98 of the Oxnard City Code and as summarized below:
a. SECTION 2-95. DUTIES.: The Planning Commission performs functions and duties as assigned by the Code and other city council ordinances and resolutions, functions set out in Cal. Gov’t Code, Sections 65103, 65400, 65401, and 65402, and duties imposed by the Cal. Health and Safety Code, Section 33000. b. SECTION 2-96. COMPOSITION.: The Planning Commission shall consist of seven members, each nominated by a member of the city council concurrent with the term of the nominator, approved by the city council, and serving no more than two consecutive terms. A quorum will consist of four members. A commission 497
will select a chair and vice chair each year for one year or until their successors are appointed.
c. SECTION 2-97. FINANCES: “The city council shall provide the funds and equipment necessary for the work of the commission.”
d. SECTION 2-98. TELEVISED PROCEEDINGS.: “To the extent feasible, public proceedings of the commission shall be televised.”
3. Status of Compensation for Oxnard Commissioners in Comparison to the Rest of Ventura and Surrounding Counties
The members of the Planning Commission of the City of Oxnard do not receive compensation for their time attending Planning Commission meetings and, according to data received as of August 4, 2024, and compiled in Attachment B, is the only planning commission body (which is separate from the elected members of the municipality or county) which does not receive compensation in Ventura County.
In order to encourage qualified persons to become members of the Planning Commission, it is prudent and logical to offer compensation to current and future members to both increase retention and applications to serve as a member. All the members of the Planning Commission consist of members who are serving their first term.1 It is possible and reasonable that if compensation were offered, there would be more members still serving on the Planning Commission for a second term, thereby contributing to the Planning Commission with their institutional and historical knowledge in the deliberation of the items that come before the Planning Commission.
Utilizing just data for the cities2 in the County of Ventura and the County of Ventura itself, those that compensate their planning commission members monthly average $300 per month3 and those that compensate them per meeting average $110 per meeting4. Attendance is not generally required for compensation paid monthly but is generally required for compensation paid per meeting. Only one body pays their members mileage.
1 There are members who have previously served on the Planning Commission, but none of have reappointed to their current term of membership.
2 The City of Port Hueneme does not have a separately appointed planning commission, it is unknown if and how much the compensation for the City of San Buenaventura is, and the Cit ies of Ojai and Fillmore have not yet responded to inquiries regarding compensation for members of their Planning Commission. 3 Rounded to the nearest $10.
4 Rounded to the nearest $10.
498
Utilizing data for all the cities and the county board in Ventura County and the surrounding counties of Santa Barbara, Kern, & Los Angeles5 as compiled in Attachment B, 78% of the cities receive some compensation. For those that compensate their planning commission member monthly average $190 per month6 and those that compensate them per meeting average $110 per month7.
4. Summary and Conclusion:
In order to improve the retention and recruitment of qualified persons to become Planning Commission members and that those members are compensated comparably to Planning Commission members of other cities, offering compensation to current and future members is in the best interests of the City. It is recommended to approve Resolution No. 2024-XX to communicate to the City Council the support of the Planning Commission along with the reasons for compensation for members of the Planning Commission and to Consent for the Chair (and up to two other members) to represent the Planning Commission as it relates to Resolution 2024-XX.
Attachments:
A. Resolution 2024-XX
B. Planning Commission Member Stipend Data Received as of August 4, 2024 (Corrected)
5 Data was solicited from every city and county in Ventura, Kern, & Santa Barbara Counties, Los Angeles County, and every city with a population above 75,000 in Los Angeles County. Data was not received from all cities and counties in and surrounding Ventura County.
6 Rounded to the nearest $10.
7 Rounded to the nearest $10.
499
RESOLUTIONNO.2024-XX
ARESOLUTIONOFTHEPLANNINGCOMMISSIONOFTHECITYOFOXNARDPERTAININGTO COMPENSATIONFORMEMBERS OFTHEPLANNINGCOMMISSION.
