Ojai Municipal Code Ch. 9 Public Safety Commission

(a) There is hereby established a Public Safety Commission consisting of five members.

(b) Commissioners shall be nominated and appointed through the following process:

(1) For the inaugural Commission, a nominating committee comprised of the Mayor and a rotating City Councilmember, as determined by the City Clerk, shall nominate four Commissioners for confirmation by the City Council, with each Councilmember having an opportunity to serve on a nominating committee. The Mayor shall nominate one Commissioner independently for confirmation by the City Council.

(2) For all subsequent appointments, a nominating committee comprised of the following three members shall nominate each Commissioner for confirmation by the City Council: the Mayor; a rotating City Councilmember, as determined by the City Clerk; and the Commission Chair, or the Vice-Chair if the Chair's office is under consideration within two months of the nomination.

(3) All nominations shall be subject to confirmation by a majority vote of the entire City Council.

(4) If any member of the nominating committee affirmatively declines to participate in the nomination process, then their seat shall be forfeit and the next person, as appropriate and as determined by the City Clerk shall participate on the nominating committee instead: the next rotating Councilmember, as determined by the City Clerk; the Chair, Vice-Chair, or Commission member; or the Mayor Pro Tem for the Mayor.

(5) The nominating committee shall agree on applicants to be interviewed. The nominating committee shall then interview such applicants, virtually or in person, before selecting a nominee for City Council confirmation.

(6) The nominating committee must unanimously decide each nominee for confirmation by a majority vote of all members of the City Council. No nominee shall be submitted to the City Council for confirmation without unanimous support of the nominating committee.

(7) If a nominee fails to garner a majority vote of the full City Council, then the applicable nominating committee shall meet again to consider and propose a new nominee for confirmation by the City Council in accordance with the process in this section. This process shall repeat until a nominee is confirmed by a majority vote of the entire City Council.

(8) If a nominee fails to garner a majority vote of the full City Council, then the applicable nominating committee shall meet again to consider and propose a new nominee for confirmation by the City Council in accordance with the process in this section. This process shall repeat until a nominee is confirmed by a majority vote of the entire City Council.

(9) If a mid-term vacancy occurs, whether as a result of removal, resignation, or any other cause, the nominating committee may nominate their replacement to fill the remainder of the original term in accordance with the process in this section, which must be confirmed by a majority of the entire City Council. Where feasible, the members of the nominating committee used to nominate the member whose seat is vacated shall be used to nominate their replacement. Where members of such nominating committee are no longer in office or otherwise unavailable to serve on the nominating committee to fill the vacant seat, the seat shall be filled by the following, as appropriate: the next rotating Councilmember, as determined by the City Clerk; the Mayor Pro Tem if the Mayor is unable to serve on the nominating committee; or the sitting Chair, or the Vice-Chair if the Chair's office is under consideration within two months of the nomination.

(c) All Commission appointments are non-political appointments. While it is preferred that all members of the Commission have primary residence and be domiciled within the City, a maximum of two members of the Commission may have primary residence and be domiciled outside the City. All members must live within the Ojai Area of Interest, as defined by the Ventura County Local Agency Formation Commission. In selecting nominees and making appointments, each nominating committee may give preference to applicants demonstrating specialized knowledge or expertise in the Commission's subject matter jurisdiction, as outlined in Section 3-9.07.

(Ord. 972, 3/10/2026, eff. 4/9/2026)

(a) For the inaugural Commission, the first three members appointed shall serve an initial term of up to four years, and the remaining two members shall serve an initial term of up to two years. All inaugural Commissioners are eligible for reappointment. All subsequent Commission appointments shall be for a term of four years.

(b) The terms of all members of the Commission shall expire at the second regular City Council meeting of May.

(c) Members shall hold office upon the expiration of their terms until their successors have been nominated and confirmed. A person who has been appointed to fill a vacancy shall hold office for the remainder of the unexpired term.

(Ord. 972, 3/10/2026, eff. 4/9/2026)

No member of the Commission shall receive compensation for their services as a member.

