Article VII — The Council

Except as specifically provided otherwise in this Charter with respect to City elections, the provisions of the State Elections Code , as amended from time to time, are hereby adopted. The City expressly reserves its rights with respect to the conduct of City elections pursuant to Section 5 of Article XI of the California Constitution. Any changes made by the City Council in the City elections procedure shall be by ordinance and shall not be in conflict with any other sections of this Charter.

There are hereby reserved to the electors of the City, the powers of the initiative and referendum and of the recall of municipal elective officers. No primary election shall be held for municipal officers. No error, omission or defect in the notice of elections shall be cause to invalidate any election held under the provisions of this Charter.

(Amended by electors at an election held March 7, 2000, Charter Chapter 11 of the State Statutes of 2000 )

No person elected as member of the Council shall be eligible to serve, or serve, for more than two (2) full terms; but such service prior to December 1, 2016, shall not disqualify any person from further service as a member of the Council. If a member of the Council serves a partial term in excess of two (2) years, it shall be considered a full term for the purpose of this provision. The office of elected Mayor, to be filled from the City at large, is a separate office from the Council and solely for the purpose of this term limit disqualification, is not a Council office or the Council. Consequently, time served in such office of elected Mayor is not time served on the Council and time served on the Council is not time served in such office of elected Mayor.

(As amended by electors at election held November 5, 1968, approved by Joint Resolution of the Legislature filed with the Secretary of State January 15, 1969; Amended by electors at an election held March 7, 2000, Charter Chapter 11 of the State Statutes of 2000 ; Amended by electors at an election held November 8, 2016, Charter Chapter 18 of the State Statutes of 2017 )

Commencing on July 1, 2017, each member of the City Council, other than the Mayor, shall receive as compensation the sum of two thousand dollars ($2,000) per month. The Mayor shall receive as compensation the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) per month.

Commencing on July 1, 2019, and every two years on July 1 thereafter, the compensation of the City Council and Mayor shall be set by a Salary Setting Commission consisting of five members to be appointed by the Civil Service Commission from the qualified electors of the City for a term of four years. The first members shall be appointed for a term commencing January 1, 2019. Initially, the Commissioners shall be appointed in a manner so that two are appointed for two-year terms and three are appointed for four-year terms. On or before March 15 of every odd year, the Salary Setting Commission shall establish the salary of the Mayor and members of the City Council for the period commencing July 1 of that odd year and ending two years thereafter. Salaries so established by the Commission shall not exceed one hundred ten percent (110%) of the previous figure.

If a member of the City Council, including the Mayor, does not attend all meetings of the City Council or study sessions called on order of the City Council and held during the month, the compensation to him/her for such month shall be reduced by the sum of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for each meeting or study session not attended unless he/she is absent with the consent of or on order of the City Council.

Absence from five consecutive regular meetings, unless excused by resolution of the City Council, shall operate to vacate the seat of any member of the City Council so absent. (As amended by electors at election held November 5, 1968, approved by Joint Resolution of the Legislature filed with the Secretary of State January 15, 1969; Amended by electors at an election held March 7, 2000, Charter Chapter 11 of the State Statutes of 2000 ; Amended by electors at an election held November 8, 2016, Charter Chapter 17 of the State Statutes of 2017 )

A vacancy in any elective office of the City, including Mayor, City Council, Chief of Police Department, and City Clerk, from whatever cause arising, shall be filled by appointment by the City Council by a four-fifths (4/5) vote of the remaining members.

In the event the City Council shall fail to fill a vacancy by appointment within thirty (30) days after such office shall have been declared vacant, it shall forthwith cause an election to be held to fill such vacancy. A person appointed or elected to fill a vacancy holds office for the unexpired term of the former incumbent, provided that if the vacancy occurs in the first half of a term of office and at least 130 days prior to the next general municipal election, the person appointed to fill the vacancy shall hold office until the next general municipal election that is scheduled 130 or more days after the date the City Council is notified of the vacancy, and thereafter until the person who is elected at that election to fill the vacancy has been qualified. The person elected to fill the vacancy shall hold office for the unexpired balance of the term of office.