WHEREAS,SECTION2-97.FINANCESoftheOxnardCityCodeauthorizestheCityCounciltoprovidethefundsandequipmentnecessaryfortheworkofthecommission;and WHEREAS,thecityhasnotadoptedanordinancethat providescompensationtomembersofthePlanningCommissionforattendanceatPlanningCommissionmeetings;and WHEREAS,inordertoencouragequalifiedpersonstobecomemembersofthePlanningCommissionandto ensure that members ofthePlanningCommissionare compensatedcomparablytoPlanningCommissionmembersofothercities,itisinthebestinterestsoftheCitytoprovideforcompensationtomembersofthePlanningCommission;and WHEREAS,theCityCouncilmayestablishthecompensationofvariouscityboardsandcommissions;and WHEREAS,thePlanningCommissionoftheCityofOxnardistheonlymunicipalorcountyplanningcommissionintheCountyofVenturawhichhasabodyseparatefromtheelectedmembersofthemunicipalityorcountywhichdoesnotreceivecompensation.
NOW, THEREFORE,BEITRESOLVEDBYTHEPLANNINGCOMMISSIONOFTHECITYOFOXNARD:
SECTION1.IncorporationofRecitals.Theaboverecitalsaretrueandcorrectandareincorporatedhereinbythisreference.
SECTION2.CEQA. ThePlanningCommissionfindsthisResolutionisexemptfromtheCaliforniaEnvironmentalQualityAct(CEQA)pursuanttoCEQAGuidelinesSection15061(b)(3)(“generalrule”or“commonsense”)thatstatesCEQAappliesonlytoprojectswhichhavethepotentialforcausinga significant effectontheenvironment.Where it canbeseenwithcertainty, asinthiscase,thatthereisnopossibilitythattheactivityinquestionmayhaveasignificant effectontheenvironment.AsthisactiononlyrequeststheCityCouncilconsiderfuture ordinanceamendments,theactivityisnotsubjectto CEQA. Any future ordinanceamendments,ifpursued,wouldbesubjecttotheprovisionsofCEQA,asapplicable.
SECTION3.ThePlanningCommissionrequeststhat theCityCouncilamendSECTION2-96.COMPOSITION.oftheOxnardCityCodebyamendingtoreadasfollowsasamendedandrestatedtoreadasfollows:
500
SECTION2-96.COMPOSITION.
A. Thecommissionshallconsistofsevenmembers.Memberofthecommissionshallserveandmayberemovedandreplacedatthepleasureofthecitycouncil,shallresideinthecity,andshallbeatleast18yearsofage.B. …C. …D. …E. … SECTION4.ThePlanningCommissionrequeststhat theCityCouncilamendSECTIONSECTION2-97.FINANCES.oftheOxnardCityCodebyamendingtoreadasfollowsasamendedandrestatedtoreadasfollows:
SECTION2-97.FINANCES.
Thecitycouncilshallprovidethefundsandequipmentnecessaryfortheworkofthecommission.
A. PlanningCommissionersshallreceivecompensationintheamountofOneHundredandFiftyDollars($150)permeetingforeverymemberofthePlanningCommission.B. PlanningCommissionersmaywaivetheirowncompensationonanannualbasisbygivingwrittennoticeto theCityManager until suchtimethat thePlanningCommissionerretractstheirwaivingoftheirowncompensationoruntiltheendoftheirtermofappointment.C. Thecompensationsetforthhereinshallbecomeeffectiveinthefirstfullmonthaftertheapprovalofthisordinance.D. Thecompensationset forthhereinisexclusiveofanyamountspayabletoeachmemberofthePlanningCommissionforreimbursement ofactualandnecessaryexpensesincurredforCity-relatedbusiness.E. PlanningCommissionersshallnotbeeligibleforanyhealthinsurancebenefits.
Section5.Severability.IfanyprovisionofthisResolutionortheapplicationthereoftoanypersonorcircumstanceisheldinvalid,suchinvalidityshallnotaffectotherprovisionsorapplications,andtothisendtheprovisionsofthisResolutionaredeclaredtobeseverable.
Section6.TheSecretaryshallcertifytheadoptionofthisResolution.
PASSED,APPROVED,ANDADOPTEDbythePlanningCommissionoftheCityofOxnardonthis15 th
dayofAugust,2024.
