Sierra Madre officials announced a student commissioner program at the Planning Commission meeting on July 17, 2025, after the City Council approved the measure in late June. City Clerk Laura Aguilar told commissioners the program will allow commissions to appoint up to two nonvoting student commissioners, ages 13 to 21, who will serve approximately one-year terms and are expected to attend at least 75% of meetings.

The measure is intended to introduce younger residents to legislative and governing processes and to encourage volunteerism, Aguilar said. "The commissioner program is based on city council's intention and desire to really be welcome younger volunteers and include them in the legislative and governing processes," Aguilar said at the meeting.

Under the program as presented, student commissioners will be nonvoting and will not count toward a quorum; the clerk’s office noted they consequently will not be subject to the Brown Act. The City Council has directed staff to produce flyers and other outreach materials and to coordinate rollout around the start of the new fiscal year. Each commission may appoint up to two student commissioners, with terms aligned to the academic year.

Commissioners asked that staff watch for scheduling conflicts and to consider the likely meeting cadence of other commissions when finalizing the program materials. Aguilar said staff will provide printed flyers to the commissions and that the city expects to make the application information available within the next couple of months.

For residents: watch the commission meeting agendas and the city’s outreach materials for application dates and instructions.