SR-02-24-2015-7CCity Council Report
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City Council Regular and Special Joint Meeting: February 24, 2015
Agenda Item:
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Karen Ginsberg, Director of Community and Cultural Services
Marsha Jones Moutrie, City Attorney
Subject: Ordinance Reducing the Membership of the Arts Commission from Thirteen
to Eleven Members
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council introduce for first reading the attached
ordinance which would reduce the size of the Arts Commission from thirteen to eleven
members so that the body can function more efficiently.
Executive Summary
At its meeting of January 27, 2015, when Council considered making two new
appointments to fill existing vacancies on the Arts Commission, the Commission Chair
recommended that Council instead direct staff to prepare an ordinance that would
eliminate the two vacant positions, thus shrinking the Commission's size so that it could
function more efficiently. Council directed staff to prepare an ordinance amending the
Municipal Code to reduce by two the number of arts commissioners. The attached
ordinance fulfills that direction.
Background
Prior to 1994, the Arts Commission had seventeen members. Its size was reduced by
the City Council in 1994 after staff reported that there was much work for the
Commission to do but that meetings sometimes had to be cancelled due to the lack of a
quorum. Council agreed that a smaller commission could function more efficiently and
therefore reduced the body's size from seventeen to thirteen members.
Discussion
While the Commission continues to have important work to do, once again the body's
unusually large size appears to impair its ability to meet and therefore its efficiency.
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Accordingly, on January 27, 2015, the Commission Chair appeared before Council and
requested that, instead filling two current vacancies, Council consider acting again to
reduce the body's size.
The attached ordinance would accomplish that purpose by simply changing the number
of commissioners established by the Municipal Code. And, if adopted at this time while
there are two existing vacancies, the ordinance would not disrupt the service of any
seated commissioners.
Staff recommends that the ordinance be introduced and approved on first reading so
that the Commission may function more efficiently.
Financial Impacts and Budget .fictions
There is no immediate financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of the
recommended action.
Prepared By: Jessica Cusick, Cultural Affairs Manager
Approved: Forwarded to Council:
Karen Ginsberg
Director, Commu ity & C tural ervices
Attachments:
Elaine Polachek
Interim City Manager
A. ReducingArtsCommMembershipOrd (DOCX)
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City Council Meeting: February 24, 2015 Santa Monica, California
ORDINANCE NUMBER (CCS)
(City Council Series)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA MONICA REDUCING THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE ARTS COMMISSION
FROM THIRTEEN TO ELEVEN MEMBERS
WHEREAS, the Santa Monica Arts Commission was created to "ensure a regular
and ongoing assessment of art programs in the City "; and
WHEREAS, in order to ensure representation of diverse interests within the City,
the Commission was created as an unusually large legislative body, numbering thirteen
members; and
WHEREAS, experience has indicated that a slightly smaller body could fulfill the
Commission's purpose equally well and much more efficiently; and
WHEREAS, Council has determined that the Commission's size should be
reduced, and
WHEREAS, there are currently two vacancies on the Commission, and
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WHEREAS, the present circumstances provide an unusual opportunity to adjust
the size of the Commission without disrupting members' service.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 2.64.020 is hereby amended
to read as follows:
2.64.020 Creation of Arts Commission.
(a) Pursuant to Section 1000 of the City Charter, an
Arts Commission is created. The Commission shall consist
of thirteeneleven members. A majority of the members in
office at any time shall constitute a quorum. The members
shall be appointed by the City Council. Except as otherwise
provided in this Chapter, the Commission and
Commissioners shall be subject to all the terms of Article X
of the City Charter setting forth procedures for appointment
of Commissioners, terms, and meetings.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in Section
2.64.080, all Commissioners shall reside or work in the City
and shall be actively involved in the arts. From and after
April 10, 1990, any person appointed as a Commissioner
must be a Director of the Santa Monica Arts Foundation. The
Commission shall represent the diversity of the community
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and shall include minorities and working artists in the
following disciplines:
dance.
(1) Performing arts such as drama, music, and
(2) Visual arts such as painting, sculpture,
photography, graphics, video art, and applied art.
(3) Communications arts such as film, television,
(4) Literary arts such as literature, poetry, and
journalism.
Commissioners may represent one or more of the
disciplines indicated above.
SECTION 2. Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal Code or appendices
thereto inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance, to the extent of such
inconsistencies and no further, is hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary
to effect the provisions of this Ordinance.
SECTION 3. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this
Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any
court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would
have passed this Ordinance and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause,
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or phrase not declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion
of the ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 4. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall attest to the passage
of this Ordinance. The City Clerk shall cause the same to be published once in the
official newspaper within 15 days after its adoption. This Ordinance shall become
effective 30 days from its adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
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