Documents for 1-25-06 meeting of Agua Dulce Town Council

Draft Suggestions for Archival Policies and Procedures
January 11, 2006 PARKS & TRAIL COMMITTEE REPORT
ADTC Treasurer 1-25-06 Report
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA,
Lorene Cangiano Complaint
Dee Holland Complaint

To 1-25-06 Agenda

TO: Agua Dulce Town Council

FROM: Diane Terito

RE: Draft Suggestions for Archival Policies and Procedures

The purpose of this outline is to begin to layout the Council's policies and procedures for archiving public documents. This is a discussion document, only, and does not reflect the opinions of others. The Council may wish to agendize this issue for detailed discussion in order to further develop and solidify the requirements necessary to both protect and provide access by the public to its records.

ARCHIVAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

q AGUA DULCE TOWN COUNCIL CHARTER

G. TOWN COUNCIL RECORDS:

“All Town Council records shall be maintained in writing by the Town Council, and those records shall be available to the public upon request.”

q AGUA DULCE TOWN COUNCIL BYLAWS

“ARTICLE 6: RULES OF ORDER

The Secretary(s) duties will be in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order, with the following exceptions:

A. The current Council shall decide if they shall have a "Recording Secretary" and a "Corresponding Secretary", or if they shall have only one secretary for the secretary's duties. Duties of the "Recording Secretary" shall be electronically recording the meetings, production of minutes, providing copies of such to the public upon request, and providing the corresponding secretary with copies for official files. The "Corresponding Secretary" will be responsible for producing and posting the Agendas, all written correspondence produced by the Council, maintaining the official records of the Council, and assuring that Agendas are posted in public 3 days prior to all Regular Council meetings.

B. Electronically record all Regular and Special Council meetings and prepare written summaries of all Regular and Special Council meetings. Minutes shall be of a summary nature and shall include date, location, time of meeting start and finish, Council attendees, summary of and reference to committee reports, special speakers, and summary of their remarks where appropriate, and summary of all Council decisions.

C. Maintain protected files of Council electronic records, Council minutes, Committee reports, treasury reports, Election Committee records, and all correspondence.

D. Assure the availability of all records to the Council, to Committee Chairs and to the public while at the same time maintaining the safety of such records for archival purposes.”

q WHO: The ultimate responsibility is given to the (Corresponding) Secretary in the Council Bylaws. However, the Council might wish to consider appointing an “Archivist” to work with the (Corresponding) Secretary.

q ARCHIVIST'S JOB DESCRIPTION - To be determined

MATERIALS TO BE ARCHIVED:

q REQUIRED DOCUMENTS OF PUBLIC INTEREST

m Meeting Agendas

m Meeting Minutes

m Reports - ADTC Members, Election Committee Records (for two years, except financial records), and Committee Reports (including the Election Committee)

m Correspondence Received *

m Correspondence Sent *

m Financial Records, including Committees (7 years)

m Legal Documents (Corporation; Law suit; Administrative processes; etc.)

* See “Handling of Materials”

q OTHER DOCUMENTS

m Historical Documents (i.e., Founding of the ADTC; Major changes in the ADTC such as revisions to the Bylaws and Charter, etc.)

m “Significant” Documents (i.e., EIR (Environmental Impact Report - County), EIS (Environmental Impact Study - Federal), Maps, Published studies on issues impacting the community such as the Lusk Study, etc.)

m DISCRETIONARY DOCUMENTS - Items determined by the Archivist to be of sufficient importance, but which do not fall into one of the categories shown above such as Media Articles on major community issues or events involving the Council

COLLECTION OF MATERIALS:

q INITIAL FORMATION OF THE ARCHIVES

m DOCUMENTS TO BE MADE AVAILABLE: Documents available for the Archives which fall into the above categories.

m FROM: The Community will be advised, and past members of the ADTC will be requested to participate in the document search. Each will be requested to deliver ADTC documents in their possession to the Archivist at no cost to the Council. (Copies may be made by the possessor at their own expense for their own records.)

m MEDIUM: Documents that are in hard copy only may be delivered in hard copy. Documents that are available in electronic medium should be delivered in that manner. Documents are requested to be sorted by year and by category shown above.

m RESPONSIBILITY - The Archivist will not be held responsible for documents that are not delivered to the Archivist by others, or are no longer available through loss or destruction.

q CONTINUATION OF ARCHIVAL PROCESS

m COLLECTION - The (Corresponding) Secretary will collect documents in the above categories throughout his/her term of office, adding to the archives as frequently as is deemed necessary.

m ADTC AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS - Assistance will be provided to the (Corresponding) Secretary in order to insure that the archives compiled for each year will be as complete as possible.

m RESPONSIBILITY - The (Corresponding) Secretary or Archivist will not be held responsible for documents that are not delivered to the (Corresponding) Secretary or Archivist by others, or are no longer available through loss or destruction.

RECOMMENDATION: Purchase of a laptop computer by the ADTC for use by the (Corresponding) Secretary. The laptop will be used exclusively by the current (Corresponding) Secretary successively, year after year, and will form the basis for each year's archives. A backup storage medium will also be used to insure that electronic records will be protected.

HANDLING OF MATERIALS:

q All documents deemed by the (Corresponding) Secretary to be of general public interest, whether in hard copy or electronic media, will be protected by the (Corresponding) Secretary to the best of his/her ability from damage, deterioration, pilferage, and defacement.

q The (Corresponding) Secretary may use his/her discretion as to whether to archive advertisements, and other miscellaneous mail of limited or passing interest or which does not deal with an issue(s) within the purview of the ADTC.

q EMAILS:

m Chain emails may be archived in lieu of each individual email that makes up a chain. The (Corresponding) Secretary must insure, however, that each individual email is shown in the chain.

m Multi page emails which end with a blank page may be abbreviated (blank page dropped), provided that the (Corresponding) Secretary notes on the last printed page that a blank page was dropped.