______________________________
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RonaldArruejo,Chair
IherebycertifythattheforegoingisatruecopyofaResolutionadoptedbythePlanningCommissionoftheCityofOxnardatameetingheldonthe15 th
dayofAugust,2024,andcarriedbythefollowingvote:
AYES: Commissioner(s):
NOES: Commissioner(s):
ABSENT: Commissioner(s):
ABSTAIN: Commissioner(s):
RECUSED: Commissioner(s):
______________________________
JoePearsonII,Secretary
502
Month Meeting
Los Angeles Alhambra N/A N/A
Kern Arvin N/A N/A 6-8 meetings/year; 10-30
minutes each
Los Angeles Bellflower 300 150 Yes No M.C. 2.32 Info from website Santa
Barbara Buellton 50 Yes No
Los Angeles Burbank N/A N/A M.C. 2-1-405 Info from website Ventura Camarillo 125 Yes No
Santa
Barbara Carpinteria 60 Yes No Reimbursement for city
business
Los Angeles Carson 100 Yes No
Ventura County of 150 Yes Yes
Santa
Barbara County of 350 Yes Yes
Los Angeles El Monte 75 Yes R. 9622
Los Angeles Glendale N/A N/A Info from website
Los Angeles Hawthorne 50 Yes No Info from website
Los Angeles Lakewood 50 Yes No Info from website
Los Angeles Lancaster 75 Yes No Info from website
Santa
Barbara Lompoc N/A No
Kern McFarland 50 Yes No M.C. 0001-2022 1 meeting per month Ventura Moorpark 200 100 Yes No R. 1991-730 Max 200/month Ventura Oxnard N/A N/A M.C. 2-96 & 2-97
Los Angeles Palmdale 125 Yes No 150 for chair & 100 for others per meeting
Los Angeles Pasadena 50 Yes No M.C. 2.105.125
OtherMunicipal Code /
Resolution
Per _____ AttendanceCounty MileageCity
503
Month Meeting OtherMunicipal Code /
Resolution
Per _____ AttendanceCounty MileageCity
Los Angeles Pomona N/A N/A
Kern Ridgecrest 200 No No
Santa
Barbara
Santa
Barbara 50 Yes No
Los AngelesSanta
Clarita 263 Yes No Info from website
Santa
Barbara Santa Maria 75 Yes No
Ventura Santa Paula 50 No No R. 3761 1 meeting/month; paid quarterly
Kern Shafter 50 No Unknown M.C. 707
Daily salary for city-related
business & other relevant
expenses.
Ventura Simi Valley 543 No No
Santa
Barbara Solvang 100 No No
Los Angeles South Gate 125 Yes No M.C. 54952.3 Info from website Kern Taft 50 No No R. 3850-17
Kern Tehachapi 150 No No
Ventura Thousand
Oaks 375 No No
Los Angeles Torrance 10 Yes No Must attend at least 2/3.
Ventura Ventura Unknown Unknown MC 2.415
Kern Wasco N/A N/A
Los Angeles West Covina 150 75 Yes No Info from website Los Angeles Whittier N/A N/A
504
505
506
507
Planning
Commission Stipend
Discussion
Finance & Governance Committee: March 11, 2025
Agenda Item D.2.
Planning Commission Chair Ronald Arruejo
508
Recommendation by the
Planning Commission
• Recommend to the City Council to adopt an
ordinance as detailed in Resolution No. 2024-22 as
approved by the Planning Commission in August
2024.
509
Introduction / Context
• 7 members selected by each councilmember and the mayor and approved by the city council to serve terms concurrent with the selector up to a maximum of 2 consecutive terms.
• 4 members were (re)appointed for the 2021-2024 term.
• 3 members were (re)appointed for the 2023-2026 term.
• Planning Commission (PC) Members do not currently receive stipends.
• Resolution 2024-22 proposed an ordinance for approval by the City Council to allow PC members to receive stipends.
510
$-
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
PCs in Ventura
County
* Per meeting amounts calculated at 50% per month.
Stipend Amounts per Meeting
511
PCs in Kern
County
Stipend Amounts per
Meeting
$0
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
$120
$140
$160
Arvin Wasco McFarland Shafter Taft Ridgecrest Tehachapi * Per meeting amounts calculated at 50% per month.
512
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
PCs in Los
Angeles County
Stipend Amounts per Meeting
* Palmdale allocates $150 for chair and $100 for
members. Data averages different amounts.
513
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
Lompoc Santa Maria Buellton Santa
Barbara
Solvang Carpinteria County of
PCs in Santa
Barbara
County
Stipend Amounts per
Meeting
* Per meeting amounts calculated at 50% per month.
