CC SR 20210504 F - AB 1053 Letter of Support
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 05/04/2021
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Consent Calendar
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration and possible action to authorize the Mayor to sign a letter of support for
AB 1053.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Authorize the Mayor to sign a City letter of support for AB 1053.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: McKenzie Bright, Administrative Analyst
REVIEWED BY: Karina Bañales, Deputy City Manager
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Draft City letter supporting AB 1053 (page A-1)
B. Text of AB 1053 (as amended April 20, 2021) (page B-1)
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
Assembly Bill No. 1053, introduced by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel of Woodland
Hills, would reduce the quorum requirement for Los Angeles County city selection
committees (CSC) to one-third of all member cities within the county for a meeting that
was postponed because there was not a quorum, so long as the agenda remains the
same.
Every county in California with two or more incorporated cities has a CSC. CSCs are
used to appoint city representatives to different board s, commissions, or agencies.
They are typically made up of the mayor or the mayor’s appointee for each city within
the county. The Los Angeles County CSC appoints city representatives to such boards,
commissions, and agencies that are required by law, such as the Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, South Coast Air Quality Management District,
and to nominate members for appointment to the California Coastal Commission.
1
In Los Angeles County, the CSC is made up of 87 members, making getting a quorum
difficult. Failure to establish a quorum means that critical positions on transportation and
air quality boards and commissions that are vital to local governance remain vacant.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CSCs have moved the majority of their
operations online, including meetings. This bill would additionally allow selection
committee meetings to be conducted remotely.
Given that this bill would provide greater flexibility in appointing representatives to vital
county boards, commissions, and agencies, and would improve transparency by
allowing CSCs to conduct their operations remotely, Staff recommends the City Council
authorize the Mayor to sign a letter to Assemblymember Gabriel as drafted, or with
revisions, supporting AB 1053.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available
for the City Council’s consideration:
1. Identify revised language to add to the letter.
2. Do not authorize the Mayor to sign the letter.
3. Take other action, as deemed appropriate.
2
May 4, 2021 Via Email
The Honorable Jesse Gabriel
California State Assembly
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0045
SUBJECT: Notice of Support for AB 1053
Dear Assemblymember Gabriel:
The City of Rancho Palos Verdes supports AB 1053, which would reduce the quorum
requirement for Los Angeles County city selection committees (CSCs) to one-third of all
member cities within the county for a meeting that was postponed because there was
not a quorum, so long as the agenda remains the same.
In Los Angeles County, the CSC is made up of 87 members, making getting a quorum
difficult. Failure to establish a quorum means that critical positions on transportation and
air quality boards and commissions that are vital to local governance remain vacant.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CSCs have moved the majority of their
operations online, including meetings. However, they are still required to provide a
setup for in-person comment in public buildings. In Los Angeles County, this requires 87
individual setups. This past year has shown that successful remote testimony is
possible and easily accessed.
Given that this bill would provide greater flexibility in appointing representatives to vital
county boards, commissions, and agencies, and would improve transparency by
allowing CSCs to conduct their operations remotely, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes
supports AB 1053.
Sincerely,
Eric Alegria
Mayor
A-1
Assemblymember Gabriel
May 4, 2021
Page 2
cc: Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry, Chair, Assembly Local Government Committee
Raquel Mason, Legislative Assistant, Assemblymember Gabriel
Ben Allen, Senator, 26th State Senate District
Al Muratsuchi, Assemblymember, 66th Assembly District
Jeff Kiernan, League of California Cities
Meg Desmond, League of California Cities
Marcel Rodarte, California Contract Cities Association
Jacki Bacharach, South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Rancho Palos Verdes City Council
Ara Mihranian, City Manager
Karina Bañales, Deputy City Manager
A-2
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 20, 2021
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 18, 2021
california legislature—2021–22 regular session
ASSEMBLY BILL No. 1053
Introduced by Assembly Member Gabriel
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Muratsuchi)
February 18, 2021
An act to amend Sections 50272 and 50277 of the Government Code,
relating to local government.
legislative counsel’s digest
AB 1053, as amended, Gabriel. City selection committees: County
of Los Angeles: quorum: teleconferencing.
