Inglewood Municipal Code § 2-262 Quorum. Compelling Attendance

As provided in Article VI of the City Charter, three members of the City Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting, but a less number may adjourn from time to time and may compel the attendance of absent members in the following manner and under the following penalties, to wit:

The Mayor, or any two members of the City Council, may sign a written order requiring the attendance of any Councilmember who may then and there be absent from any meeting and shall have the power to send a member of the Police Force with such written order to bring the absent Councilmember forthwith before the Council; and no member of the Council shall fail or refuse to immediately accompany such police officer to the Council Chamber upon being served with such written order, unless such member of the City Council is then and there injured, ill or incapacitated to such an extent as to reasonably preclude such attendance on his part or unless he is so precluded by the serious illness or injury of any member of his or her immediate family.

[1]

See § 36810 Gov. Code.

Meetings of the City Council shall be conducted in an orderly manner to ensure that the public has a full opportunity to be heard and that the deliberative process of the Council is protected at all times. The presiding officer of the Council, who shall be the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tempore or, in their absence, another member so designated by the Council, shall be responsible for maintaining the order and decorum of meetings.

(Ord. 95-25 10-10-95)

While any meeting of the City Council or public hearing is in session, the following rules of order and decorum shall be observed:

(1) Councilmembers. The members of the City Council desiring to speak shall first address the chair, gain recognition by the presiding officer, and shall confine him or herself to the question under debate, avoiding personal attacks and indecorous language.

(2) City staff Members. The members of the City Council desiring to question the City staff shall, after recognition by the presiding officer, address his or her questions to the Administrative Officer, City Attorney, City Clerk or the City Treasurer, who shall be entitled to answer the inquiry him or herself or to designate a member of his or her staff for that purpose.

(3) Interruptions. A Councilmember, once recognized, shall not be interrupted when speaking unless called to order by the presiding officer. Members of the City staff, after recognition by the presiding officer, shall hold the floor until completion of their remarks or until recognition is withdrawn by the presiding officer.

(4) Limitation of Debate. No Councilmember shall be allowed to speak more than once upon any particular agenda item until every other Councilmember desiring to do so shall have spoken. In addition, the presiding officer may establish a time limit for each Councilmember's participation on any one agenda item to question speakers or staff or to state his or her position, opinion or views. When no other time limit is set, each Councilmember shall confine his or her remarks to the following time limits:

(a) Under the "Council Initiatives" section of the agenda, each Councilmember shall confine his or her remarks to a total of ten minutes.

(b) Under the "Closing Remarks" section of the agenda, each Councilmember shall confine his or her remarks to a total of three minutes.

(c) During other portions of the agenda, general debate, or debate on any particular agenda item a Councilmember shall confine his or her remarks to a total of five minutes.

(5) Persons Addressing the Council. The primary purpose of oral communications is to allow the public the opportunity to formally communicate with the City Council as a whole, for matters that cannot be handled during the regular working hours of the City government. Each person who addresses the City Council shall do so in an orderly manner and shall not make personal, impertinent, slanderous or profane remarks to any member of the City Council, City staff or general public. Any person who makes such remarks, or who utters loud, threatening, personal or abusive language, or engages in any other disorderly conduct which disrupts, disturbs or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of any City Council meeting shall, at the discretion of the presiding officer be barred from speaking further and may be ejected from the meeting. Further disturbance during the meeting may lead to arrest.

(6) Members of the Audience.

(a) No person in the audience at a Council meeting shall engage in disorderly or boisterous conduct, including the utterance of loud, threatening or abusive language, whistling, applauding, stamping of feet or other acts which disturb, disrupt or otherwise impede the orderly conduct of any Council meeting. Any person who repeatedly conducts him or herself in the aforementioned manner following a warning from the presiding officer may, at the discretion of the presiding officer, be ejected from the meeting.

(b) Members of the public may not bring signs or placards into the City Council Chamber during a meeting. Such signs or placards may be displayed or distributed outside the building or in the City Hall lobby. Handouts or printed materials may be distributed in the City Council Chamber prior to the Council meeting or in the lobby outside the City Council Chamber.

