Time for Training and Term Limits, Says Council

As a number of new Commissioners, advisory Board members, and a Councilmember begin to take office for their new terms, the City Council voted unanimously Monday to direct the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance to require training for all of its advisory bodies and establish firm limits on all Commissioner and Operating Company Board terms.

The motion was introduced by newly installed Councilmember Rick Cole and seconded by Councilmember Jason Lyon. The new ordinance will be returned to the Legislative Policy Committee before being submitted to the full City Council for a reading.

As Legislative Policy Committee Chair Steve Madison noted, “There’s been a fair amount of discussion and attention to the important work that our Commissions do, and I think this is a part of that discussion.”

Madison then suggested the idea of a Council retreat to discuss the issue more fully.

“We have a newly constituted Council here,” he said, “and six of us were just elected, and so if ever there was a time, under your leadership, to come together and talk about how we do what we do in terms of governance, that would certainly include a module on Commissions, and their important service.”

Mayor Victor Gordo was equally thoughtful about term limits for Commissioners, saying, “Some of these Commissioners have served for a very long time, and it’s difficult to recruit for some of our advisory boards, parking, for example. Believe me, I’ve tried. I am concerned that imposing term limits would result in some of these Commissions having no one to serve on them.”

The new ordinance, at Cole’s suggestion, would also consider holdover terms for some members and “phasing in” the firm term limits “to ensure an orderly transition given the large number of Commissioners serving beyond their appointed terms,” according to a City Council staff report.

The City of Pasadena has 21 Commissions, three Boards of Nonprofit Corporations (Rose Bowl Operating Company, Pasadena Center Operating Company, and Pasadena Community Access Corporation), and several other boards and committees codified in the Pasadena Municipal Code that serve as advisory bodies appointed by the City Council. While the nonprofit corporations are advisory bodies to the City Council, they also can take final action in areas delegated to them by the Council.

A recent review of training for appointees to those advisory bodies was conducted to “evaluate areas where training might be needed, standardize processes, and provide flexibility for specialized training based on the range of matters advisory bodies might handle,” said the staff report.

Although appointees are selected to serve on various advisory bodies based on their expertise, they do not always have experience serving on an advisory Board for the City, the staff report also noted. “It is beneficial to require training related to expectations, City standards of conduct, ethics, and Brown Act among other things to ensure all appointees receive the pertinent information to begin fulfilling their duties to their assigned advisory body,” said the report.

The new ordinance would also likely require the completion of such training within 90 days after appointment. The City Attorney’s Office would draft an ordinance to allow the City Council to establish requirements specifically tailored to each of the Commissions.

Assembly Bill 1234, which passed in 2006, imposes certain requirements regarding ethics and related laws for local governments, including required training. In May 2006, the City Council implemented Assembly Bill 1234, requiring ethics training for members of the City Council and appointed members of City Commissions and Committees.

The Assembly Bill 1234 training is provided in even-numbered years by the City Attorney’s Office and includes topics such as accountability and transparency in local government, ethics law principles, conflicts of interest, use of public resources, Brown Act, Public Records Act, Taxpayer Protection Act, standards of conduct for Commissioners, and other resources for reference.