Burbank to meet in closed session on California Voting Rights Act lawsuit; library study session set for 5 p.m.

The Burbank City Council and Parking Authority announced on Tuesday that they will convene a closed session at 4:00 p.m. to discuss one matter of existing litigation, Nicholas Gutierrez v. City of Burbank, which the city attorney identified as a California Voting Rights Act case.

The city attorney said the closed session is being held pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9(d)(1). “This is a California Voting Rights Act case,” the city attorney said, describing the subject as existing litigation. The council will reconvene at 5:00 p.m. in the council chambers for a study session titled “Update on the new library civic center project,” to be presented by the Library Services Department, and the regular council session is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.

Before the closed session, a staff member read the rules for the public comment period, giving the phone number for callers (818-238-3335) and detailing time limits based on the number of speakers: one to 20 speakers receive up to three minutes each; 21 to 39 speakers receive up to two minutes each; and 40 or more speakers receive up to one minute each. The mayor asked the city clerk whether there were any in-person commenters or callers; the clerk reported none, and the mayor declared the public comment period closed.

The mayor reminded the public that the meeting could be viewed online or on television and that general public comment may be provided in person or by phone, though the public comment period specific to the council report will be taken in person only. The televised portion of the closed session was then closed.

No votes, motions, or policy decisions were recorded in the televised portion of the session captured in the transcript; the items announced were scheduling and the identification of the litigation matter to be discussed in closed session. The study session on the library civic center was announced but no substantive presentation or discussion of the project appears in the available transcript excerpt.