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Cerritos council refuses to adopt ordinance implementing boards, commissions handbook
Summary
The City Council voted to deny the second reading of an ordinance that would have codified provisions of a recently adopted boards, commissions and committees (BCC) handbook into the municipal code, keeping the status quo while directing further review.
The Cerritos City Council voted 4-1 on March 27 to deny the second reading of Ordinance 1049, a municipal code amendment intended to align city code with the newly adopted boards, commissions and committees handbook.
Councilmember Linda Johnson moved to oppose adoption of the ordinance; Councilmember Sophia Se seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-1. The ordinance would have amended several chapters of the Cerritos Municipal Code to implement handbook recommendations, including establishing new advisory bodies and changing names and meeting schedules for some existing bodies.
Council members who opposed immediate codification said the handbook and the associated ordinance were adopted near the end of the prior council’s term and that the newly seated council had not had sufficient time to review the document. Mayor Pro Tem Linda Johnson told colleagues she wanted the new council to review and, if needed, revise the handbook and protocol manual before embedding its provisions into the municipal code. "The right time to consider review and revision of documents like the protocol manual or the handbook is every April following a city council election," she said, referencing language in the protocol manual.
City staff had presented the ordinance as implementing earlier council direction to align the municipal code with the handbook, which the council adopted February 13. Deputy City Manager Ryan Carey summarized staff’s position that the ordinance would codify handbook provisions and commence implementation of the handbook’s recommendations.
Several council members and public commenters urged more study and outreach. Resident Celia Spitzer asked the council to table the ordinance and allow the new council time to review it. Councilmember Mark Polito and Councilmember Sophia Se said they would prefer more study before changing the code, citing potential staff and financial impacts.
After the vote the council directed staff to agendize the handbook’s rescission for the April 10 meeting so the council could formally consider rescinding the handbook and then develop a protocol manual and handbook through an ad hoc working group. Staff noted that any provisions of the handbook already reflected in the municipal code remain unchanged unless the council later votes to amend them.
The decision preserves the current municipal code structure and postpones implementation of the handbook’s proposed new advisory bodies and meeting schedule changes until the new council determines next steps.
