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Council resolves three conflicts by drawing straws to allow participation on Deeds Towing contract amendment
Summary
Three council members disclosed conflicts on agenda item 19 (a proposed two-year extension for a Deeds Towing contract); the council drew straws and Councilmember Macias was selected to participate so the item could proceed.
Mayor (speaker 1) opened the meeting and the city attorney (speaker 3) notified the council that three members had conflicts of interest on agenda item 19, a contract amendment to extend the Deeds Towing term by two years. The attorney said three council members "have received contributions in excess of $500" related to the matter and explained the legal requirement that at least three council members participate on the action.
To resolve the participation issue, the city arranged a random selection: "one of the 3 straws is shorter than the others. The council member who pulls the shortest straw will be entitled to act and participate on the deeds towing action item," the attorney said. Claudia then offered the straws; the attorney announced that "council member Macias is going to be participating in the action item for Deeds Towing consent item number 19." The council recessed to closed session after resolving the procedural question.
The council treated the Deeds Towing item as part of the consent calendar later in the meeting. The record shows recusal statements for Mayor Pro Tem Wapner and Councilmember Perrotta and the item was handled within the consent vote. The meeting materials noted the recusal and the short-straw selection so the record identifies which conflicted member participated.
The council's action resolved the immediate participation question; the transcript contains no additional debate about the contract terms during the item as recorded.
