Ordinance - 2056ORDINANCE NO. 2056
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF T14E CITY OF
WEST COVINA, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE MUNICIPAL
CODE BY CREATING A ROTATION PROCESS FOR THE
SELECTION OF MAYOR AND MAYOR PRO TEM
WHEREAS, the California Government Code permits a general law city flexibility in
determining the method for the selection of a mayor and mayor pro tem; and
WHEREAS, the West Covina City Council is desirous of changing the current selection
method of voting amongst each other for mayor and mayor pro tem to a rotation
system for the annual Council reorganization held in March of each year; and
WHEREAS, the City Council also desires to chapter the rotational process into the West
Covina Municipal Code; and
WHEREAS, on April 18, 2000 the City Council used the below criteria in selecting Steve
Herfert as Mayor and Ben Wong as Mayor Pro Tem for the first terms of office
under the rotational method of reorganization.
THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of West Covina does ordain as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 2-20 of the West Covina Municipal Code had been set aside some time
ago for future use. The codification of the new mayor and mayor pro tem
rotational process will utilize that reserved section and Section 2-21 currently
pertaining to the position of Mayor in the City of West Covina.
SECTION 2. The West Covina Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows:
ARTICLE H. CITY COUNCIL
DIVISION 1. GENERALLY
Sec. 2-20. Mayor, duties.
(a) The mayor, sometimes herein referred to as the "presiding
officer," shall preserve strict order and decorum at all
meetings of the city council. The mayor shall state every
question coming before the'council, announce the decision of
the council on all subjects and decide all questions of order, °
subject, however, to an appeal to the council, in which event
a majority vote of the council members present shall govern
and conclusively determine such question of order. Voting
on all ordinances shall be by roll call vote called by the city
clerk; and the mayor shall be entitled to vote last on all
questions.
(b) The mayor shall be the official head of the city for all
ceremonial purposes, and shall perform all duties imposed
upon the mayor by the laws of the state or by ordinance of
the city. The mayor shall serve in such capacity at the
pleasure of the city council.
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Sec. 2-21. Mayor; selection.
(a) The city council shall conduct its annual reorganization
during its second regularly scheduled meeting of March,
except in odd -numbered years when the reorganization will
occur at the meeting held two weeks following the March
general municipal election.
(b) The initial order of mayoral succession shall be determined
by the length of the current term of incumbency, as defined
by the date of election. When two or more council members
have equal terms of incumbency, the order shall be
determined by the highest number of votes received at their
election to the city council. The first order of rotation is as
follows:
1. Steve Herfert
2. Ben Wong
3. Mike Touhey
4. Richard Melendez
5. Kathy Howard
c) Thereafter, the outgoing mayor's name will rotate to the
bottom of the previous year's mayoral succession list, with
all other names moving up one position, in order that the
outgoing mayor pro tem shall become the new mayor, and
the next council member on the list shall become the new
mayor pro tem.
d) Newly elected council members shall be added to the bottom
of the mayoral succession list, following the outgoing mayor
in that election year's council reorganization. When there are
two or more newly elected council members, the order will
be determined by the person who received the highest
number of votes at the election.
e) Any council member appointed to fill a vacancy shall be
added immediately to the bottom of the mayoral succession
list. In the event the appointment is to fill a vacancy at the
mayor or mayor pro tem's position, all other names on the
succession list shall move up one position.
f) The city council by a minimum of four votes may modify the
mayoral succession list, or remove and replace the mayor or
mayor pro tem at any time.
SECTION 3. That the City Clerk shall certify to the passage of this ordinance and shall cause
the same to be published as required by law.
APPROVED and ADOPTED this 16th day of May,_ 2000.
Attest:
City"Clerk Janet Berry
Mayor Ste e erf t
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STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES) ss.
CITY OF WEST COVINA )
I, JANET BERRY, City Clerk of the City of West Covina, California, do hereby certify
• that the foregoing ordinance was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council on May 2
2000, and that it was duly adopted at a regular meeting held on May 16, 2000, by the following
vote of the Council:
AYES: Howard, Melendez, Touhey, Wong, Herfert
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
City Clerk Janet Berry
Approved as to form:
Interim City Attorney Colin Lennard
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