Many of Pasadena’s advisory commissioners are currently serving beyond their appointed terms, operating in what amounts to a legal gray area that the City Council is now moving to address through legislation.
The Legislative Policy Committee will review a proposed ordinance on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers that would establish the city’s first enforceable term limits for advisory body members and mandate training requirements — changes the City Council directed the City Attorney to draft in December 2024 after discovering the oversight gap.
“Many commissioners currently serve past their original terms,” according to the City Attorney’s memo going before the Committee, a situation that prompted remedies for what had become an informal extension system lacking legal framework.
The proposed changes would affect members across all advisory boards, commissions, committees and operating company boards created by the City Council. Under the new ordinance, any term extensions would require explicit City Council approval rather than continuing by default.
The ordinance includes provisions for phasing in term limits “to ensure an orderly transition” from the current ad-hoc system. Additionally, all board members would be required to complete City Council-specified training, with programs coordinated between the City Attorney’s and City Manager’s offices.
The City Council has directed that current commissioners be involved in developing these training programs following adoption. The City Attorney’s office reports no fiscal impact from the proposed changes.
The committee’s review represents the culmination of recommendations first raised by the Legislative Policy Committee and acted upon by the full council last December.
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