514
$-
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
Ojai
Oxnard
Lompoc
Alhambra
Burbank
Glendale
Pomona
Whittier
Arvin
Wasco
Torrance
McFarland
Shafter
Taft
Santa Maria
Solvang
Santa Paula
Buellton
Santa Barbara
Hawthorne
Lakewood
Pasadena
Carpinteria
El Monte
Lancaster
West Covina
Moorpark
Carson
Ridgecrest
Camarillo
Palmdale
South Gate
County of
Bellflower
Tehachapi
Thousand Oaks
Santa Clarita
Simi Valley
County of
PCs in Ventura, Kern, Santa Barbara, &
Los Angeles Counties: Stipend Amounts
per Meeting
Santa Barbara
Ventura, * Per meeting
amounts
calculated at
50% per month.
515
Stipend
Amount Per
(K) Capita
For Ventura County (Cities)
with the proposed
$150/meeting for Oxnard.
$-
$0.50
$1.00
$1.50
$2.00
$2.50
$3.00
County of Oxnard Thousand
Oaks
Santa Paula Camarillo Simi Valley Moorpark
516
Reasoning
• Improve the recruitment of qualified persons to the PC. • Increase the retention of current PC members to provide institutional memory.
• Provide equitability with our neighboring cities and
counties.
517
Recommendation by the
Planning Commission
• Recommend to the City Council to adopt an
ordinance as detailed in Resolution No. 2024-22 as
approved by the Planning Commission in August
2024.
518
Acknowledgements
Alhambra Community Development
Executive Assistant Karabeth Garcia
Arvin City Clerk Cecilia Vela
County of Administrative Assistant Luz Juachon
Lompoc Planning Manager Brian Halvorson
Pomona Planning Staff Miroslava
PourSanae
Wasco Community
Development Director Keri Cobb
Whittier Community
Development Director Ben Pongetti
Torrance Master Municipal Clerk Rebecca Poirer
McFarland Senior City Planner Brianahi De Leon
Shafter City Clerk Yazmina Pallares
Taft City Clerk Yvette Mayfield
Santa Maria Community
Development Kathleen Wilson
Buellton Planning Technician Clare Barcelona
Santa
Barbara Commission Secretary Mariah Johnson
Solvang HR Specialist Fatima Gonzalez
Pasadena Administrative Specialist Tess Varsh
Carpinteria City Clerk Brian Barrett
Thousand
Oaks City Clerk Laura Maguire
Carson Planning Manager Christopher
Palmer
Santa Paula Planning & Economic
Development Manager Tom Tarantino
Camarillo Management Assistant Janessa
Gutierrez
Tehachapi Assistant City Manager Corey Costelloe
Simi Valley Human
Resources
Moorpark Administrative
Specialist Jeannine Lugo
County of Hearing Support
Supervisor David Villalobos
Ventura
SB
519
Questions?
Deepest thanks to the Community
Development staff.
520
Stipend Survey of Other Communities
County City
Stipend Per
Month
Stipend Per
Meeting
Required
Attendance
Mileage
Reimbursment
1 Kern Arvin - - N/a No
2 Kern MacFarland $50 - Yes No
3 Kern Ridgecrest $200 - No No
4 Kern Shafter $50 - Yes No
5 Kern Taft $50 - Yes No
6 Kern Tehachapi - - No No
7 Kern Wasco - - N/a Yes
8 Los Angeles Alhambra - - N/a No
9 Los Angeles Bellflower $300 $150 Yes No
10Los Angeles Burbank - - N/a No
11Los Angeles Carson - $100 Yes No
12Los Angeles El Monte - $75 Yes No
13Los Angeles Glendale - - N/a No
14Los Angeles Hawthorne - $50 yes No
15Los Angeles Lakewood $100 $50 Yes No
16Los Angeles Lancaster - $75 Yes No
17Los Angeles Palmdale $200 $100 Yes No
18Los Angeles Pasadena - $50 Yes No
19Los Angeles Pomona - - N/a No
20Los Angeles Santa Clarita - $263 Yes No
21Los Angeles South Gate - $125 Yes No
22Los Angeles Torrance - $10 Yes No
23Los Angeles West Covina $150 $75 Yes No
24Los Angeles Whittier - - N/a No
25Santa BarbaraBuellton $100 $50 Yes No
26Santa BarbaraCarpinteria - $60 Yes No
27Santa BarbaraCounty of - $350 Yes Yes
28Santa BarbaraLompoc - $50 Yes No
29Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara - $50 Yes No
30Santa BarbaraSanta Maria $300 $75 Yes No
31Santa BarbaraSolvang $100 - Yes No
32Ventura Camarillo - $125 Yes No
33Ventura County of - $150 Yes Yes
34Ventura Moorpark $200 $100 Yes No
35Ventura Santa Paula - $50 No No
36Ventura Simi Valley $543 - No No
37Ventura Thousand Oaks $375 - No No
38Ventura Ventura - - No No
521
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OXNARD ORDINANCE NO. _____ AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OXNARD, CALIFORNIA
AMENDING
CHAPTER
2 ARTICLE
II
DIVISION
7 SECTIONS
2-96
AND
2-97
OF
THE
OXNARD
CITY
CODE
ESTABLISHING
A
STIPEND
FOR
SERVICE
ON
THE
OXNARD
PLANNING
COMMISSION
WHEREAS, Oxnard City Code Section 2-97 authorizes the City Council to provide the funds
and
equipment
necessary
for
the
work
of
the
commission;
and
WHEREAS, the City Council has not adopted an ordinance that provides compensation to
members
of
the
Planning
Commission
for
attendance
at
Planning
Commission
meetings;
and
WHEREAS, to encourage qualified persons to become members of the Planning Commission
and
to
ensure
that
members
of
the
Planning
Commission
are
compensated
comparably
to
Planning
Commission
members
of
other
cities,
it
is
in
the
best
interests
of
the
City
to
provide
for
compensation
to
members
of
the
Planning
Commission;
and
WHEREAS, the City Council may establish the compensation of various city boards and commissions;
and
WHEREAS, on March 11, 2025, the Finance and Governance Committee (“Committee”) voted
2-1
to
recommend
that
the
City
Council
approve
a
stipend
for
the
Planning
Commission;
and
WHEREAS, the City Council determined that this action is exempt from environmental review
pursuant
to
the
California
Environmental
Quality
Act
(CEQA)
Guidelines
Sections
15060(c)(2)
and
(3)
and
15061(b)(3)
as
this
ordinance
is
a
regulatory
action
which
will
not
result
in
direct
or
reasonably
foreseeable
indirect
physical
change
in
the
environment
and
when
it
can
be
seen
with
certainty
that
there
is
no
possibility
that
the
activity
in
question
may
have
a
significant
effect
on
the
environment
are
not
subject
to
CEQA.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OXNARD DOES ORDAIN
AS
FOLLOWS:
PART 1 . Recitals. The City Council finds that all the recitals, facts, findings, and conclusions
set
forth
above
in
the
preamble
of
this
Ordinance
are
true
and
correct.
PART 2 . Codified Amendment. The City Clerk is directed to request that the publisher of the
City
Code
add
thereto
the
amendments
listed
in
Parts
3 and
4 of
this
Ordinance,
as
set
forth
below,
which
modify
Chapter
2 of
the
City
Code.
522
Ordinance No. ______ (Planning Commission Stipend Ordinance) Page 2 of 4 PART 3. Section 2-96 subsection (A) “Composition” Division 7 of Chapter 2 Article II of
the
Oxnard
City
Code
shall
be
amended
to
read
as
follows:
“SEC. 2-96. COMPOSITION. (A) The commission shall consist of seven members. Members of the commission shall serve and
may
be
removed
and
replaced
at
the
pleasure
of
the
city
council.
Members
shall
serve
without
compensation,
shall
reside
in
the
city,
and
shall
be
at
least
18 years
of
age.”
PART 4. Section 2-97 “Finances” Division 7 of Chapter 2 Article II of the Oxnard City Code
shall
be
amended
to
read
as
follows:
“SEC. 2-97. FINANCES. The city council shall provide the funds and equipment necessary for the work of the commission.
(A) The city council shall provide the funds and equipment necessary for the work of the commission. (B) Planning Commissioners shall receive compensation in the amount established by resolution
of
the
City
Council.”
