BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 347
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Date of Hearing: May 6, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Brian Maienschein, Chair
AB 347
(Chang) - As Amended March 26, 2015
SUBJECT: Local agencies: city selection committees: County of
Los Angeles.
SUMMARY: Requires specified city council members to serve as
the voting member of the Los Angeles County City Selection
Committee when a mayor is unable to attend a meeting.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Provides that, for the City Selection Committee (Committee) in
the County of Los Angeles (L.A. County), the following shall
apply when the mayor is unable to attend a meeting of the
Committee:
a) The vice mayor or mayor pro tempore shall serve as the
voting member and shall be entitled to one vote; and,
b) In the absence of the mayor and the vice mayor or mayor
pro tempore, the next ranking council member shall serve as
the voting member and shall be entitled to one vote. The
ranking council member shall be determined by seniority of
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service on the council.
2)Finds and declares that a special law is necessary and that a
general law cannot be made applicable within the meaning of
Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution
because of the challenges faced as a result of the current
governance structure of L.A. County.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes, in any county in which two or more cities are
incorporated, a Committee for the purpose of appointing city
representatives to boards, commissions, and agencies as
required by law.
2)Provides that the membership of each Committee consists of the
mayor of each city within the county.
3)Provides that, when the mayor is unable to attend a meeting of
the Committee, he or she shall designate another member of the
city's legislative body to attend and vote at the meeting in
the mayor's place.
FISCAL EFFECT: None
COMMENTS:
1)Bill Summary. This bill provides an alternative method for
ensuring replacement members for L.A. County's Committee when
a mayor is unable to attend. Instead of requiring the mayor
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to designate another city council member to attend and vote in
his or her stead, the bill provides that the vice mayor or
mayor pro tempore shall serve as the voting member. When
neither of those officials can attend, the next ranking
council member shall serve as the voting member. The ranking
council member is determined by seniority of service on the
council. This bill is sponsored by the Los Angeles County
Division of the League of California Cities.
2)Author's Statement. According to the author, "Los Angeles
County has 88 cities, spanning 4,000 square miles. Los
Angeles County's City Selection Committee must meet in person
and requires a quorum of 45 cities to vote. Over the years,
Los Angeles County's City Selection Committee has been unable
to reach consistent quorums to fill the appointments, leading
to frustration by mayors and councilmembers and in some cases,
vacancies that remained open for years. Changing the proxy
designation would allow Los Angeles County's City Selection
Committee to increase those eligible from each city to meet
the necessary quorum."
3)Background. Existing law creates a Committee in each county
with two or more incorporated cities for the purpose of
appointing city representatives to such boards, commissions
and agencies as may be required by law. Committee membership
is comprised of the mayor from each city in the county.
Existing law requires the mayor to designate another member of
the city council to serve as a replacement if the mayor is
unable to attend a Committee meeting. This requirement has
hampered the ability of L.A. County's Committee to achieve a
quorum.
4)Arguments in Support. The Los Angeles County Division of the
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League of California Cities, the sponsor of this bill, writes,
"The Los Angeles County City Selection Committee has been
unable to consistently reach quorums to fill elections to
regional boards and commissions. It some cases this results
in key appointments remaining vacant or unable to open for
elections. We believe that the unique circumstances created
by serving the largest county in the state, including traffic,
distance, notification, and time of meetings contributes to
the quorum challenges. AB 347 offers some flexibility to meet
that challenge."
5)Arguments in Opposition. None on file.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California Contract Cities Association
Cities of Bellflower, Cerritos, Claremont, Diamond Bar, Downey,
Lakewood, La Mirada,
Norwalk, Rosemead, Signal Hill, Torrance, and Walnut
Los Angeles County Division of the League of California Cities
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Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Angela Mapp / L. GOV. / (916) 319-3958