City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: FEBRUARY 22, 2022 FROM: CITY ATTORNEY WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: ORAL PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION ON QUASI-JUDICIAL HEARINGS ISSUE:
That the City Council receive an oral presentation from the City Attorney’s Office on providing due process and avoiding bias in the context of quasi-judicial hearings.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council receive the oral presentation from the City Attorney’s Office on providing due process and avoiding bias in the context of quasi-judicial hearings.
BACKGROUND:
The City Council often acts in a quasi-judicial capacity in the context of: Appeals from Planning Commission decisions; zoning variances, etc., that require the City Council to provide the parties due process and avoid bias in order to conduct a fair hearing.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
This presentation on Quasi-Judicial Hearings supports the priorities of Envision Riverside 2025 Strategic Plan by contributing to Strategic Priority No. 5, High Performing Government, by supporting the following:
Goal 5.3—Enhance communication with community members in the conduct of City Council business to improve transparency and build public trust in the City Council’s conduct of quasi-judicial hearings.
This item aligns with each of the five Cross-Cutting Threads as follows:
Community Trust—This presentation builds community trust by highlighting the process the City Council will follow when acting in a quasi-judicial capacity to ensure fairness and due process to all parties.
Equity—Training on the conduct of quasi-judicial hearings ensures that the City Council operates equitably toward all City of Riverside residents who appear before it as parties to a quasi-judicial hearing.
Fiscal Responsibility—Training on the conduct of quasi-judicial hearings helps to ensure fiscal responsibility by avoiding litigation over the conduct of quasi-judicial hearings.
Innovation—Riverside is committed to meeting community needs in a changing environment, including reviewing these norms and procedures every two (2) years to evaluate and determine if current practices meet the needs of the community and the Council and ensure that the City will continue to comply with standards and/or best practices.
Sustainability & Resiliency—This presentation ensures sustainability through ongoing training and evaluation of the City Council’s conduct of its business as it relates to quasi-judicial hearings.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact for this presentation.
Prepared by: Richard S. Hall, Senior Deputy City Attorney Approved by: Al Zelinka, City Manager
Approved as to Form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
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