PART 5 . The City Council determines and finds that this ordinance is exempt from the California
Environmental
Quality
Act
(CEQA)
under
Section
15061(b)(3)
of
the
CEQA
Guidelines
because
the
activity
is
covered
by
the
common
sense
exemption
that
CEQA
applies
only
to
projects
which
have
the
potential
for
causing
a
significant
effect
on
the
environment.
Where
it
can
be
seen
with
certainty
that
there
is
no
possibility
that
the
activity
in
question
may
have
a
significant
effect
on
the
environment,
the
activity
is
not
subject
to
CEQA.
PART 6 . Severability. If any section, subsection, subdivision, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion
of
this
Ordinance
or
the
application
thereof
to
any
person
or
place,
is
for
any
reason
held
to
be
invalid
or
unconstitutional
by
the
final
decision
of
any
court
of
competent
jurisdiction,
the
remainder
of
this
Ordinance
shall
remain
in
full
force
and
effect.
PART 7 . Pursuant to Cal. Gov. Code Section 36933(c)(1), the City Attorney was designated
to
prepare,
and
the
City
Clerk
published,
a
summary
of
this
Ordinance,
and
certified
copy
of
the
Ordinance
was
posted
in
the
Office
of
the
City
Clerk
a
minimum
of
five
days
before
the
City
Council’s
adoption
of
the
Ordinance.
// // // // // // //
523
Ordinance No. ______ (Planning Commission Stipend Ordinance) Page 3 of 4 SECTION 8 . The City Clerk shall certify as to the adoption of this Ordinance and shall cause
the
summary
thereof
to
be
published
within
fifteen
(15)
days
of
the
adoption
and
shall
post
a
certified
copy
of
this
ordinance,
including
the
vote
for
and
against
the
same,
in
the
office
of
the
City
Clerk,
in
accordance
with
Gov.
Code
Section
36933.
Ordinance
No.
______ was first read
on
_____________, 2025, and finally adopted on ___________, 2025 to become effective thirty days
thereafter.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this ____ day of ___________, 2025 by the following vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: __________________________________ Luis A. Mc Arthur, Mayor ATTEST: _________________________________ Lourdes A. López, City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: __________________________________ Stephen M. Fischer, City Attorney
524
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OXNARD RESOLUTION NO. _____ A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF OXNARD CITY COUNCIL
SETTING
COMPENSATION
FOR
PLANNING
COMMISSIONERS
OF
THE
CITY
OF
OXNARD.
WHEREAS, the City Council may establish the compensation of various city boards and commissions;
and
WHEREAS, the City Council has not adopted a resolution that provides compensation to members
of
the
Planning
Commission
for
attendance
at
Planning
Commission
meetings;
and
WHEREAS, to encourage qualified persons to become members of the Planning Commission
and
to
ensure
that
members
of
the
Planning
Commission
are
compensated
comparably
to
Planning
Commission
members
of
other
cities,
it
is
in
the
best
interests
of
the
City
to
provide
for
compensation
to
members
of
the
Planning
Commission;
and
WHEREAS, on March 11, 2025, the Finance and Governance Committee voted 2-1 to recommend
City
Council
approve
a
stipend
for
the
Planning
Commission;
and
WHEREAS, on June 26, 2025, the City Council voted to approve the first reading of an ordinance
amending
Sections
2-96
and
2-97
of
the
Oxnard
City
Code
to
allow
for
compensation
of
the
Planning
Commissioners;
and
WHEREAS, Section 2-97 of the Oxnard City Code, as amended, authorizes the City Council
to
provide
the
funds
and
equipment
necessary
for
the
work
of
the
commission
as
well
as
compensation
established
by
resolution
of
the
City
Council;
and
WHEREAS, the City Council determined that this action is exempt from environmental review
pursuant
to
the
California
Environmental
Quality
Act
(CEQA)
Guidelines
Sections
15060(c)(2)
and
(3)
and
15061(b)(3)
as
this
ordinance
is
a
regulatory
action
which
will
not
result
in
direct
or
reasonably
foreseeable
indirect
physical
change
in
the
environment
and
when
it
can
be
seen
with
certainty
that
there
is
no
possibility
that
the
activity
in
question
may
have
a
significant
effect
on
the
environment
are
not
subject
to
CEQA.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OXNARD DOES
RESOLVE
AS
FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1 . The City Council finds that all the recitals, facts, findings, and conclusions set
forth
above
in
the
preamble
of
this
Resolution
are
true
and
correct.
