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Agenda Report
August 17, 2026
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TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Manager's Office
City Clerk's Office
SUBJECT: CONSIDERATION OF SPECIAL MEETINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2026, AND TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER
29, 2026, IN PLACE OF REGULAR MEETINGS ON MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 14, 2026, AND MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2026
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Find that the action proposed herein is covered by the commonsense exemption set forth in State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(c) as CEQA only applies to projects that may have a significant effect on the environment;
2. Discuss and consider holding special meetings of the City Council on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, and Tuesday, September 29, 2026, in place of regular meetings on Monday, September 14, 2026, and Monday, September 28, 2026; and
3. If supported by the City Council, direct City staff to proceed with the recommended special meeting schedule, incorporating outreach and notification to members of the public.
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BACKGROUND:
Members of the City Council have expressed challenges with regular meetings on Monday evenings. The Interim City Manager in consultation with the City Clerk brings forward this item for City Council to discuss and consider holding special meetings in September in place of regularly scheduled meetings. The special meetings would serve as a trial or test for City Council to assess whether they wish to move their regular meetings from Mondays to a different day of the week.
The Pasadena Municipal Code section 2.05.060 sets forth the date, time, and place of Regular Meetings of the City Council. It states:
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MEETING OF 08/17/2026AGENDA ITEM NO. 12
Consideration of Special Meetings for September 15 and 29, 2026 August 17, 2026
The city council shall hold regular meetings each Monday at the hour of 5:00 p.m. in Room S249 of the City Hall, 100 North Garfield Avenue, in the city of Pasadena, unless otherwise canceled by the city clerk in consultation with the mayor and the city manager. When any Monday falls on a legal holiday, the regular meeting shall be canceled.
Over the years, regular meetings of the City Council have changed in start time, location, and date. In 1994, meetings were moved from Tuesdays to Mondays. Meeting locations were changed from 2004 to 2007 for the City hlall retrofit project to meet at the Pasadena Senior Center. Regular meetings are established by ordinance and therefore an ordinance will be required if the City Council decides to make a change to the meeting schedule.
City staff are suggesting, as a first step, that the City Council conduct a trial or test period of alternative meeting dates with special meetings on a different day of the week. The City Council's meeting calendar on the City's website notes September 7, 2026, to be cancelled in observance of Labor Day and September 21, 2026, as proposed to be cancelled in recognition of the Jewish holiday ofYom Kippur. With just two regular meetings scheduled for September 14, 2026, and September 28, 2026, the month of September appears to be a good candidate for City Council to conduct special meetings on alternative dates.
In assessing other days of the week for City Council to meet, the City Clerk and Interim City Manager recommend Tuesdays as alternative dates for the special meetings. This option maintains the current posting schedule for agendas and materials on the Thursday prior to the meeting and provides the City Council one additional workday to review meeting materials, meet with stakeholders, solicit public input, and seek information from City staff, and appears to be the least disruptive option for normal City business. Another day that was considered but ultimately not recommended was Wednesday, which presented challenges relating to the timing of posting meeting materials on either Thursdays (day after a Council meeting), Friday (with alternating Fridays off), or on Sundays to meet the 72-hour posting requirement. Holding a City Council meeting on a Thursday was also not recommended because materials would be posted on a Monday and would provide less time for the City Council and public to review the City Council's agenda and materials.
If City Council holds a special meeting on September 15, it may conflict with the Economic Development and Technology Committee scheduled for the same day. Their meeting can be re-scheduled or cancelled in consultation with Chair Hampton. No Committee meetings of the City Council would be impacted by a special meeting on September 29 (fifth Tuesday of the month).
COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
The City Council's consideration of special meetings maintains the public's ability to attend publicly noticed meetings and ensures the City's business is conducted in public.
Consideration of Special Meetings for September 15 and 29, 2026 August 17, 2026
This is consistent with the City Council's strategic goals to support and promote the quality of life.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The proposed action has been determined to be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines section 15061 (b)(3), the Common Sense Exemption that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. The consideration of special meetings and change of dates for City Council meetings in September 2026 would have no adverse impact on the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with a change in City Council meeting dates for September.
Respectfully submitted,
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ALEXANDER HER^ANDEZ
Assistant to the City Manager
In Concurrence with:
f^RK/J^MSKY
City Clerk
Approved by:
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MATF1HEWE. HAWKESWORTH
Interim City Manager