ORGANIZATION OF MATERIALS:

q Materials will be organized by year, following the format prescribed in these procedures.

q A Secretary's Book will be passed from Secretary to Secretary each year, and shall contain original (where available) hard copies of:

m ADTC Articles of Incorporation;

m Current copy of the ADTC Charter, Bylaws, Community Standards District (CSD) document;

m Contracts entered into by the ADTC (Archive storage, etc.)

m Copy of the list of contents in the Archives, to include both hard copy documents and electronic media.

m Other official, legal or ongoing commitments in writing deemed appropriate by the (Corresponding) Secretary (i.e., Letter from the L.A. County Registrar/Recorder regarding where ADTC elections may be held.)

q A Master Notebook for hard copies will be designated for each year. The book will be appropriately tabbed to show the sections of the book (i.e., “Agendas”, “Minutes”, etc.) The size of the binder for the Master Book (2”, 6”, etc.) will be determined based on the quantity of materials

m The first page of each year's Master Notebook will be a “sign in” page. Each person accessing the Archived materials in the Master Book will be required to sign into each Book that he/she wishes to review.

m The second section will be a table of contents for the year, to include archived materials stored elsewhere (i.e., electronic document media that cannot be stored in a non-air conditioned storage unit.)

m The remaining sections will be organized in order as shown on Page 2 (Materials to be Archived).

m Hard copies of documents and/or maps that can not fit into the Master Book will be clearly marked as to year and contents and placed in the filing cabinet or in another designated spot in the storage container (i.e., separate binders on the Cemex issue). A sign in sheet will be used for each area of stored materials (i.e., map area; Cemex binders)

STORAGE OF MATERIALS:

q METHOD:

m The method of storage for the various archived documents will be discussed and voted upon by the ADTC annually based on the recommendation of the (Corresponding) Secretary.

m All documents will be provided in a hard copy format to the Archives in order to facilitate viewing by interested members of the public. The documents will be stored in an appropriate container that will allow ease of access, while protecting them from damage.

m Those documents available in electronic format will be stored in an appropriate place that will avoid damage from dust and heat. At the discretion of the (Corresponding) Secretary, an electronic copy of the electronic archival materials may be kept in his/her home for the period of the ADTC term in which he/she serves in order to more easily facilitate records searches. However, the electronic records must not be tampered with and must be relinquished to the next (Corresponding) Secretary within two (2) weeks of the transition.

m The (Corresponding) Secretary will be responsible for reminding the ADTC Treasurer of any monthly fee to be paid for storage space, whether for hard copy or electronic media.

q DESTRUCTION OF DOCUMENTS:

m WHAT

m WHEN

m WHY

m HOW

ACCESS TO AND RELEASE OF MATERIALS:

q ACCESS:

m The (Corresponding) Secretary will have access to all materials, and will be responsible for all record searches. No one may have access to the Council Archives or make copies unless approved by the (Corresponding) Secretary for each visit.

m There will be a maximum of three (3) people who are authorized to enter, search and remove documents for copying. These three (3) people may have the combination or key to any lock. In addition to the (Corresponding) Secretary, the ADTC President, and one Archivist appointed by the (Corresponding) Secretary with the approval of a majority of the ADTC may have the combination or key. Prior permission from the (Corresponding) Secretary is necessary for every visit.

m The general public will not have access to the Archives storage units. Only authorized persons with keys or combinations may access the Archives storage units.

q DOCUMENT CONTROL:

m The (Corresponding) Secretary must have a letter requesting copies of Council documents to be provided from the applicant, as required in the California Public Records Act (CPRA)

m The authorized person(s) will complete a records search and advise the (Corresponding) Secretary of the need to remove a document(s) for reproduction.

m An accurate entry in a log book maintained in the storage unit(s) must be made, detailing each document removed; the date & time removed and to be returned; the person removing the document(s), including contact information; and the purpose. A colored sheet of paper must be inserted wherever a document is removed in order to insure that each document is replaced in its proper spot.

CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RECORDS ACT (PRA) REQUESTS:

q Public Records Act Requirements

q Arrangements for Public Review of Documents

q Request Form for Copies of Council Documents

q Processing of Requests

q Fee Structure

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January 11, 2006 PARKS & TRAIL COMMITTEE REPORT

The Acton/Agua Dulce Trails Council is looking to expand their membership base. The core group has been primarily equestrians. They would like to extend membership to hikers and residents committed to trail preservation and the rural lifestyle. Meetings are the second Monday of every month at 7:00 P.M. at the Pizza Place in Acton.

The backbone trail system for Santa Clarita Valley that was presented to the ADTC in October of 2005 is to be presented by Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department to the Regional Planning Commission sometime in February or March of this year. The Trails Council is looking for supporters of the trails to be in attendance at the hearing. Details of the hearing date and time will be forwarded as soon as a date is scheduled.

As Parks & Trails Committee Chair, I propose to have Council approval to speak at the hearing to let the RP Commission know that the ADTC is supportive of the proposed trails system. After RPC approval, the trail system will go before the Board of Supervisors for approval. RPC agendas are posted 7 days prior to the meeting. The meeting may fall during a time where the ADTC is not scheduled to meet. I move that the Council have a representative speak at the appropriate RPC meeting regarding the backbone trail system indicating the ADTC is fully supportive of the proposed trail system. A letter from the ADTC was sent to the LA County Parks Department indicating our support.

