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Whittier council adopts urgency ordinance to suspend Parkway Tree Manual amid dissent
Summary
The City Council adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 3171, temporarily suspending the Parkway Tree Manual on a 4–1 vote; Council member Mary Ann Pacheco dissented. The Council introduced Ordinance No. 3172 for first reading and scheduled a second reading for Nov. 18, 2025.
The Whittier City Council voted 4–1 on Oct. 28 to adopt Urgency Ordinance No. 3171, temporarily suspending application of the city’s Parkway Tree Manual.
City Manager Conal McNamara presented the staff report and City Attorney Keith Collins reminded the Council that the urgency ordinance requires a four‑fifths vote. Council Member Cathy Warner moved the urgency measure; Council Member Fernando Dutra seconded the motion, which passed with Council Member Mary Ann Pacheco dissenting.
The vote followed council deliberations in which staff answered questions about the scope of actions that could occur during the suspension and the relationship of the suspension to the ongoing Greenleaf Promenade litigation, according to McNamara. The Council also introduced Ordinance No. 3172 for a first reading on suspension of the Parkway Tree Manual; that motion carried 4–1 and the Council set a second reading and potential adoption for an adjourned regular meeting on Nov. 18, 2025.
Pacheco said she disagreed with using an urgency ordinance in this instance; her dissent was the only recorded vote opposing the urgency measure. The meeting record does not contain verbatim extended debate or additional formal amendments tied to the ordinances.
Next steps: Ordinance No. 3172 returns for second reading and potential adoption at 6:00 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2025, in the Whittier City Council Chamber.
