La Habra Heights Municipal Code Ch. 2.3 City Council

The purpose of this Chapter is to establish the organization and operation of the City Council.

The City Council will consist of the following offices.

A. Mayor. The Mayor is a member of the City Council and is annually selected by a majority
vote of the City Council in December or upon certification of the election results. As a
member of the City Council, the Mayor shall have all of the powers of a City Council
member. Additionally, the Mayor shall represent the City Council in the preparation of
agendas, serve as the presiding officer at City Council meetings, authorize certain financial
transactions (as specified herein) and function as the City Council’s spokesperson.

B. Mayor Pro Tem. The Mayor Pro Tem shall be selected by a majority vote of the City
Council at the same meeting at which the Mayor is selected. The Mayor Pro Tem shall
assist the Mayor in the performance of duties and serve as a presiding officer in the Mayor’s
absence.

C. Members. The City Council shall consist of five (5) members including the Mayor and
Mayor Pro Tem. The City Council members shall be residents of the City of La Habra
Heights and may not hold any paid position for the City of La Heights or otherwise be
employed by the City.

D. Council Delegate Appointments. Annually at the same meeting at which the Mayor and
Mayor Pro Tempore are selected, the Mayor shall propose City Council members to serve
on various committees that require a City Council representative or delegate. These
appointments shall become effective upon their approval by the City Council.

E. Appointments to Planning Commission. Each member of the City Council shall appoint
a member of the Planning Commission. The whole Council shall appoint an alternate by
majority approval.

F. Prioritization of Goals and Objectives. On an annual basis consistent with the fiscal year
budget, the City Council may prioritize goals and objectives for the Planning Commission
and other commissions and committees for the following year.
(Ord. 2015-03 §§ 2, 3; Ord. 2015-07 §§ 2, 3; Ord. 2017-02 § 2)

Beginning in November of 2022, general municipal elections shall be conducted on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years. (Ord. 2015-03 § 4; Ord. 2017-02 § 2)

The following requirements are applicable to the City Council members’ terms of office:

A. Regular Term of Office. City Council members’ term of office will be four (4) years.

B. Staggered Terms of Office. The initiation and expiration of three (3) City Council
members’ terms of office shall be separated by two (2) years from the other two (2) City
Council members’ terms of office.

C. Premature Vacation of City Council Office. The City Council shall, by majority vote,
appoint a replacement City Council member for any City Council office that is vacated
prior to the end of its term. The City Council shall appoint any replacement within 30-days
of the vacation of office at a City Council meeting. The term of office for the replacement
City Council member shall be limited to the remaining term of office of the original City
Council member that vacated the office. This Subsection (2.3.40.C) does not apply to
recalls.

The following rules are applicable to the conduct of City Council meetings.

A. Meeting Times. All regular meetings will convene on the day and time as set by City
Council resolution unless noticed for a different time or on the next succeeding business
day that is not an official holiday. Any meeting of the City Council may be adjourned to a
later date, place, and time; provided, that no adjournment is to a date later than that of the
next regularly scheduled meeting.

B. Open Meetings. Except for closed sessions, all meetings of the City Council shall be open
to the public and media and may be recorded by tape, radio, television, or photography,
provided that such recordings do not interfere with the orderly conduct of the meeting.

C. Quorum. Three (3) members of the City Council shall constitute a quorum necessary to
conduct normal business. In the event a quorum is not in attendance, the City Clerk will
adjourn the meeting to a set date and time.

D. City Staff Attendance at City Council Meetings. The following City staff are required to
attend City Council meetings:

1. The City Manager, unless excused, shall attend all City Council meetings.

2. The City Attorney, unless excused, shall attend all City Council meetings. The City
Attorney, upon request, shall give opinions, either written or oral, on questions of law
and shall act as the City Council’s parliamentarian.

3. The City Clerk, unless excused, shall attend all City Council meetings. The City Clerk
shall record, prepare, and maintain the minutes of the City Council and perform other
related duties as prescribed by the City Council.

4. Department heads and other City employees, as directed by the City Manager, shall
attend City Council meetings.

E. Other Rules. Other applicable general rules of conduct for City Council meetings are
identified in Chapter 2.5.
(Ord. 2017-07 § 1)

This Section establishes the procedures for the preparation, consideration and adoption of ordinances.

A. Preparation of Ordinance. All draft ordinances must be reviewed by the City Attorney
prior to submittal to the City Council.

B. Ordinance Introduction and Adoption. A proposed ordinance will be read by title only
unless a City Council member disagrees and the majority of the City Council orders a full
reading. Ordinances introduced by first reading shall not be adopted within five (5) days of
the introduction nor at other than a regular or an adjourned regular City Council meeting.
After an Ordinance has been introduced for first reading, it can be placed on the Consent
Calendar for adoption at a subsequent regular meeting. If the ordinance carries an urgency
clause, introduction and adoption may occur at the same meeting.

C. Majority Vote Required. An affirmative vote of a quorum shall be necessary to adopt an
ordinance, a resolution, or an order for the payment of money. Motions and matters other
than ordinances, resolutions, and orders for the payment of money may be adopted by a
majority vote of the quorum. An Urgency Ordinance must be adopted by at least a four-
fifths (4/5) vote of the City Council.

D. Ordinance Preservation. Following adoption of an ordinance, the City Clerk will assign
it a number and post it in the manner required by law. All ordinances will be filed and
maintained by the City Clerk.