The Trails Council also wanted an update on the status of the Trails Standards presented at the same meeting in October. They wanted to know if the Standards had been included in the Agua Dulce CSD. I reported that the Council had forwarded the Standards to the CSD Committee for review and possible incorporation into the current CSD under revision. (As a Council we need to make a determination on the status of the existing CSD Committee and its direction.)

Darrell Readmond On December 24, 2005, we lost a good friend and former ADTC member, Darrell Readmond. An advocate for the preservation of trails, Darrell served on the ADTC for four terms: 1993-94, 1999-2000, 2001-2002, and 2003-2004. He was also active with Acton/Agua Dulce Trails Council. When Supervisor Antonovich created his first Trail Dusters Ride in 1994, it was Darrell who served as Trail Boss. He went on to lead many other trails rides.

On November 20, 2005, the Acton/Agua Dulce Trails Council hosted the dedication ceremony of the “Darrell Readmond Trail.” The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on November 8, 2005 dedicating a portion of the Backbone Trail in Darrell's name. About 14 miles of trail are included from the bridal path at the entrance to Vasquez Rocks Natural Area, north along Agua Dulce Canyon Road to Sierra Highway, then east on Sierra Highway to Crown Valley Road in Acton and finally south to the new Acton Park. This portion of the trail passes by Darrell's home on Sierra Highway.

Darrell was unable to attend the dedication due to poor health, but his family members accepted the honors along with certificates of appreciation from numerous organizations on his behalf. On Saturday, January 7, 2006, a memorial service was held for Darrell at Vasquez Rocks. The service was attended by over 200 of Darrell's family, friends, acquaintances, and riding partners.

Darrell lived the lifestyle he advocated. He loved horses, open space, trail riding and camping in the Sierras. The Agua Dulce Cowboy, Darrell Readmond, will have his legacy remembered when hikers and horseback rides trek along his trail.

Respectfully submitted, Mary Johnson Parks & Trails Committee Chair

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ADTC Treasurer 1-25-06 Report

Kudija Fees and Balance due

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RESOLUTION NO. 03-22

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING COUNCIL NORMS AND PROCEDURES FOR COUNCIL MEETINGS AND RELATED FUNCTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

WHEREAS, it is the intent and desire of the City Council to conduct its business in an orderly and fair manner; and

WHEREAS, there are certain basic rights of due process and opportunity to address issues with equity, fairness, and equal protection of the law, and

WHEREAS, certain parliamentary procedures have been found to be useful in order to assure that the communication and process of government are fair, reasonable, and just; and

WHEREAS, the City has a duty to proceed with the business of government in an efficient and orderly fashion; and

WHEREAS, the City Council desires to establish uniform norms and procedures in order to accomplish these goals.

WHEREAS, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 00-134 on October 24, 2000 adopting norms and procedures, and now desires to update that resolution.

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita does hereby resolve as follows:

SECTION 1. Act in the Public Interest

A. City Council and staff shall recognize that stewardship of the public interest must be the primary concern.

B. City Council will work for the common good of the people of Santa Clarita.

C. City Council will assure fair and equal treatment of all persons, claims and transactions coming before the City Council and Commissions.

SECTION 2. Advocacy

A. Council shall represent the official policies or positions of the City Council when designated as delegates for this purpose.

B. When representing their individual opinions and positions, Council shall explicitly state they do not represent the City Council of the City, nor will they allow the inference that they do.

SECTION 3. Role of the Mayor A. Authority of the Chair

1. The Mayor, subject to the appeal of the full Council, shall have the authority to streamline the business of the Council by either seeking clarification of motions which appear to be out of order or by ruling any such motions out of order. In so ruling, the Mayor shall be courteous and fair and should presume that the moving party is acting in good faith.

2. The Mayor's position is as a leader among equals; the City Manager goes to the Mayor, as the representative leader of the Council.

B. Mayor to Facilitate Council Meetings

1. The Mayor is the presiding officer at all City Council meetings. In the Mayors absence, the Mayor Pro Tem shall be the presiding officer.

2. All questions and remarks shall be addressed to the Mayor.

3. The Mayor shall decide all questions of order, subject however, to an appeal to the Council.

4. The Mayor shall recognize the Councilmembers, staff, and citizens desiring to speak.

5. The Mayor will allow other Councilmembers to speak first on items before the Council and then will state his/her summary.

6. The Mayor shall not permit unauthorized remarks from the audience including applause, stamping of feet, whistles, yells or shouting, and/or similar demonstrations.

7. The Mayor shall designate a time limit for public comment. Upon expiration of that time, the Mayor shall inform the citizen that his or her time has expired and promptly move on to the next speaker or issue on the agenda.

8. The Mayor may call for a short recess in a Council meeting when deemed necessary. If a speaker becomes abusive, boisterous, or discourteous an immediate declaration may be made by the Mayor that the Council is in recess. Upon reconvening the meeting, if the prior speaker attempts to resume he or she can either be informed that his or her three (3) minute speaking opportunity has expired or be allowed to complete the balance of the three (3) minute speaking opportunity.

9. The Mayor shall manage the agenda in a manner that adheres to the City Council Adjournment Policy; all City Council meetings should adjourn by 11:00 p.m.

10. The Mayor will represent the City and the majority opinion of the Council on all actions/positions taken by the Council.

SECTION 4. Role of the City Council

A. Council Conduct in General

1. Councilmembers shall treat everyone with courtesy.

2. Inappropriate behavior is derogatory and damages the perception of the City.

3. While the Council is in session the Councilmembers and City staff shall preserve strict order and decorum. No Councilmember shall delay or interrupt the proceedings of the Council or interrupt any member while speaking.