(Ord. 972, 3/10/2026, eff. 4/9/2026)

A Commissioner may be removed from office by the following process: two City Councilmembers must advise the City Manager of their intent to place an item on an upcoming City Council agenda to consider the removal of a Commissioner. The City Manager must then contact the Commissioner to advise him/her of that notification, and to provide the Commissioner with at least seven days' advance notice of any agendized City Council discussion regarding the possible Commissioner removal. The Commissioner may choose to resign or object to the proposed action. Commissioners serve "at will" and may be removed for any reason. The Commissioner shall be given an opportunity to speak to the full City Council at the agendized public meeting if they wish to do so, before consideration of their removal. After completing this process, any Commissioner may be removed by a majority of the entire City Council vote at a regular City Council meeting.

(Ord. 972, 3/10/2026, eff. 4/9/2026)

The Commission shall annually elect a Chair, Vice-Chair, a Secretary, and such other officers deemed necessary. In the absence or disability of either the Chair or Vice-Chair, the Commission may designate a Chair pro tempore. Regular meetings of the Commission shall be public and shall be held monthly for the first six months following the appointment and swearing in of the last Commissioner. Thereafter, the Commission may meet on a monthly basis, but shall meet at least once per calendar quarter.

(Ord. 972, 3/10/2026, eff. 4/9/2026)

Meeting minutes shall be kept of all Commission meetings, and copies thereof shall be delivered by the Secretary of the Commission, through the Commission Liaison, to the City Clerk for filing and distribution to the members of the Council within 15 days after the Commission's approval.

(Ord. 972, 3/10/2026, eff. 4/9/2026)

Unless otherwise provided in this chapter, the Commission meetings shall be governed by Rosenberg's Rules of Order and the City's adopted Boards and Commissions Handbook. Three Commissioners shall constitute a quorum, without regard to residency, and a simple majority of the votes of a quorum as present shall be required to pass a motion.

(Ord. 972, 3/10/2026, eff. 4/9/2026)

The purpose of the Commission shall be to make advisory policy recommendations to the City Council on the matters outlined in this section. To this end, the Commission shall not exercise any adjudicatory authority, have responsibility to review or investigate specific incidents, address complaints regarding specific individuals, or interfere with the operational decisions of the City's contracted public safety agencies. The duties of the Commission include the following:

(a) Make recommendations to the City Council regarding neighborhood watch and Citizens Emergency Response (CERT) programs, and other public-facing public safety programs and initiatives of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office and Ventura County Fire Department;

(b) Develop and recommend methods for increasing public safety awareness to the City Council by recommending the most effective means of community communication and outreach;

(c) Recommend annual commendations by City Council for private residents and public employees who make significant contributions to public safety within the community;

(d) Review community concerns and make recommendations to the City Council on parking regulations, sidewalk conditions and accessibility, speed limits and enforcement, crosswalk safety and visibility, and traffic control strategies to improve both pedestrian and vehicle safety; and

(e) Recommend to the City Council fire hardening and fire safety initiatives to improve community resilience and preparedness within the City's jurisdiction, including promoting fire safety education; and

(f) Provide other recommendations to City Council on issues involving public safety in the community as directed or requested by the City Council.

Any recommendations submitted to the City Council shall be in writing, including a summary of public comments received on each particular recommendation.

(Ord. 972, 3/10/2026, eff. 4/9/2026)

The Commission shall not interfere with the powers and duties of City officers or the management or operations of the City, and shall not direct City staff or require staff to perform work on behalf of the Commission. The Chair, or presiding officer in their absence, may consult with the City Manager and Staff Liaison regarding Commission requests for staff to perform work on behalf of the Commission. Requests not included in the annual budget approved by the City Council require City Council approval before commencement of the work. The Commission shall not adjudicate any matters regarding resident complaints about specific incidents or allegations against City officers, employees, or contractors. The Commission shall have no authority to compel attendance of persons before it.

(Ord. 972, 3/10/2026, eff. 4/9/2026)