CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: January 30, 2023
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS
SUBJECT: DETERMINE THE APPOINTMENT PROCESS TO FILL THE CITY
COUNCIL VACANCY
SYNOPSIS
Government Code § 36512(b) provides that after the resignation of an elected City Councilmember, the City Council must, within 60 days from the commencement of the vacancy, either appoint a successor or call a special election to fill the vacancy until the certification of the next General (Municipal) Election. The appointment must be made prior to March 1, 2023. The City Council voted to proceed with an appointment process on December 5, 2022 and determined the application process on January 9, 2023 with direction to staff on initiating the recruitment.
The application period closed on January 27, 2023.
DISCUSSION
Background
Government Code § 36512(b) provides the process for filling an elected Councilmember’s post if vacated prior to the end of their term. The City Council voted on December 5, 2022 to proceed with an appointment process to fill the City Councilmember vacancy resulting from Councilmember Carlson’s election as Contra Costa County Supervisor for District IV. On January 9, 2023, the City Council provided direction to staff to finalize the application, with a submittal deadline of 12:00 p.m. on January 27, 2023; conduct a recruitment for qualified candidates to fill the vacancy; and return to the City Council following the close of the application period for further discussion.
Staff publicly noticed the vacancy (including the application process) via the following outlets:
City website;
Social media accounts;
Electronic billboard at City Hall;
Agenda posting board outside of City Hall; the Police Department; and the Senior Center Press release (also sent to City commissioners);
January 20, 2023 Biweekly Update; and
East Bay Times on January 20, 2023, and January 25, 2023.
Analysis
During the two-week application period (January 13, 2023 to January 27, 2023), the City received applications (attached) from eleven qualified candidates listed below in the Randomized Alphabet Drawing order the California Secretary of State’s Office utilized for the November 8, 2022 General (Municipal) Election (attached).
Veronica Dise-Hodge
Husein Attarwala
Allen Vinson
Andrei Obolenskiy
Eslam Najjar
Chris Tipton
Zhanna Thompson
Stephen Zalewski
David Field
Darien Key
Oliver Greenwood
The purpose of the Council meeting is to:
Review the candidate list.
Determine the interview and appointment process.
Determine when the interviews will take place.
FISCAL IMPACT
The cost to implement the current step in the process includes staff time.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made through posting of the City Council agenda on the City’s official notice bulletin board, at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center and at the Pleasant Hill Police Department. The agenda and staff report are posted on the City’s web page.
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION
Review the submitted applications and determine the appointment process to fill the City Council vacancy.
ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Councilmembers are essential officers of municipal government (Government Code §36501) and a new one must be selected by law. The Council has a mandatory duty to choose to either appoint a new councilmember or call a special election for that purpose by March 1, 2023 (Government Code § 36512(b)). No alternatives to this duty are available.
ATTACHMENT(S):
City Councilmember Applications
Secretary of State Randomized Alphabet Drawing
Correspondence
Prepared by: Danielle K. Navarro, Principal Management Analyst/City Clerk Approved by: June Catalano, City Manager