Legislative Public Meetings

File #: 17-0009   
Type: Report to Council Status: Public Hearing/General Business
Meeting Body: City Council
On agenda: 1/10/2017
Title: Determine the 2017 Seating Arrangements for City Council
Attachments: 1. Council Policy 7.3.11

REPORT TO COUNCIL

SUBJECT

Title

Determine the 2017 Seating Arrangements for City Council

 

Report

EXISTING POLICY

Council Policy 7.3.11. Seating Arrangements/City Council

 

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental, organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.

 

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

Council Policy 7.3.11 (Attachment 1) provides a process to determine the seating arrangements of Councilmembers at Council meetings. This procedure is conducted as the last item of business at the meeting during which the Mayor and Vice Mayor are selected. The Mayor will be seated in the center seat, and the Vice Mayor may choose to be seated to either side of the Mayor. The remaining seats will be selected in order of Council seniority as defined in Council Policy 7.3.11.

 

Section 3.B. of Council Policy 7.3.11 states, “Councilmembers shall select where they wish to sit on the basis of length of continuous time of service on the City Council. The selection process shall be in the order of most senior to least senior. When two or more Councilmembers have equivalent time of service, those Councilmembers are given priority in seat selection by the highest number of votes received in their most recent election.” Therefore, after selection of the seats to be occupied by the Mayor and the Vice Mayor, the following order is to be used to select the remaining seats:

 

Seniority

Date First Elected

Councilmember

No. of Votes Received at Most Recent Election

Most Recent Election 

Most Senior

11/03/09

James R. “Jim” Griffith

11,410

11/05/13

 

11/05/13

Glenn Hendricks

10,181

11/05/13

 

11/05/13

Gustav Larsson

9,205

11/05/13

 

08/16/16

Larry Klein

18,972

11/08/16

 

11/08/16

Nancy Smith

26,565

11/08/16

 

11/08/16

Russ Melton

24,281

11/08/16

Least Senior

11/08/16

Michael S. Goldman

19,298

11/08/16

 

Councilmembers will assume their new seats commencing with the next regular Council meeting scheduled on January 24, 2017.

 

PUBLIC CONTACT

Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.

 

STAFF RECOMMENDATION

Recommendation

Determine the seating arrangements for 2017 in accordance with Council Policy 7.3.11.

 

Staff

Prepared by: Kathleen Franco Simmons, City Clerk

Reviewed by: Walter C. Rossmann, Assistant City Manager

Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager

 

ATTACHMENT

1. Council Policy 7.3.11 Seating Arrangements/City Council