4. Councilmembers should give a signal to the Mayor to indicate they want to speak, Mayor will acknowledge them before they begin speaking.

5. Any Councilmember shall have the right to express dissent from, or protest to, or comment upon, any action of the Council and have the option to enter the reason into the minutes, such as, "I would like the minutes to show that I am opposed to this action for the following reasons..."

6. Once a vote is taken on an issue, Councilmembers will support the law made by the Council. If a Councilmember wants it to be reconsidered he/she will inform Council. When possible, the Council should attempt to reach consensus on an issue. When this is not possible, the majority vote shall prevail. However, the Council shall respect the opinion of the minority.

7. Council shall publicly share substantive information, which they may have received from sources outside the public decision-making process that is relevant to a matter under consideration by the Council and commissions.

8. When a rumor is involved, it is that Councilmember's responsibility to not validate the rumor or repeat it to others. Assess the rumor by addressing the person the rumor involves. If a rumor affects the City then the issue should be brought to the attention of the Mayor and the City Manager.

9. Allow for everyone's opinion to be heard and respected, even if they do not win the vote or prevail on the issue. Strive for a win-win situation by respecting diverse opinions.

10. Councilmembers will allow room for dialogue. When discussing an agenda item, Council will allow the opportunity to dialogue with each other to build consensus on an item.

11. Any member of the Council may move to require the Mayor to enforce the rules and an affirmative vote of a majority of Councilmembers present shall be required to do so.

B. Council Conduct with One Another

1. Council will value each other's time.

2. All Councilmembers have the opportunity to speak and agree to disagree.

3. Council will avoid negative comments that could offend other Councilmembers during public meetings, in the press, or any other time.

4. Council will practice civility and decorum in discussions and debate.

5. Council will honor the role of the Mayor in maintaining order. C. Council Conduct with Staff

1. Councilmembers should always feel free to speak directly with the City Manager on matters of interest or concern to them.

2. Council shall respect and adhere to the City's form of government, which is a general-law City operating under a Council-Manager form of government, with the City Council acting as the legislative body of the City. Council is the visionary policy maker, staff is responsible for implementation of Council policies.

3. Council directs the City Manager to implement Council policy decisions through the administrative functions of the City.

4. City Council shall treat staff professionally.

5. City Council shall not publicly criticize an individual employee.

6. City Council shall not get involved in administrative functions.

7. When possible, Council shall seek answers to questions on an item on the agenda, from the City Manager or Department Head prior to the meeting.

8. Councilmembers will not get involved in personnel issues except during a closed session where personnel issues may be discussed. This includes hiring, firing, promoting, disciplining, and all other forms of personnel matters.

9. If a Councilmember is unhappy about a department or an employee he/she may discuss the situation with the City Manager or Assistant City Manager, not the Department Head.

D. Council Conduct with the Public

1. Council will make the public feel welcome.

2. Council shall not be partial, prejudiced or disrespectful toward the public.

3. Council should not make snappy, sarcastic comments to the public or to each other.

4. Council shall treat members of the public equally i.e. refer to citizens by surnames.

5. Councilmembers shall make no promises to the public on behalf of the City Council.

6. Council shall not debate issues with members of the public.

7. Council shall listen courteously and attentively to all public comments before the Council.

E. Council Conduct with Other Agencies

1. Council shall be clear about representing the City or personal interests to members of other agencies.

2. Council shall project a positive image of the City when dealing with other agencies.

3. Individual Councilmembers can lobby or discuss with other legislators, government officials or developers issues that have been adopted by the Council or are Council policy; they should not represent themselves as the City if it is only an individual issue.

4. City Council shall show tolerance and respect for other agencies' opinions and issues and agree to disagree with them when necessary.

F. Council Conduct with Commissions

1. The Mayor works through the commission chairs.

2. Council shall treat all members of the Commissions with appreciation and respect.

3. Commissioners or Committee members may address the Council on items discussed by their respective bodies but this should be limited to the chair or a representative which has been appointed by the Commission or Committee and should be done only when asked by the majority of the Commission or Committee. This will not take precedence over any individual's first amendment right to address the Council as an individual.

G. Council Conduct with the Media

1. Council shall never go "off the record" (discuss inside information) when dealing with the media. Providing background information is acceptable.

2. Council shall select words carefully and cautiously. H. Obtaining the Floor

1. Any member of the Council wishing to speak must first obtain the floor by being recognized by the Mayor. The Mayor must recognize any Councilmember who seeks the floor when appropriately entitled to do so.

2. With the concurrence of the Mayor, a Councilmember holding the floor may address a question to another Councilmember and that Councilmember may respond while the floor is still held by the Councilmember asking the question. A Councilmember may opt not to answer a question while another Councilmember has the floor.

3. Once recognized by the Mayor, a Councilmember shall not be interrupted while speaking, unless called to order by the Mayor, or unless another Councilmember raises a point of order or personal privilege. If a Councilmember, while speaking, is called to order, they shall cease speaking until the question of order is determined and, if determined to be in order, may proceed.

SECTION 5. Role of City Staff

A. City staff will provide written analysis and information on all agenda items prior to the meetings. Additionally, a copy of the materials, including technical reports will be available to the public.

B. Staff will be available to answer questions of the Council prior to and during Council meetings.

C. Staff will respond to questions from the public during City Council meetings when requested to do so by the City Manager.

D. Staff will not debate issues with the public or the Council.

E. During City Council meetings, staff shall turn off or switch any electronic equipment such as pagers and cellular telephones to a silent mode.