SECTION 2 . City of Oxnard Planning Commissioners shall receive compensation in the amount
of
One
Hundred
and
Fifty
Dollars
($150)
per
meeting
for
every
member
of
the
Planning
Commission.
The
commissioner
must
be
in
attendance
in
order
to
be
eligible
to
receive
the
compensation.
525
Resolution No. ______ (Planning Commission Stipend Resolution) Page 2 of 3 SECTION 3. Planning Commissioners may choose to waive their compensation on an annual
basis
by
providing
written
notice
to
the
City
Manager.
This
waiver
will
remain
in
effect
until
the
Commissioner
either
submits
a
written
retraction
or
their
term
of
appointment
ends,
whichever
occurs
first
SECTION 4. The compensation set forth herein is separate from and does not include any
funds
or
equipment
provided
to
Planning
Commission
members
for
purposes
necessary
to
carry
out
the
work
of
the
Commission.
SECTION 5. Planning Commissioners shall not be eligible for any health insurance benefits.
SECTION 6 . The City Council determines and finds that this ordinance is exempt from the
California
Environmental
Quality
Act
(CEQA)
under
Section
15061(b)(3)
of
the
CEQA
Guidelines
because
the
activity
is
covered
by
the
common
sense
exemption
that
CEQA
applies
only
to
projects
which
have
the
potential
for
causing
a
significant
effect
on
the
environment.
Where
it
can
be
seen
with
certainty
that
there
is
no
possibility
that
the
activity
in
question
may
have
a
significant
effect
on
the
environment,
the
activity
is
not
subject
to
CEQA.
SECTION 7. This Resolution shall be effective only upon the adoption and effective date
of
the
ordinance
amending
the
City
Code
to
authorize
the
payment
of
stipends
to
Planning
Commissioners
and
to
permit
the
City
Council
to
establish
such
compensation
by
resolution.
If
the
ordinance
is
not
adopted,
this
Resolution
shall
have
no
force
or
effect.
SECTION 8 . If any section, subsection, subdivision, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion of
this
Resolution
or
the
application
thereof
to
any
person
or
place,
is
for
any
reason
held
to
be
invalid
or
unconstitutional
by
the
final
decision
of
any
court
of
competent
jurisdiction,
the
remainder
of
this
Resolution
shall
remain
in
full
force
and
effect.
\\\ \\\ \\\
\\\
\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\
526
Resolution No. ______ (Planning Commission Stipend Resolution) Page 3 of 3 SECTION 9 . The City Clerk shall certify as to the adoption of this Resolution. PASSED AND ADOPTED this 26th day of June, 2025, by the following vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: __________________________________ Luis A. Mc Arthur, Mayor ATTEST: _________________________________ Lourdes A. López, City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FROM: __________________________________ Stephen M. Fischer, City Attorney
527
PLANNING COMMISSION STIPEND
Joe Pearson II, AICP, Planning Manager
Community Development Department
City Council
June 26, 2025
528
Role of the Planning Commission
The Oxnard Planning Commission consists of seven members.
The Commission is one of seven Council Advisory Groups (CAGS) established by the OCC within the City of Oxnard. However, the role of the Commission differs from many of the other CAGs in the City in that the Commission's role and responsibilities are defined under State Law.
Pursuant to Section 2-95 of the OCC the Commission has three core functions:
• The functions and duties assigned to the commission by the code and other ordinances and resolutions of the city council;
• The functions set out in Cal. Gov't Code, Sections 65103, 65400, 65401 and 65402; and
• The duties imposed on a commission by Cal. Health and Safety Code, Section 33000.
Pursuant to Chapters 15, 16, and 17 of the OCC, the Commission functions as the decision maker, appeals body, or recommendation body on a variety of permits. As well as, being responsible for making General Plan Conformity determinations. 2 529
Time Commitment
1. The Commission currently holds their meetings on the first and third Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers, however, while rare, special meetings can be convened as needed.
2. There were a total of 16 meetings held in 2023 and 14 meetings held in 2024.
3. The average meeting lasted 1 hr. and 20 minutes and 1 hr. and 41 minutes, respectively.
4. Due to the variation in the items that come before the Commission, the time of meetings varies from approximately 30 minutes to 6 hours.
