San Clemente Municipal Code Ch. 2.46 Community Safety and Welfare Committee

Footnotes:

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Editor's note— Ord. No. 1789, § 5(Exh. B), adopted April 15, 2025, repealed the former Ch. 2.46, §§ 2.46.010—2.46.070, and enacted a new Ch. 2.46 as set out herein. The former Ch. 2.46 pertained to Public Safety Committee and derived from Ord. No. 1709, § 1(Exh. A), adopted Jan. 19, 2021.

There is established a Community Safety and Welfare Committee which shall consist of ten members, seven appointed members and three non-voting members. The City Council shall prioritize the appointment of at least four voting members to be technical professionals with a public safety background (such as a retired police, fire, or marine chief, officer, lifeguard, etc.), if possible, and the remaining three voting-members to be appointed at large, to serve on the Community Safety and Welfare Committee.

The Committee shall also consist of one representative of the Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) to be appointed by San Clemente's Chief of Police Services, one representative of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) to be appointed by San Clemente's Chief of Fire Services, and one representative from the City's Marine Safety Division to be appointed by the City Manager. The OCSD, OCFA, and the Marine Safety Division representatives shall serve as ex-officio, non-voting members. Members of the Community Safety and Welfare Committee need not be residents of San Clemente.

(Ord. No. 1789, § 5(Exh. B), 4-15-2025)

The Community Safety and Welfare Committee's functions and duties are to:

A. Act in an advisory capacity to the City Council in all matters pertaining to public safety, human needs, including homelessness, and public affairs as identified by the City Council;

B. Review performance measures of the City's public safety personnel, consisting of Police Services, Fire Services, Ambulance Services, Marine Safety, and Park Rangers, and make recommendations to the City Council pursuant to direction provided by the City Council;

C. Develop an annual work plan with specific tasks, goals and objectives for the Committee to accomplish in the coming year. The work plan, with recommendations, shall be submitted to the City Council no later than October 1 of each year. The plan shall be submitted in written form for approval at a City Council meeting. Any amendments to the work plan shall require Council approval;

D. Participate in the Social Services Grant Subcommittee by appointing one member of the Committee, by majority vote, no later than December 31 of each year;

E. Act as a sounding board for public safety and human needs, including homelessness, within the community;

F. Assess the human affairs needs of the community periodically;

G. Establish a priority list of identified human needs within the City and reassess periodically;

H. Limit meetings to three hours unless otherwise approved by a majority vote of the Committee plus the concurrence of the primary staff support to the Committee.

I. Perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the City Council.

(Ord. No. 1789, § 5(Exh. B), 4-15-2025)

The terms of office of the five members of the Community Safety and Welfare Committee who are appointed by the City Council shall be for two years from July 1 to June 30 of the second following year, and with such terms staggered so that three Committee members are appointed in even-numbered years and two Committee members are appointed in odd-numbered years. Annually, at the first meeting after the newly appointed Committee members assume office in July, the Committee shall select a chair and vice-chair from among its members. No less than 60 days prior to the expiration of terms, the City Clerk shall notify the City Council of the forthcoming vacancies and the City Council shall make the necessary appointments prior to the expiration of the terms. In the event the City Council does not make the necessary appointments prior to the expiration of the terms, existing members with expiring terms shall continue to serve as li Community Safety and Welfare Committee members until successors are appointed by the City Council and assume office.

The OCSD representative to the Community Safety and Welfare Committee shall serve on the Committee indefinitely during his/her tenure with the OCSD at the will of the Chief of Police Services.

The OCFA representative to the Community Safety and Welfare Committee shall serve on the Committee indefinitely during his/her tenure with the OCFA at the will of the Chief of Fire Services.

The City's Marine Safety Division representative to the Community Safety and Welfare Committee shall serve on the Committee at the will of the City Manager.

(Ord. No. 1789, § 5(Exh. B), 4-15-2025)

The Community Safety and Welfare Committee shall hold meetings bimonthly in accordance with the rules of procedures to be enacted and recorded in a book of official proceedings. A Community Safety and Welfare Committee member who was appointed by the City Council who is absent from three consecutive meetings of the Community Safety and Welfare Committee, without furnishing to the City Clerk a certificate of illness from a duly practicing physician, or without the authorization of the Community Safety and Welfare Committee to be absent from three (3) consecutive meetings for good cause, shall, as a result, surrender his or her office on the Community Safety and Welfare Committee and the office shall be considered vacant.

The OCSD, OCFA and Marine Safety Division representatives to the Community Safety and Welfare Committee may be removed from office at the discretion of the Chief of Police Services, Chief of Fire Services, or City Manager, respectively, if he/she is absent from three consecutive meetings, where their attendance is necessary, of the Community Safety and Welfare Committee, without furnishing to the City Clerk a certificate of illness from a duly practicing physician, or without the authorization of the Community Safety and Welfare Committee to be absent from three consecutive meetings, where their attendance is necessary, for good cause.

(Ord. No. 1789, § 5(Exh. B), 4-15-2025)

Any vacancy occurring in the office of a Community Safety and Welfare Committee member shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment, and a successor shall hold office for the unexpired portion of the term of his or her predecessor. Each member of the Community Safety and Welfare Committee who is appointed by the City Council shall serve at the pleasure of the City Council and may be removed from office with or without cause by a majority vote of all members of the City Council. The OCSD representative shall serve at the pleasure of the Chief of Police Services and may be removed from office with or without cause at the will of the Chief of Police Services. The OCFA representative shall serve at the pleasure of the Chief of Fire Services and may be removed from office with or without cause at the will of the Chief of Fire Services. The City's Marine Safety Division representative to the Community Safety and Welfare Committee shall serve on the Committee at the will of the City Manager and may be removed from office with or without cause at the will of the City Manager.

(Ord. No. 1789, § 5(Exh. B), 4-15-2025)

The seven members of the Community Safety and Welfare Committee who are appointed by the City Council shall each have one vote on any matter pending before the Committee. The OCSD, OCFA, and Marine Safety Division representatives are nonvoting members.

(Ord. No. 1789, § 5(Exh. B), 4-15-2025)

The Community Safety and Welfare Committee shall be subject to the rules and regulations regarding the conduct of meetings under state and city law and to the provisions of any ordinance of the City.

(Ord. No. 1789, § 5(Exh. B), 4-15-2025)

Effective July, 1, 2026, Community Safety and Welfare Committee Members shall be subject to a term limit of four full two-year terms (eight years total). Community Safety and Welfare Committee members must reapply for their seat at the end of each two-year term, regardless of the implementation of term limits. Appointments mid-term shall not count toward such limit. Commission and Committee members may serve on only one Commission or Committee at a time. The City Council may exercise its discretion to waive any of the foregoing limitations if there is a lack of applicants or for other cause.

(Ord. No. 1790, § 5(Exh. E), 6-3-2025)