LA County Board to Vote on Additional Scrutiny to Motion Introductions

The County Board of Supervisors Tuesday will consider a proposal designed to give additional time for public review of motions introduced by board members by having them reviewed in “cluster meetings” before they advance to the full board.

Under the proposal introduced by Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Kathryn Barger, cluster meetings would be held to encourage public participation and government transparency by requiring advanced screening of board motions, at least five days before the motions are taken up at the full board’s meeting.

According to the supervisors, the move would increase the public voice about motions, rather than the current, somewhat abbreviated public comment process.

The county already conducts such “topical cluster” meetings that offer the public a review of “board letters” that are submitted by county departments, according to Tuesday’s motion. The new proposal would expand that process to include board motions.

“By requiring that motions first be introduced at cluster meetings for discussion and review, the board can leverage expertise from departments, weigh perspectives from the public, and ensure that policies are scrutinized for their feasibility, impact, and alignment with county priorities,” the motion reads.

If the board approves the motion Tuesday, and later approves final language of the rule change eventually crafted by the county CEO, the county would introduce the additional vetting process through topical clusters effective Jan. 1, 2025. The public cluster meetings, run by an appointed chair, will would be a chance to revise motions for the upcoming meetings, excluding emergency matters. Matters calling for immediate action and non-policy-related topics such as fee waivers, rewards for unsolved crimes, adjourn-in-memory declarations, and proclamations would bypass the policy cluster review process.

Revisions through the review would also be reflected in the final version of the agendas, according to the motion.

The proposal is aimed at countering the current public review system that sometimes sees motions first published on an agenda as late as Friday, then being voted upon by the board the following Tuesday. Mitchell noted during a virtual news conference last week that other government agencies, such as the Los Angeles City Council, have motions reviewed in committee meetings before they advance to the full council, providing more extensive public review.