Huntington Park Municipal Code Art. 2 Meetings

Regular meetings of the City Council shall be held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. When the day for such regular Council meeting falls on a legal holiday, the meeting shall not be held on such holiday but shall be held at the same hour on the next succeeding day thereafter which is not a holiday. Each regular meeting shall begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Huntington Park City Hall.

(§ 1, Ord. 1609, as amended by § 1, Ord. 549-NS, eff. August 31, 1994, § 1, Ord. 688-NS, eff. November 6, 2002, § 1, Ord. 829-NS, eff. October 2, 2008, § 1, Ord. 940-NS, eff. September 17, 2015, Ord. 2024-02, eff. October 17, 2024; Ord. 2025-10, eff. September 2, 2025)

(§ 2, Ord. 1609, as amended by § 1, Ord. 135-NS, eff. March 31, 1976, § 1, Ord. 198-NS, eff. May 17, 1978, and § 2, Ord. 549-NS, eff. August 31, 1994, § 2, Ord. 688-NS, repealed eff. November 6, 2002)

The Mayor of the City, or, in his or her absence, the Mayor pro tempore, or, in the absence of both, one of the members of the Council selected by the Council shall preside at all meetings. The decision of the presiding officer as to the interpretation and enforcement of the rules of procedure shall be final and conclusive, subject to an appeal of the presiding officer's decision by a member of the Council.

(§ 1, Ord. 163-NS, eff. April 20, 1977)

The business of the City Council for all regular and adjourned regular meetings shall be taken up for consideration and disposition in the order as set forth by resolution.

(§ 1, Ord. 163-NS, eff. April 20, 1977, as amended by § 1, Ord. 929-NS, eff. July 16, 2014)

Regular meetings, adjourned regular meetings, and special meetings of the Council shall be held pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Government Code of the State and shall be conducted pursuant to the rules of procedure set forth in this article.

(§ 1, Ord. 163-NS, eff. April 20, 1977)

The Mayor may debate and vote; he or she may move, second, and debate from the chair, subject only to such limitations as are imposed by these rules, on all members of the Council; and he or she shall not be deprived of any of the rights and privileges of a Councilmember by reason of his or her acting as the presiding officer.

Every member of the Council who desires to speak shall address the chair and, upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall confine himself or herself to the subject under discussion, avoiding all personalities and speaking in decorous language.

Once a member of the Council is recognized by the chair, that member shall not be interrupted when speaking, unless it shall be by the presiding officer to call such member to order or as otherwise provided in this section.

At any time after five minutes, the presiding officer may terminate a speaker's debate. The presiding officer's decision shall be subject to appeal, which shall be determined by a majority vote. In the event the presiding officer is not sustained in terminating such debate, the discussion shall be continued.

(§ 1, Ord. 163-NS, eff. April 20, 1977)

(a) General Procedure. Any person desiring to address the Council during a formal meeting shall first obtain the permission, or secure the recognition, of the presiding officer to do so; provided, however, any qualified and interested person shall have the right to address the Council on any City matter in the proper order of business as set forth in Section 2-1.204 of this article; and provided, further, preference shall be given to those persons who have notified the City Clerk in advance of their desire to make a presentation.

(b) Individuals. Each person addressing the Council shall clearly state his or her name and address for the record and, unless further time is granted by the presiding officer, shall limit his or her remarks to three minutes. All remarks shall be addressed to the chair or to the Council as a body and not to any member thereof, unless permitted by the presiding officer to do so.

(c) Groups. Whenever a group of persons wishes to address the Council on the same subject matter, it shall be proper for the presiding officer to request that a spokesperson be chosen by the group to address the Council and, in the event additional matters are to be presented at the same time by any other member of such group, to limit the number of persons so addressing the Council so as to avoid unnecessary repetitions before the Council.

(§ 1, Ord. 163-NS, eff. April 20, 1977, as amended by § 1, Ord. 544-NS, eff. June 22, 1994)

Order and decorum shall be preserved at all Council meetings, and, to that end, the Police Chief or another designate shall be ex officio sergeant at arms of the Council and shall carry out all lawful orders and instructions given him or her by the presiding officer. Any person in the audience who, after warning, continues to use foul, profane, boisterous, and loud language, tending to bring the Council or any Councilmember into contempt, or any person who, after warning, persistently disturbs or interrupts the orderly proceedings of the Council shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and may be ejected or arrested, or both, under the provisions of this Code or appropriate statutes of the State.

(§ 1, Ord. 163-NS, eff. April 20, 1977, as amended by § 2 (4), Ord. 624-NS, eff. Dec. 15, 1999)