F. Councilmembers and staff who participate in meetings with outsiders should be apprised of any follow up correspondence to that party, particularly if there is some controversy; City Manager and all Councilmembers should get copied on all correspondence.

G. Staff will remain objective on issues. Staff should not be an advocate for issues unless so directed by Council. Rather, they should promote or assist the efforts of Council.

H. Staff will inform Council as soon as possible of upcoming issues, particularly issues that will impact the City significantly and may be coming before Council on short notice.

I. If only one or two Councilmembers feel something is controversial or a "hot" issue and it may be coming before the Council, the City Manager will inform the Mayor about the issue. It is up to the Mayor to inform the members of the Council who might be interested.

J. City Manager will advise management to become more aware of, and sensitive to potentially political or controversial issues coming before the Council.

K. City staff will implement all Council policies as directed by the City Manager; staff will not implement any actions for the City without prior approval of City Council and City Manager.

SECTION 6. Role of the Public

A. Members of the public attending the Council meetings shall observe the same rules and decorum applicable to the Council and staff.

B. Members of the public wishing to speak during the public participation portion of the City Council meeting shall prepare a presentation of not more than three (3) minutes. Public participation speaker's slips must be submitted to the City Clerk before this portion of the meeting begins. Members of the public wishing to address an item on the agenda during a City Council meeting, should fill out a speaker's slip and submit it to the City Clerk before the Mayor announces the item. Each person addressing the City Council is given three (3) minutes to speak indicated by a colored light system on the Council dais; a green light appears when the speaker begins; a yellow light appears when 30 seconds remain and a red light appears when time has expired. Comments should be complete at this time.

C. All speakers must approach the podium when recognized by the Mayor. Members of the public shall only speak from the podium. Applause, stamping of feet, whistles, yells or shouting, and/or similar demonstrations are unacceptable public behavior.

D. Members of the public shall not make any impertinent and slanderous remarks, or become boisterous while addressing the Council or while attending the Council meeting in a manner that impedes the City Council to conduct an orderly meeting.

E. Members of the public shall turn off or switch any electronic equipment such as pagers and cellular telephones to a silent mode while attending a City Council meeting.

F. Members of the public shall not approach individual City Councilmembers while the meeting is in progress.

G. If a member of the public desires to provide written materials (10 copies recommended) to the Council, all such materials shall be given directly to the City Clerk. At no time shall the public provide the materials directly to members of the Council.

SECTION 7. Council Requests

A. All Council requests dealing with policy issues and those requests which may be construed as direction go through the City Manager, except for general inquiries or questions in which cases Council may go to the Department Heads or key staff. Council should not direct employees.

B. Any request from City Council requiring financing must go through the City Manager.

SECTION 8. Presentations and Events

A. Councilmember presentations during a Council meeting are limited to the item or issue being deliberated. To insure that the appropriate presentation equipment is available, Councilmembers must provide the City Clerk advance notice of the intent to make a presentation.

B. When there is an accomplishment by a Councilmember, it is appropriate for them to be at the opening, groundbreaking, ribbon cutting, etc., to accept the recognition and acknowledgment along with the City staff that worked on the project. All Councilmembers will be informed of events, activities, groundbreakings, etc., and given the opportunity to attend; if it is a major event and if it is a Citywide accomplishment, particularly those that are positive and acknowledge the City's efforts, all Councilmembers will be invited to be present.

C. When invitations to openings are printed and City accomplishments are announced on the invitation, all Councilmembers will have the opportunity to review the invitations before printing to insure all accomplishments are included.

D. The Mayor, City Manager, and each Councilmember may present a segment of the City's Annual State of the City Address, taking 4-5 minutes each; the presentations will be in their own style - Power Point, lecture, etc.

E. During public presentations, the Mayor, and, if the Mayor deems appropriate, a Councilmember who was highly involved in the project will represent the City; however, all Councilmembers will be consulted prior to the presentation.

SECTION 9. Council Agenda

A. Any Councilmember or the Mayor can put items on the agenda.

B. Either staff or Council can present agenda topics.

C. The City Manager will try to research ahead of time any controversial agenda item, what the issues might be, and try to avoid any "surprise" conflicts. In a democratic process it should be recognized that sometimes this is unavoidable.

D. Staff will flag agenda priorities in the council packets for the Council.

E. Council will be given sufficient lead and preparation time for reviewing agendas.

SECTION 10. Public Correspondence

A. City letterhead with all Councilmember names will be used for responses to policy issues.

B. City letterhead with City seal only, will be utilized by individual Councilmembers for responses to constituent letters, so long as it is not a policy issue, or as long as the Councilmember indicates it is his/her opinion, not the policy of the Council.

C. Councilmembers should respond to an e-mail inquiry if they are comfortable with the Council's policy and stand on the issue; if not, refer it to the City Manager.

D. Councilmembers will forward e-mails correspondence, and phone calls and their responses to the Council secretary who will monitor responses and track the request, suggestion, issue, etc.

SECTION 11. Closed Session Confidentiality

A. All proper matters discussed during closed sessions shall be private and confidential, and the disclosure by any person of the topics or details of such matters is expressly prohibited.

B. Notes in closed session shall not be taken; however, if a Councilmember feels it is necessary, then only cursory notes should be permitted. All closed session information, verbal or written, is confidential and private.

SECTION 12. Compliance and Enforcement

A. Councilmembers have the primary responsibility to assure that ethical standards are understood and met by the Council, and that the public can continue to have full confidence in the integrity of government.

B. The Mayor and the Council have the responsibility to intervene when actions of members are in violation of the standard norms and procedures.

