HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 24 - Councilmember Requested Item to consider Amending the 2025 City Council Meeting CalendarCITY ATTORNEY
Sonia R. Carvalho
CITY MANAGER
Alvaro Nuñez
CITY CLERK
Jennifer L. Hall
20 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA - P.O. BOX 1988, M31 - SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702
TELEPHONE (714) 647-6900 - FAX (714) 647-6954 - www.santa-ana.org
Councilmember-Requested Item Report
DATE
June 17, 2025
TOPIC
Request to Amend 2025 City Council Meeting Calendar to Include a Summer Recess
COUNCILMEMBER-REQUESTED ITEM TITLE
Discuss and Consider Providing Direction to the City Manager, City Clerk, and City
Attorney to prepare and return to the City Council with a Resolution to Amend the 2025
City Council Meeting Calendar to Provide for a City Council Recess During Either July
or August 2025—Specifically by Canceling the Regular Meetings Scheduled for July 1
and 15, 2025, or August 5 and 19, 2025—in Accordance with the City Council Rules
and Procedures and the Ralph M. Brown Act.
DISCUSSION
The City Council Rules and Procedures (Resolution No. 2025-004, Section 2) currently
establishes regular City Council meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
Section 2(b) of the resolution provides the City Council with the authority to set, cancel,
or reschedule any regular meeting by majority vote through a duly adopted resolution,
provided that proper notice is given in accordance with applicable law.
The Ralph M. Brown Act (Government Code § 54950 et seq.) governs how local
legislative bodies conduct public meetings but does not mandate a minimum frequency
of meetings. Therefore, a City Council may cancel all regularly scheduled meetings in a
given month, provided it takes formal action and ensures proper public notification of the
cancellations.
A temporary summer recess offers multiple organizational and operational benefits. For
Councilmembers, it allows a period for rest, reflection, and strategic planning away from
regular legislative duties. For City staff, a recess allows for a brief reprieve from the
time-consuming cycle of agenda preparation, report writing, and meeting facilitation—
supporting both productivity and morale. It also provides departments an opportunity to
focus on longer-term projects or internal priorities that may otherwise be constrained by
the recurring City Council meeting schedule.
Importantly, a recess also gives the City Manager more time and flexibility to
strategically plan and coordinate upcoming agenda items. This promotes better agenda
management, allows for cross-departmental collaboration, and helps ensure that items
CITY ATTORNEY
Sonia R. Carvalho
CITY MANAGER
Alvaro Nuñez
CITY CLERK
Jennifer L. Hall
20 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA - P.O. BOX 1988, M31 - SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702
TELEPHONE (714) 647-6900 - FAX (714) 647-6954 - www.santa-ana.org
brought before the City Council are more thoroughly prepared, aligned with City Council
priorities, and scheduled to maximize efficiency and transparency.
Several other cities in California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland,
Sacramento, and San José, routinely schedule summer recess periods during July or
August. These cities recognize that a short pause in the meeting schedule supports
thoughtful governance, improved planning, and sustainable workloads for elected
officials and public employees alike.
If the City Council proceeds with this recommendation, the City Manager, City Clerk,
and City Attorney will return at a future meeting with a proposed resolution identifying
which meetings—either July 1 and 15 or August 5 and 19, 2025—are to be canceled for
the purpose of a summer recess, and will ensure that the revised calendar is posted in
compliance with the Brown Act.
SUBMITTED BY
Councilmember Jessie Lopez