West Covina Municipal Code § 2-23 Salary

(a) City council. The elective officers of the city shall constitute a city council consisting of five (5) members elected by district at the times and in the manner provided in this chapter, in a sequence to be determined by ordinance or resolution, each of whom shall serve a term of four (4) years and until their respective successors qualify.

(b) Residency in districts. Each member of the city council must be a resident of the council district from which the member is nominated at the time the member is nominated, elected, and throughout that member's term of office. In the event any member of the city council ceases to be a resident of the district from which the member (or, in the case of an appointee, a predecessor) was nominated, the office shall immediately become vacant and shall be filled in the same manner as herein provided for other vacancies. If a member of the city council ceases to be a resident of the district from which the member (or, in the case of an appointee, a predecessor) was nominated solely because of a change in the boundaries as provided herein, the member shall not lose office during that term by reason of such change.

(c) Council districts. The city is hereby divided into five (5) districts, as set forth herein. Candidates for council seats in each district shall be nominated and elected only by the voters of that district and shall reside in that district.

(d) District boundaries. The boundaries of the council member districts of the city shall be established in the manner required by Government Code section 34877.5 (effective January 1, 2017) and California Elections Code section 10010 (as amended effective January 1, 2017).

(e) Changes in boundaries. The boundaries of said city council districts, but not the number thereof, may be changed by ordinance adopted by the city council by three-fifths (⅗) vote of all its members; provided that districts established by the city council shall be as nearly equal in population and as geographically compact as possible. Boundaries shall be adjusted by the city council before the first day of November of the year following the year in which each decennial federal census is taken by three-fifths (⅗) vote of the total membership of the city council, and as provided in Elections Code sections 21601, 21602 and 21607. However, the city council shall not change the boundaries of districts more than once in any two-year period and no such change shall be made within the period of one hundred eighty (180) days preceding a general municipal election. The preceding limitations shall not apply to changes made necessary by changes to city boundaries, as provided in Elections Code section 21603. After city council has exercised its power to change the boundaries of districts, these changes shall immediately be reflected in the district boundaries specified by ordinance adopted by city council.

(f) Current officeholders. The five (5) members of the city council in office at the time this section takes effect shall continue in office until their terms expire.

(Ord. No. 2310, § 3, 1-17-17)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2310, § 3, adopted Jan. 17, 2017, repealed the former section and enacted a new section as set out herein. The former section pertained to similar subject matter and derived from Ord. No. 2056, § 2, 5-16-00.

(a) The mayor shall be the official head of the city for all ceremonial purposes and shall perform all duties imposed upon the mayor by the laws of the state or by ordinance of the city. The mayor shall serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the city council.

(b) During election years, the city council shall reorganize and install one of its members as mayor and one as mayor pro tempore ("mayor pro tem") at the meeting at which it declares the results of the general municipal election in accordance with California Government Code section 36801. During nonelection years, the city council shall reorganize and install one of its members as mayor and one as mayor pro tem at a regular or special meeting held approximately one year from the installation date of the outgoing mayor.

(c) The city council shall reorganize in accordance with the mayoral succession list, which shall be maintained by the city clerk. At the city council meeting at which the city council reorganizes, the current mayor pro tem shall succeed to the position of mayor. All other council members shall move up one (1) position, such that the council member in the third position on the succession list shall move into the mayor pro tem position. The outgoing mayor shall rotate to the bottom of the succession list, except that in a regular election year, any newly elected first-term council member shall be placed behind the outgoing mayor on the succession list. When there are two (2) or more newly elected first-term council members, they shall be added to the succession list in order based on who received the highest percentage of votes in their district at the election. If an incumbent council member is reelected during a regular election year, that council member shall maintain their position on the succession list.

(d) In the event that the position of mayor or mayor pro tem becomes vacant for any reason, the succession order shall remain the same. If both the mayor and the mayor pro tem have changed prior to the next regularly scheduled reorganization, the council members serving as mayor and mayor pro tem shall keep their positions at the next regularly scheduled reorganization, for the term they would have held in the absence of the vacancies.

(e) Any individual appointed or elected to fill a vacancy in a city council seat shall be placed at the bottom of the mayoral succession list.

(f) The city council by a minimum of four (4) votes may modify the mayoral succession list or remove and replace the mayor or mayor pro tem at any time.

(Ord. No. 2444, § 1, 9-4-18; Ord. No. 2523, § 2, 10-1-24)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2444, § 1, adopted Sept. 4, 2018, repealed the former section and enacted a new section as set out herein. The former section pertained to similar subject matter and derived from Ord. No. 2310, § 4, 1-17-17.

All ordinances, resolutions and contract documents shall, before presentation to the council, have been approved as to form and legality by the city attorney, or his or her authorized representative and shall have been examined and approved for administration by the city manager or his or her authorized representative, where there are substantive matters of administration involved.

(Code 1960, § 2123; Ord. No. 1835, § 1, 1-22-90)

Each member of the city council shall receive a salary in the sum of two thousand twenty seven dollars ($2,027.00) per month in accordance with California Government Code section 36516. The salary is payable at the same time and in the same manner as the salaries are paid to other officers and employees of the city.

(Code 1960, § 2124; Ord. No. 1515, § 1, 6-8-81; Ord. No. 1584, § 1, 3-14-83; Ord. No. 1635, § 1, 5-29-84; Ord. No. 1679, § 1, 5-28-85; Ord. No. 1689, § 1, 8-12-85; Ord. No. 1767, § 1, 2-22-88; Ord. No. 1830, § 1, 11-13-89; Ord. No. 2518, § 1, 12-19-23)

State Law reference— Salary schedule for council members, Gov. Code, § 36516.

The office of city councilmember and the position of city employee are hereby determined to be incompatible activities within the meaning of the Government Code, section 1126. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Code or in the city's personnel rules, a person's employment with the City of West Covina shall automatically terminate at the time the employee assumes the office of city councilmember.

(Ord. No. 1677, § 1, 5-28-85)