SECTION 13. Administration

A. The Council will review and revise the City Council norms and procedures as needed or every two (2) years.

B. During City Council discussions, deliberations, and proceedings, the Mayor has been designated with the primary responsibility to insure that the City Council, staff and members of the public adhere to the Council's norms and procedures.

SECTION 14. Resolution No. 00-134 is hereby rescinded.

SECTION 15. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this resolution. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 11th day of February, 2003.

STATE OF CALIFORNIA )

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES )as.

CITY OF SANTA CLARITA )

I, Sharon L. Dawson, CMC, City Clerk of the City of Santa Clarita, do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita at a regular meeting thereof, held on the 11th day of February, 2003 by the following vote:

AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Ferry, McLean, Kellar, Weste, Smyth

NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None

CITY CLERK

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Lorene Cangiano Complaint

Mr. Andy Fried, Town Council President Below are more results from the indiscretion of a Town Council member who forwarded my e-mail to the world. I formally request a Conduct Hearing from the Town Council to investigate the violation of the Town Council Code of Conduct, Article 9. 5 wherein it states that "Council Members shall not make statements which distort the position of the Council, or other Council Members or which undermine the effectiveness of the Council. The tone and demeanor of all communications by council member shall reflect a professional manner. Council shall not engage in conversations or activities that discredit or create disrespect for the council or its committees."

Consider this my signed and written complaint alleging the violations, and I would like to have this addressed at the next council meeting.

Some evidence has already been provided by forwarding this and the previous e-mail correspondence and further evidence may be provided only under the strictest confidence.

Lorene Cangiano

And here is the Hall E-mail she is complaining about

Dear Folks, I am speaking as a private citizen who is both worried and insulted regarding ongoing behavior at the Agua Dulce Town Council meetings. I feel strongly that, as a community, we need to respect and listen to the opinions of all. As a Council member I have tried to act in a respectful manner towards all persons, including those with whom I disagree.

At the last Council meeting, as at many others, behavior among a small contingent of audience members was so egregiously inappropriate that I requested the President consider cancelling the remainder of the meeting. I was particularly disturbed that Mr. David Aiello, who usually sits in close proximity to the Cangiano family, called out to me several times and told me to "shut up".

This is the same conduct that I witnessed as an audience member on numerous occasions over the last three years. Furthermore, I am extremely concerned that women have been physically and verbally accosted on a number of occasions by members of the same small group of angry individuals.

I am concerned that at some point, someone will be physically or verbally assaulted to the point that legal actions must take place.

As a community member I hope that we can find a way to exist in a state of mutual respect, despite our political and philosophical differences. Mature adults may disagree but are able to look beyond their differences to their mutual humanity; love of family, concern for their children, love of God, community, and country. Somehow, we need to find our common ground.

Respectfully, Ramona Hall Citizen of Agua Dulce

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Dee Holland Complaint

To: Andy Fried, President 11-20-2005 Agua Dulce Town Council cc - all current and incoming Council members Agua Dulce Town Council Election Committee Chairperson

Ten days before the referenced election, Park Overall notified me, she had been informed by a volunteer for the local State Election site, that the Town Council Election would be violating California Election Codes if held within 100 feet of the upcoming State Election Polling site. This information had been discussed at a recent training session, for polling volunteers sponsored by the Registrars office at the Sand Canyon Library.

I called Millie Jones and requested her to put me in contact with someone in the Registrars office. I was contacted on Saturday, 10-29-05, by Debra Wright, Executive Liaison Officer, Registrar-Recorder's office. She confirmed that the 100 ft rule was did apply to the Town Council Election. I requested her to confirm our conversation with an official letter from her office. (see attached)

In a conversation with Dee Holland on that Saturday, 10-29-05, I was informed there was a letter from Conny McCormack granting permission for Town Councils to conduct Elections in the same area as National and State Elections but Dee did not have a copy of the letter, nor did she klnow where to obtain a copy. She, also, was not interested in discussing my conversation with Debra Wright.

I contacted Debra Wright, told her a letter from her office, had been issued regarding this matter and, please, determine if Town Council Elections were exempt from the 100 ft code. Ms. Wright contacted me Monday,10-31-05, and stated there were no exemptions, their file for Agua Dulce contained no letter and she requested we honor the 100 ft code.

Dee Holland was unavailable for consultation and when I finally contacted her on Wednesday, 11-2-05, she REFUSED to discuss the issue. Please see Timeline for this date Park Overall and I were receiving more and more phone calls and e-mails from citizens who were very concerned over this matter.

On Wednesday night, 11-2-05, Dee Holland announced ( via e-mail) the Candidate Form was to be held at the Agua Dulce Airport's Pilot's Lounge. This resulted in the refusal of three of the six candidates to participate because of the location. There was considerable public protest to the choice of the location. Dee Holland was cc'd on all of these e-mails and continued with the plan to have the forum, in spite of all the public objections and the absence of 50 % of the candidates.

Because of continued public pressure, Park Overall, Ana Flath, Jim Jennings and myself as members of the Election Committee, called for a Special Meeting, on Sunday, 11-6-05, to discuss (a) - the polling site for the Town Council Election, (b) - the location of the Candidate Forum. It was noticed per all rules of the Brown Act with a majority of the Election Committee calling the meeting.

Dee Holland contacted Carol Jones and Susan Hall, Board Members of the Women's Club, stating I was not a member of the Election Committee and this was an illegal meeting. She stated that I was attempting to “take over “ the Election Committee and she demanded they not allow the meeting to be held at the Womens Club. A Women's Club Board discussed the situation and opted to allow the use of the building.