(As approved at election held November 5, 1968, approved by Joint Resolution of Legislature filed with the Secretary of State January 15, 1969; Amended by electors at an election held November 8, 2016, Charter Chapter 19 of the State Statutes of 2017 )

The Mayor shall be the presiding officer. The Mayor shall have a voice and vote in all its proceedings. He/she shall be the official head of the City for all ceremonial purposes. He/she shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by this Charter or as may be imposed by the City Council consistent with his/her office.

(As amended by the electors at election held November 5, 1968, approved by Joint Resolution of the Legislature filed with the Secretary of State January 15, 1969; Amended by electors at an election held March 7, 2000, Charter Chapter 11 of the State Statutes of 2000 )

The City Council shall designate one of its members as Vice Mayor. The Vice Mayor shall perform the duties of the Mayor during his/her absence or disability. The Vice Mayor shall serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the City Council.

(As amended by electors at election held November 5, 1968, approved by Joint Resolution of Legislature filed with the Secretary of State, January 15, 1969; Amended by electors at an election held March 7, 2000, Charter Chapter 11 of the State Statutes of 2000 )

All powers of the City shall be vested in the City Council, subject to the provisions of the Charter and to the Constitution of the State of California .

The City Council shall hold regular meetings at least twice each month, at such times as it shall fix by ordinance or resolution and may adjourn or readjourn any regular meeting to a date certain, which shall be specified in the order of adjournment and when so adjourned, each adjourned meeting shall be a regular meeting for all purposes.

Special meetings may be called at any time by the Mayor, or by four members of the City Council pursuant to the provisions of the Ralph M. Brown Act, specifically Government Code Section 54956 , as amended from time to time.

(Amended by electors at an election held March 7, 2000, Charter Chapter 11 of the State Statutes of 2000 )

All meetings of the City Council shall be held at the locations authorized by the Ralph M. Brown Act (commencing with Government Code Section 54950 ) as it now reads or is hereafter amended.

(Amended by electors at an election held March 7, 2000, Charter Chapter 11 of the State Statutes of 2000 )

A majority of the members of the City Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but a less number may adjourn from time to time.

The City Council shall judge the qualifications of its members as required by the Charter and shall judge all election returns.

The City Council shall establish rules for the conduct of its proceedings and punish any member or other person for disorderly conduct at any meetings. It shall have the power and authority to compel the attendance of witnesses, to examine them under oath, and to compel the production of evidence before it. Subpoenas may be issued in the name of the City and be attested by the City Clerk. Disobedience of such subpoenas, or the refusal to testify (upon other than constitutional grounds), shall constitute a misdemeanor.

The City Council shall cause the City Clerk to keep an accurate record of all its proceedings and, at the demand of any member, or upon the adoption of any ordinance or resolution for the payment of money, the City Clerk shall call the roll and shall cause the "ayes" and "noes" taken on any question, to be entered in the minutes of the meeting.

The City Council is hereby empowered to act by Ordinance or Resolution. An oral motion or order duly passed by the City Council and entered in the minutes of the Council shall have the same force and effect as a written Resolution duly introduced and passed by said City Council and shall be deemed to be a Resolution for all purposes.

The City Council shall have power to lease, sell, convey, and dispose of any and all property of the City, subject to the provisions of Section 401 of this Charter, and provided further that no property exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) in value shall be sold without first publishing notice of intention to sell in an official newspaper once a week for two weeks preceding the date of such sale. The notice of intention shall describe the property, the price theretofore offered for said property and the time and place when and where the sale will be consummated.

At the time fixed for said consummation of sale, the City Council shall call for further bids for said property and if any increased bid is received from a responsible bidder in at least five percent in excess of the original price offered for the same, then the City Council may accept the highest bid for said property or may order a new sale or may withdraw the property from sale.

The City Council shall have power to levy and collect taxes, and to collect license taxes for both regulation and revenue.