Councilmember Kearney urges limits on sheriff contract increase and asks to agendize device‑use policy

Councilmember Pat Kearney used his councilmember items time to summarize recent meetings he attended and to raise concerns about the Lawndale sheriff contract and related property surcharge. Kearney recited recent and projected contract estimates as he outlined the budget pressure and said he would recommend limiting the next requested surcharge to 14% to lower the city’s property surcharge total.

Kearney asked staff to bring the sheriff contract and surcharge discussion back to the council and proposed placing an agenda item on the council calendar to consider a brief code-of-conduct amendment or policy addressing elected officials’ use of personal devices during meetings. The city attorney said staff could prepare a short staff report outlining considerations and options; if the council directs staff to move forward that report could be added to a future business agenda and, if adopted, incorporated into the policy document.

The item was presented as a request for further discussion rather than a formal direction; the city attorney advised the council on Brown Act limits for tonight’s discussion and on how a short staff report could be prepared to limit attorney time while giving the council a basis for a future policy decision. Kearney’s remarks included cited historical contract figures and surcharge amounts as part of the rationale; council discussion emphasized that any formal changes to contract terms or budget allocations would require future agenda actions and possible council policy votes.