When the 6 members of the Election Committee met, Sunday morning, 11-6-05, in attendance were several of the Plaintiffs who had sued the Town Council, including Council Members Mary Johnson and Eric Harnett. Present was Councilman Mark Flath, waiting for his wife Ana, who is on the Committee. Also, in attendance, was Dave and Sally McCord, Wayne Spears, Carlo Basail, Nan Martin and several people I did not know. Mark Holland taped the meeting.

The meeting began with Dave and Sally McCord sitting with the Committee members, when everyone else sat away from the area of the Committee. I requested the Chairperson to request the audience to sit away from the Committee area. Dee Holland ignored my request and Dave McCord demanded to know who “ died and left me in charge? “

Mr. McCord then pointed a finger at Ana Flath, myself and Park Overall, stating to each of us that we would not tell HIM what to do. His attitude and behavior was allowed to continue by the Chairperson, which eventually resulted in a very unpleasant verbal exchange between Park Overall and Mr. McCord.

During the discussion of the location of the Candidate Forum, when the statement was made that three of the CANDIDATES refused to attend because the Forum was on Airport property, Mr. McCord screamed at certain members of the Committee, stating,” listen to yourselves - you are suppose to be unbiased and impartial.” The issue was the Candidates refused to participate in the forum but Mr. McCord viewed it as the Election Committee objected because of the location. Mr. McCord continued to scream at Committee Members without any interference from the Chairperson.

Not only was the entire audience allowed to participate in Committee Business discussions, the Chair stated that a 3 minute rule could not be enforced and all audience members could talk at length as many times as they wished. This, however, was not held up by a vote of the Committee. The audience became increasingly hostile with no discouragement from the Chairperson. I, personally, was threatened with a lawsuit from Lorene Cangiano, stating, if the location of the polling site was moved by anyone, I ( would be held responsible, by her, and she intended to sue me. It was, also, decided by some members of the audience that I did not have the authority to contact the Registrar's Office, to obtain any information concerning holding a legal Election.

Dee Holland produced a letter from Conny McCormack ( see attached ) to justify not moving the polling site. This letter was written in reference to the Castaic Town Council Elections and is dated October 2000, well before lawsuits and Brown Act requirements.

Certain Town Council Members, were actively involved in the discussion and recommendations related to Committee issues on the agenda. The result of the meeting was

( a ) - to remain at the present polling site with a contingency plan ready if a Representative from the Registrar's office either requested movement or moved the polling site to another location. The Committee meeting minutes would reflect that the decision to remain within 100 ft of the State Polling area was the Chairpersons.

(b) - the Committee Minutes would reflect that the Candidate Forum at the Airport was a privately held forum and not endorsed or sponsored by the Election Committee.

During Election Day, 11-8-05, at 6:50 a.m., Dee Holland was instructed by Carl Drechsler , Volunteer Inspector for the Registrar's Office at the Election site , NOT to set up the Town Council Election inside the Church but to set up in the rooms at the west end of the property, 100 ft from the State Election Polling site.

The request was flatly refused by Dee Holland and Sally McCord and they set up inside the Church. At the Polling place, I witnessed an excessive number of hand picked volunteers by the Chairperson, crowded at the voter registration table, making too much noise - laughing, talking, calling to people who had entered the area to vote, when they had been requested by the polling site official to keep the noise to a minimum.

I witnessed one volunteer -- while seated at the voter registration table - talking on their cell phone and leaving a message for a friend to return to the polling place to vote for the Town Council Election, electioneering at a polling place in its' purest form. The Committee Chairperson was present for all violations and said and/or did nothing to correct the situations. The Town Council polling area was too crowded and I witnessed on two occasions, confused voters attempting to deposit State Ballots in the Town Council Ballot Box. It was reported to Trish Brewer ( Hardware Store ) that several voters had voted the State Election but had not seen the Town Council Election area.

The Voter Registration area and the Voting tables for the Town Council Election were deliberately crowded into the back area of the room by the State Inspector.

Please consider this letter a formal complaint against the Election Committee Chairperson, Dee Holland, for the following:

1 - failure to adhere to the decisions of her committee,

2 - failure to maintain an unbiased and impartial election environment for her committee and the election timeline events,

3 - failure to maintain a line of communication with all of her committee

4 - failure to schedule a Candidate Forum before the election, per Article 12, E - 3

5 - deliberate interference and attempt to cancel a duly noticed meeting of the Committee

6 - deliberate attempt to sabotage a duly noticed meeting of the Election Committee by issuing an invitation to select members of the Community with the purpose of disrupting said meeting

7 - deliberately making false statements to certain Board Members of the Women's Club to slander an Officer of her Committee

8 - misquoting the Brown Act in an attempt to allow members of the audience to speak longer than 3 minutes for the purpose of disrupting noticed meeting of 11-6-05

9 - failure to satisfactorily address concerns of the Community and the Committee on issues concerning the Election and the Candidate Forum which resulted in a Special Election Committee Meeting being called

10 - failure to satisfactorily address the issue of the location of the Candidate Forum when 50% of the candidates refused to attend because of the location

11 - violation of postal codes by leaving absentee ballot packets in official mail boxes

12 - violation of Brown Act by improper notice of meeting for the counting of provisional ballots. Note - the Town Council Secretary had to correct public notice because Election Committee Chairperson did not respond to phone messages.