3 530
Planning Commission Request
At the request of the Commission, on August 15, 2024 the the Commission had a study sessions/report to discuss the proposal of stipends for members of the Commission.
At the meeting, Ronald Arruejo, Chair of the Planning Commission prepared and submitted a memo highlighting the role of the Planning Commission, a rate comparison looking at Oxnard as compared to other cities, and benefits of providing a stipend to the Planning Commission.
The Commission discussed the proposal and following the deliberation, the Commission voted 5-0, with one absence and one abstention to approve the resolution as prepared by the Commission Chair.
The Commission Chair then presented the resolution to the City Council. The Council directed staff to bring the item to Council Committee for further discussion.
4 531
General Stipend Request for the Planning Commission
The request included the following modifications:
1. Removes language “shall serve without compensation” from Section 2-96 of the OCC
2. Amends Section 2-97 of the OCC to add one new section, with the major elements being:
a. “Planning Commissioners shall receive compensation in the amount established by resolution of the City Council.”
3. Create a resolution that will establish a stipend of $150 per meeting attended.
5 532
Information Provided by the Commission Chair
1. Benefits of Commission Stipends - A stipend could encourage the participation of qualified individuals and retention of commissioners.
2. Survey of other Agencies -
• The Chair selected the 38 cities he surveyed.
• The majority of other cities surveyed provided some level of compensation.
• The per meeting stipend ranged from $10 to $350.
• The flat monthly stipend which ranged from $50 to $543. • Some agencies required attendance to receive the stipend. 6 533
Information Provided by the Commission Chair
Survey of other Agencies Continued
1. In the memo the Chair provided to the Planning Commission and during the Committee meeting the Chair stated that
Oxnard was one of only two cities in the County that did not provide a stipend.
2. Staff would like to clarify that was only for those cities in the County the Chair surveyed.
• Ventura is included in the Chairs data as not providing a stipend. • The Chair did not provide/receive data for Ojai, Fillmore, or Port Hueneme; however in the Committee presentation the chart presented by the Chair indicates Ojai does not provide a stipend. 7 534
Information Provided by the Commission Chair
“PCs in Ventura, Kern, Santa Barbara, & Los Angeles Counties:
Stipend Amounts per Meeting”
8 Currently seven of the 38 cities surveyed pay $150 or more per meeting.
The per meeting amounts were calculated at 50% of the per month rate for the cities that paid a monthly stipend. 535
Finance and Governance Committee Outcome
1. With a 2-1 Vote the Committee recommended $150 per meeting stipend, for meetings attended.
2. General Comments in support of the Stipend:
• Stipend could help attract young people and those sacrificing earnings to be able to participate on the Commission.
• The Planning Commissions put in a lot of hours.
3. General Comments in opposition to the stipend:
• The “pay” the Commissioners receive is that they get a bigger say in what happens in the City.
• Historically retention has not been a problem, despite no stipend. • This will set a precedent for other CAGs to request a stipend. 9 536
Financial Impact
• If the stipend for the Commission is ultimately approved by City Council, the funding for the Commissioner stipend would come from the General Fund.
• Based on a stipend of $150 per Commissioner per meeting and a total of 24 meetings per year with all commissioners in attendance the maximum cost would be approximately $25,200 per year.
• However, based on the data from the last two years, there were a total of 16 meetings held in 2023 and 14 meetings held in 2024. • If approved as recommended by the Committee, a budget appropriation of $26,250 is required for the Planning Commission Stipends.
10 537
Recommendation
That the City Council:
1. Approve the first reading by title only and waive further reading of the proposed Ordinance titled: “AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OXNARD, CALIFORNIA AMENDING CHAPTER 2 ARTICLE II
DIVISION 7 SECTIONS 2-96 AND 2-97 OF THE OXNARD CITY
CODE ESTABLISHING A STIPEND FOR SERVICE ON THE
OXNARD PLANNING COMMISSION”; and
2. Adopt a resolution establishing $150 per meeting compensation for the members of the Planning Commission of the City of Oxnard; and
3. Approve a Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget appropriation from the General Fund (101) available fund balance in the amount of $26,250.
11 538
End of Presentation
539