(7) Food Prohibited. No food shall be permitted in the City Council Chamber.

(8) Lights and Mounted Equipment Prohibited. Other than certified members of the media, no one shall be permitted to bring lights or other than hand held audio or visual equipment into the City Council Chamber.

(9) Addressing the Council. During the "Public Hearings" and "Public Comments Regarding Agenda Items" portions of the meeting persons wishing to address the Council regarding an item which is on the Council meeting agenda shall submit a request on the form provided, or at the discretion of the presiding officer, seek recognition by the presiding officer during the place on the agenda set aside for such items.

(a) During the "Public Comments Regarding Other Matters" portion of the meeting persons wishing to discuss a non-agenda item may seek recognition by the presiding officer. No person shall address the Council without first being recognized by the presiding officer.

(b) All persons addressing the Council shall step up to the podium provided for the use of the public and shall state his or her name and organization, if any, which he or she represents; and, if during the "Public Comments Regarding Other Matters" portion of the meeting, the subject he or she wishes to discuss.

(c) During the "Public Comments Regarding Agenda Items" portion, any subject which is not deemed relevant to the business of the City by the presiding officer shall be considered out of order and the remarks concluded.

(d) Each person shall limit his or her remarks to three minutes or the time established by the presiding officer for that subject. The presiding officer may set different time limits on the remarks of speakers on a particular subject based on the number of speakers wishing to address a single subject and the number of agenda items upon which people wish to speak.

(e) All remarks shall be addressed to the Council as a whole and not to any single member thereof, unless in response to a question from said member.

(f) Members of the audience may not request to be heard by speaking out during the council meeting, except in accordance with the procedures outlined in subsection (9)(a) through (e) above.

(Ord. 95-25 10-10-95; Ord. 97-19 9-2-97)

The rules of decorum set forth above shall be enforced in the following manner:

(1) Warning. The presiding officer shall request that a person who is breaching the rules of decorum be orderly and silent. If, after receiving a warning from the presiding officer, a person persists in disturbing the meeting, the presiding officer shall order him or her to leave the Council meeting. If such person does not remove him or herself, the presiding officer may order any law enforcement officer who is on duty at said meeting as sergeant-at-arms of the Council to remove that person from the Council Chambers.

(2) Removal. Any law enforcement officer who is serving as sergeant-at-arms of the Council shall carry out all orders and instructions given by the presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the Council meeting. Upon instruction of the presiding officer, it shall be the duty of the sergeant-at-arms to remove from the Council meeting any person who is disturbing the proceedings of the Council.

(3) Resisting Removal. It is unlawful for any person to resist removal by the sergeant-at-arms.

(4) Penalty. Any person who violates any provision of Section 2-263.2 or 2-263.3 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

(5) Adjournment. If a meeting of the Council is disturbed or disrupted in such a manner as to make infeasible or improbable the restoration of order, the meeting may be temporarily recessed, adjourned or continued by the presiding officer or a majority of the Council, and any remaining Council business may be considered at the next meeting.

(Ord. 95-25 10-10-95)

Rules adopted to expedite the transaction of the business of the City in an orderly fashion are deemed to be procedural only and the failure to strictly observe such rules shall not affect the jurisdiction of the City Council or invalidate any action taken at a meeting that is otherwise held in conformity with law.

(Ord. 95-25 10-10-95)

If any provision of this Section is for any reason held unconstitutional or otherwise invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, such provision shall be deemed a separate, distinct and independent portion of this Section, and such holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Section.

(Ord. 95-25 10-10-95)

The rules and powers provided in this Article are in addition to and not exclusive of rules of decorum or powers of enforcement provided elsewhere in the law or that exist as inherent powers of the presiding officer, the City Council as a body, or the sergeant-at-arms as an officer of the City or as a peace officer.

(Ord. 95-25 10-10-95)