PCccmtg3-31-25(klk)
CITY OF SIMI VALLEY
MEMORANDUM
April 7, 2025
TO: City Council
FROM: Department of Environmental Services
SUBJECT: INTERVIEW AND APPOINTMENT OF A PLANNING COMMISSIONER
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council interview and approve, and the Mayor appoint Council Member Ayala’s nominee to the Planning Commission for a term to become effective immediately.
BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW
Planning Commissioners serve a term on the Commission concurrent with the nominating Council Member's term on the City Council. The Mayor and each member of the City Council are responsible for nominating one Planning Commissioner. Upon approval of a majority vote of the City Council, the Mayor shall appoint the nominated individual . The process for selecting a nominee is left to the individual City Council Member.
FINDINGS AND ALTERNATIVES
Title 2, Chapter 3, Article 4 of the Simi Valley Municipal Code (SVMC) (Attachment A, page 3) authorizes the nomination, for appointment or reappointment, of Planning Commissioners to scheduled vacancies. At the February 24, 2025, City Council meeting, the City Council appointed Council Member Joseph D. Ayala to the City Council to fill the District 1 Council vacancy as the result of Dee Dee Cavanaugh being appointed Mayor.
With Council Member Ayala’s appointment, he must now nominate for appointment or re- appointment an individual to the Planning Commission to serve concurrent with his City Council term of office. Additionally, the SVMC stipulates that the Council shall interview Planning Commission nominees at a duly noticed public meeting and shall be appointed by the Mayor upon the approval of a majority vote of all City Council members.
City Council Member Ayala has indicated he intends to nominate Lee Kennedy, former Mayor Thomas’s Planning Commissioner. The Council will have the opportunity to interview Mr. Kennedy at this meeting. Mr. Kennedy currently serves as Vice Chair of the Planning Commission and, if reappointed, would retain his current role.
It is recommended that the City Council receive the nomination for the Planning Commission from Council Member Ayala, interview the nominee, and approve the nomination.
AGENDA ITEM NO.
3A(3)
PCccmtg3-31-25(klk)
The following alternatives are available to the City Council:
1. Receive the nomination for the Planning Commission, in terview and approve the nominee, and the Mayor appoint or reappoint a Commissioner with the term to become effective immediately;
2. Receive the nomination for Planning Commission, interview the nominee, and not approve the nominee;
3. Provide staff with other direction.
Staff recommends Alternative No. 1.
SUGGESTED CITY COUNCIL MOTION
I move to approve, and the Mayor re-appoint, Lee Kennedy to the Planning Commission for a term to become effective immediately.
SUMMARY
Planning Commissioners serve a term on the Commission concurrent with the nominating Council Member's term on the City Council. The Mayor and each member of the City Council are responsible for nominating one Planning Commissioner. With Council Member Joseph D. Ayala being appointed to the City Council on February 24, 2025, he may nominate an individual to the Planning Commission to serve concurrently with his term of office. It is recommended that the City Council receive the nomination for Planning Commissioner from Council Member Ayala, conduct an interview with the nominee, approve the nomination, and the Mayor appoint the Commissioner. ____________________________________
Stratis Perros
Environmental Services Director
Prepared by: Sean Gibson, Deputy Environmental Services Director/City Planner INDEX Page
Attachment A – Simi Valley Municipal Code Chapter 2-3 ........................... 3 2 PCccmtg3-31-25(klk)
Article 4. - Planning Commission
• 2-3.401 - Created: Membership.
There is created a Planning Commission for the City which shall consist of five (5) members who shall not be officials or employees of the City, but who shall be residents of the City. (§ 6, Ord. 468, eff. April 15, 1981)
• 2-3.402 - Members: Appointment: Terms of office.
(a) Appointment.
(1) Each member of the Council, upon the commencement of that member's term of office, shall nominate for appointment or reappointment a member of the Planning Commission whose term of office concurrently expires with that of the nominating Councilmember. The nominee shall be interviewed by the Council at a duly -noticed public meeting and shall be appointed by the Mayor upon the approval of a majority vote of all the members of the Council.
(2) Each member of the Council shall have an opportunity to nominate one appointee to become a member of the Planning Commission. If the Mayor fails to appoint such nominee due to the failure of a majority of all the members of the Council to approve the appointment, the member of the Council whose nominee was rejected may nominate such other persons as necessary until the majority of the Council votes to approve such nominee for appointment and the Mayor appoints such nominee to the Planning Commission. Th e Mayor shall not refuse to appoint any nominee otherwise qualified to serve on the Planning Commission once the majority of all the members of the Council have voted the approval of such nomination.
(3) Failure to nominate a person for a seat on the Planning Commission for six (6) consecutive regular or adjourned Council meetings shall entitle the Mayor to appoint the Mayor's or any other Council -member's nominee to the seat upon the approval of the majority of all the members of the Council without the nomination of that member of the Council otherwise entitled to nominate.
(4) Planning Commission members whose terms expire may continue to serve until a replacement is appointed in the manner set forth in this subsection. (5) Vacancies on the Planning Commission occurring during an unexpired term shall be selected in the same manner provided for in this subsection. (b) Terms of office.
(1) General. The terms of office for members of the Planning Commission shall expire concurrently with those of each Councilmember responsible for that Commission member's nomination for the seat on the Planning Commission. Vacancies on the Council occurring during a term of office of a Councilmember shall not affect the term of office for the members of the Planning Commission.
(2) Transition. Those seats on the Planning Commission having terms of office which expire on June 30, 1981, shall be filled with appointees of the Council nominated by those members of the Council whose terms expire on the third Tuesday of April 1984. Those seats on the Planning Commission having terms of office which would otherwise expire on June 30, 1983, shall be deemed vacated, and the terms expired as of the third Tuesday of April 1982, and shall be filled with appointees of the Mayor upon the approv al of the majority of all the members of the Council and nominated by those members of the Council whose terms begin on the third Tuesday of April 1982.
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PCccmtg3-31-25(klk)
(§ 6, Ord. 468, eff. April 15, 1981, as amended by § 1, Ord. 478, eff. June 17, 1981, § 3, Ord. 498, eff. April 14, 1982, and § 1, Ord. 674, eff. December 9, 1987) • 2-3.403 - Members: Removal from office.
A member of the Planning Commission may be removed by a four-fifths ( 4/5 ) vote of all of the members of the Council.
(§ 6, Ord. 468, eff. April 15, 1981)
• 2-3.404 - Compensation and expenses.
(§ 6, Ord. 468, eff. April 15, 1981, repealed by § 1, Ord. 1087, eff. February 24, 2006) • 2-3.405 - Powers, duties, and functions.
The powers, duties, and functions of the Planning Commission shall be all those powers, duties, and functions of a Planning Commission, Planning Agency, Appeal Board, Board of Zoning Adjustment, and Advisory Agency for divisions of real property which requ ire the preparation of a tentative tract map and a final map pursuant to the Government Code of the State. (§ 6, Ord. 468, eff. April 15, 1981, as amended by § 2, Urgency Ord. 511, eff. September 13, 1982
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