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Council redistributes $2,000 discretionary allocation after earlier censure; vote splits 3-2
Summary
Following an Aug. 12 censure that removed Councilmember Wanda Love's authority to distribute community discretionary funds, the council voted to reallocate the $2,000 equally among other members with an amended plan dividing the money among three members; the measure passed 3-2.
The Gardena City Council on Aug. 26 voted to redistribute the $2,000 community discretionary allocation previously assigned to Councilmember Wanda Love after a censure motion at the Aug. 12 meeting removed her access to the fund.
At the Aug. 12 meeting the council adopted a censure resolution that, among other directives, removed Councilmember Love's authority to distribute her discretionary funds. On Aug. 26 the council considered a resolution to reallocate the $2,000 so local community organizations could continue to apply for and receive the money. After discussion about the timing of prior grant requests and whether nonprofits would be penalized, the council amended the resolution to distribute the rescinded $2,000 among three council members rather than four.
City staff told the council that discretionary requests are processed through accounts payable and the warrant process and that if a check had not already been cut, the rescinded allocation would not be paid unless the council voted to reassign the money. Councilmember Francis said she did not want any portion of Councilmember Love's rescinded funds; she also expressed concerns about the underlying censure process and said she did not wish to participate in the redistribution. Councilmember Brouloff's and others' questions focused on whether the Wall of Fame nominees or other organizations would be affected.
The amended redistribution resolution (Resolution No. 6712 as amended) passed on a 3-2 vote, with Councilmembers Tanaka, Henderson and Mayor Serta voting yes and Councilmembers Francis and Love voting no. Under the amended plan the $2,000 will be divided among the named three councilmembers for discretionary distribution to community organizations per the city's established process. Staff said nonprofits that had submitted requests prior to the censure would not automatically receive funds unless council affirmatively directed payment or reselected those organizations under the redistributed allocations.
Decision vs. discussion: the council debated the fairness and timing of reassigning the funds (discussion) and then voted to reallocate the $2,000 among three councilmembers (decision).
