Murrieta council adopts 2026 meeting calendar, asks staff to return with timing options

Murrieta — The City Council on Sept. 16 adopted the proposed 2026 meeting calendar and directed staff to return with options to adjust meeting start times to improve public access and accommodate staff and council schedules.

Deputy City Clerks Hector Gomez and Kimberly Ramirez presented the 2026 calendar and recommended cancelling several dates: Jan. 6, 2026 (winter break), May 19 (conflict with the International Council of Shopping Centers conference), July 21 (legislative recess/nomination period) and Aug. 4 (National Night Out/nomination period staffing). The clerks explained that agenda preparation requires roughly a month of lead time and that nomination‑period staffing (for the general municipal election) creates a heavier workload in July.

Council discussion focused on whether to start regular first‑and‑third‑Tuesday meetings earlier than the current 6 p.m. start. Council members floated options including a 3 p.m., 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. start and debated workshop scheduling on off‑Tuesdays so residents who work in the evening could attend. Council Member Stone suggested starting ceremonial items earlier (5 p.m.) and holding public comment at 6 p.m.; other members proposed starting regular meetings no later than 4 p.m. and moving workshops to alternate Tuesdays at 4–5 p.m.

After discussion, the council voted to adopt the proposed calendar (motion by Council Member Holiday, second by Council Member DeForest) by a unanimous 5–0 vote and reached consensus that staff should prepare specific options for new meeting times to be brought back for formal ratification.

Next steps: Staff will return with time‑change options and formal recommendations for council consideration; the adopted calendar (with the noted cancellations) will be posted per normal clerk procedures.