Pasadena Considers Mandatory Training for Advisory Body Members

City officials are considering a proposal to mandate comprehensive training for all members of advisory City bodies. The initiative aims to ensure that citizens serving on commissions, advisory groups, and boards are well-versed in ethics, open meeting laws, and city protocols.

The measure, to be discussed at a Legislative Policy Committee meeting on Oct. 1, aims to standardize processes and enhance governance.

“Although appointees are selected to serve on various advisory bodies based on being subject matter experts, appointees do not always have expertise and experience with serving on an advisory board for the City,” according to a report included in the agenda of the City Council’s Tuesday Legislative Policy Committee meeting.

The recommendation is for the City Council to direct the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance amending Pasadena Municipal Code Chapter 2.45.

The proposed ordinance currently under review would requires new appointees to complete specified training within 90 days of their appointment.

This requirement would apply to all 21 Commissions, three Boards of Nonprofit Corporations, and several other boards and committees codified in the Pasadena Municipal Code (PMC).

Currently, only the Community Police Oversight Commission has mandated training for its members. The new proposal seeks to standardize this requirement across all advisory City bodies, addressing what might be seen as a gap in the City’s governance structure.

The training would cover topics such as accountability and transparency in local government, ethics law principles, conflicts of interest, use of public resources, the Brown Act, the Public Records Act, and standards of conduct for commissioners.

These subjects are already part of the biennial AB1234 ethics training provided by the City Attorney’s Office.

To facilitate compliance, the City Attorney’s Office plans to record the AB1234 training, making it accessible to new and current appointees at any time. This approach offers flexibility while ensuring all members receive consistent, high-quality instruction.

The proposal also allows for additional, tailored training specific to each advisory body’s responsibilities. The staff report notes: “It is essential that all Commissioners sitting in a quasi-judicial role understand due process requirements and especially the duty to serve with impartiality.”

As an alternative, the City Council may consider requiring training to be completed as a prerequisite to begin or continue service rather than within 90 days of appointment.