Existing law creates a city selection committee in each county that
consists of 2 or more incorporated cities for the purpose of appointing
city representatives to boards, commissions, and agencies. Under
existing law, a quorum for a city selection committee requires a majority
of the number of the incorporated cities within the county entitled to
representation on the city selection committee. Existing law requires a
city selection committee meeting to be postponed or adjourned to a
subsequent time and place whenever a quorum is not present at the
meeting.
This bill bill, for the city selection committee in the County of Los
Angeles, would reduce the quorum requirement to 1⁄3 of all member
cities within the county for a meeting that was postponed to a subsequent
time and place because a quorum was not present, as long as the agenda
is limited to items that appeared on the immediately preceding agenda
where a quorum was not established.
97 B-1
Existing law requires a city selection committee to conduct regular
meetings at the times specified by the committee in its rules and
regulations, and to meet upon the call of its chairperson. Existing law
authorizes the chairperson of the committee to call a special meeting
of the committee at any time and requires the chairperson to call a
special meeting upon the written request of 50% of the members of the
city selection committee.
This bill bill, for the city selection committee in the County of Los
Angeles, would authorize a city selection committee meeting to be
conducted by teleconferencing and electronic means.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the
necessity of a special statute for the County of Los Angeles.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
line 1 SECTION 1. Section 50272 of the Government Code is
line 2 amended to read:
line 3 50272. (a) (1) Representatives of a majority of the number
line 4 of cities within a county entitled to representation on the city
line 5 selection committee shall constitute a quorum of the committee.
line 6 (2) A majority vote of the representatives of the number of cities
line 7 within a county entitled to representation on the committee shall
line 8 be necessary to appoint representatives to boards, commissions,
line 9 or agencies.
line 10 (b) Whenever a quorum is not present at a meeting of any city
line 11 selection committee, the meeting shall be postponed or adjourned
line 12 to a subsequent time and place, as determined by the chairperson.
line 13 (c) The For the city selection committee in the County of Los
line 14 Angeles, the quorum for a meeting postponed to a subsequent time
line 15 and place pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be reduced to one-third
line 16 of all member cities within the county, if the agenda is limited to
line 17 items that appeared on the immediately preceding agenda where
line 18 a quorum was not established.
line 19 SEC. 2. Section 50277 of the Government Code is amended
line 20 to read:
line 21 50277. (a) A city selection committee shall conduct regular
line 22 meetings at the times specified by it in its rules and regulations,
line 23 and shall also meet upon the call of its chairperson.
97
— 2 — AB 1053 B-2
line 1 (b) (1) The chairperson of a selection committee may call a
line 2 special meeting of the committee at any time, and the chairperson
line 3 shall call a special meeting of the selection committee upon the
line 4 written request of 50 percent of the members of the city selection
line 5 committee.
line 6 (2) When a chairperson is required to call a special meeting of
line 7 a city selection committee pursuant to this section, the meeting
line 8 shall be called and held within 60 days after receipt of the written
line 9 request required under paragraph (1).
line 10 (3) Within three weeks prior to the date fixed for a special
line 11 meeting of the committee, the chairperson of the committee shall
line 12 notify the committee secretary of the date, time, and place of the
line 13 special meeting.
line 14 (c) City For the city selection committee in the County of Los
line 15 Angeles, selection committee meetings may be conducted by
line 16 teleconferencing and electronic means, provided that the meeting
line 17 complies with all other requirements of this section.
line 18 SEC. 3. The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute
line 19 is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable
line 20 within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California
line 21 Constitution because of the challenges faced as a result of the
line 22 current governance structure of the County of Los Angeles.
O
97
AB 1053 — 3 — B-3