Times are changin’
MAIN LIBRARY — In an ironic twist, City Council members will spend much of their time during an all-day study session today discussing ways in which to keep their regular meetings shorter.
The session at the Main Library on Fifth Street is geared towards preparing for the coming year.
Some suggestions by city staff to abbreviate the notoriously lengthy meetings include cutting back on long-winded speeches by council members — which includes not repeating the same point already expressed by others — and not debating an item with a member of the public, but rather, simply ask clarifying questions. Staff also suggests putting into place a set number of rounds of comment for each item on the agenda.
In efforts to shorten meetings, the council already limits members of the public to two minutes if 15 or more individuals wish to comment on one item, or if 40 or more people are speaking on any combination of items. Otherwise, the public is permitted three minutes for each comment.
The length of the meetings, which routinely stretch from 5:45 p.m. until well after 11 p.m., has long been a contentious issue with residents, business owners and elected officials alike all complaining about the inability of the public to have adequate input in the decision-making process because they are unable to stay up into the wee hours of the night.
Mayor Pro-Tem Herb Katz and Councilman Bob Holbrook previously filed a lawsuit claiming the length of the meetings were in violation of the Brown Act, preventing the public from participating due to public comment being reserved for the end of the meeting — leaving many unable to speak their minds until well after midnight on issues not already on the agenda.
The lawsuit also charged that the long meetings violated the California Occupational Safety and Health Act because it forces employees to work excessively long hours.
While Holbrook and Katz were ultimately defeated, the lawsuit did, however, spark discussion on how to cut back the sessions.
The council voted in 2001 to start meetings earlier, at 5:15 p.m., however, that didn’t last very long as many members were unable to get to City Hall in time because of their day jobs. Even at 5:45 p.m., some members arrive late as a result of traffic.
“I have always felt the meetings run too long,” said Katz, who has served on the council for 14 years. “I get very tired and I have to get up the next morning to go to work. I know other members have the same problem and I think the answer is to really look carefully at how we form our agendas and quit overloading them.
“If you can’t do that, then maybe we will have to have an extra meeting.”
Others have suggested holding closed session — when council members meet behind closed doors to discuss lawsuits, personnel and real estate negotiations — on a separate day than the council meeting, which would likely shave off at least an hour.
“That’s something we can discuss,” said Katz. “Another thing is preparation. We waste a lot of time pulling items off of the consent calendar when we simply can ask city staff to clarify an item for us beforehand. I think we can pick up a lot of time there.”
In addition to the length of council meetings, elected officials on Saturday will also be discussing City Hall’s agreement to help fund the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District; efforts to combat homelessness; transportation management issues; the annual economic forecast and budget concerns; contracting for services; and advertising/sponsorships.
City Manager Lamont Ewell will also present his plan to restructure City Hall in efforts to make it more efficient, including the consolidation of certain management positions.
The study session will begin at 9 a.m. at the Main Library’s Community Room on the second floor, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. Discussion will go until 12:30 p.m., at which time the council will break for lunch and closed session. The session will resume at 1:30 p.m. and adjourn at 3 p.m.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 6, 2007. Read the original PDF.