13 - refusal to respond to e-mails from her committee concerning pertinent information needed to complete Committee Meeting minutes

14 - refusal to respond to e-mails from the Committee Treasurer concerning the checking account and location of the Election Committee's newly printed checks In an honest attempt to ascertain the correct way to conduct the Town Council Election without violating any California Election Codes:

A - I was accused of trying to take over the Election Committee by Dee Holland and her followers,

B - in moving the polling place 100 ft -- I was accused of “ yet another move to control the election” by Eric Harnett,

C - I was questioned on why I felt I had the authority to contact the Registrars office on this matter by Lorene Cangiano

D - threatened with a lawsuit by Lorene Cangiano. Name calling, insults and rude behavior toward citizens of this Community, who unselfishly volunteer their time, leaves a path of bitterness, and destruction felt by everyone exposed to its viciousness.

Using the term COWARDS toward other members of this Community is ludicrous -- when the “targets” are a retired Sheriff with 30 years service and a recipient of the Medal of Valor by his Department; a Captain of an L.A. City Fire Station who is responsible for the safety of his crew and is directly responsible for hundreds of lives being saved during his career; a former member of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, and a local businessman; a professional business woman, wife, mother and Community volunteer.

A group of people recently sued the Town Council for operating outside the Brown Act and won their case. Society has a choice to either operate the legal way or operate the illegal way. However, issues that are not clearly defined by laws and codes fall into a grey area.

Because the Calif. Election Codes do not specifically state that Town Council Elections can OR cannot be held within 100 ft of a National or State Election, this issue falls into this grey area. Generally, law abiding people will chose the legal area to avoid problems. The attitude that - we've always done Elections this way, is no longer acceptable. To assume a letter from the Registrar's office, that is five years old, pertaining to another town, grants an exemption for Agua Dulce Town Council Elections is, also, not acceptable.

The Registrar's office issued a letter, dated November 1, 2005, (7) requesting us to honor the 100 ft distance rule for the Town Council Election. This request was ignored by the Election Committee Chairperson, Dee Holland, and when asked by the local Inspector of the Registrar's office, to not set up inside the Church, she refused.

The behavior of this Committee Chairperson is an embarrassment to this Town Council. For the reasons stated, please accept this letter as a formal complaint, against Election Committee Chairperson - Dee Holland filed by four members of the Election Committee. We are requesting this complaint follow the guidelines of Article 10 and Article 11 of the current Agua Dulce Town Council By-laws.

We are respectfully requesting the position of Election Committee Chairperson no longer be available to Dee Holland. Please review the timeline attached. It will clearly show that I ( Kaye Kirkwood) made adequate attempts to consult with Dee Holland over the Election site issue.

NOTE: A copy of this document with original signatures was delivered to Andy Fried, Agua Dulce Town Council President on Sunday 11-20-05 Thank you Kaye Kirkwood -- Treasurer of the Town Council Election Committee Park Overall -- Secretary of Town Council Election Committee Ana Flath -- Election Committee Member Jim Jennings -- Election Committee Member

TIMELINE - Election Committee

Saturday 10-22-05 Penny Furstnow contacted Park Overall Sunday 10-23-05 Park called Kaye Kirkwood - stated if Town council Election is within 100 feet of State Election it is in violation of State Election Codes Thursday 10-27-05 Park called Kaye Kirkwood - stated (again) people were concerned about a statement made at an instruction class for poll workers. If the Town Council Election is held within 100 feet of State Election, it is in violation of CA Election Codes Thursday

Monday 10-31-05 Spoke with Debra Wright - she could not find a letter and again ask for the 100 feet rule to be honored. I ask her to send me a letter stating her position and would make plans to move the Election site 100 feet from the State Election area. Letter was e-mailed and faxed.

Monday 10-31-05 Dee Holland's son had a medical procedure preformed on his heart Tuesday 11-1-05 a.m. sent an e-mail to Dee Holland asking her to call me ( no response )

Tuesday 11-1-05 p.m. called and left a message on her answer machine to call me ( no response )

Wednesday 11-2-05 I called Warren Arey at the Church and he showed me the two areas where the Town Council Elections could be held that were outside the 100 feet rule Wednesday 11 -2-05 Dee Holland called around 10:35 am to meet her at the mail box. When she arrived, I tried to show her the letter from the Registrar's office and talk to her about this matter. She absolutely refused to talk to me, grabbed the letter out of my hand and threw it in her car, got into the car and slammed the car door in my face and drove off while I was trying to talk to her. Also, a female passenger had rolled down her window and was screaming at me, ordering me to " back off “.

Wednesday 11-2-05 10:38 p.m. e-mail from Dee Holland stating an Election Candidate Forum would be held at the Agua Dulce's Airport Pilot Lounge.

Thursday 11-3-05 E-mails from Dee Holland stating she had spent all day Wednesday talking with Debra Wright and straightening out my “mischief” and Debra had agreed, if the Town Council Election set up as far away as possible from the State tables and did not create a distraction, then it would be acceptable. Ms. Wright made it clear that an inspector would be sent immediately, and the polling place moved if there were any complaints. In a conversation with Park Overall, Debra Wright stated Dee Holland had held her “hostage” on the phone and REFUSED to hang-up until she got what she wanted. Ms. Wright was too busy to play this game so she consented.

Thursday 11-3- 05 e-mails from community members began arriving demanding something be done. Location of the Candidate Forum was unacceptable, then two candidates sent notice that they would not attend the forum if held on airport property. Dee Holland received all these e-mails and made no comment on any of them.

Friday 11-4-05 because Park Overall and I continued to receive Community e-mails demanding something be done, a Special Election Committee Meeting was called by Ana Flath, Jim Jennings, Park Overall and Kaye Kirkwood to discuss the mentioned issues.

Friday 11-4-05 p.m. I posted notices for a Special Meeting on Sunday , 11-6-05 @ 9:00 am Sunday 11-6-05 a.m.

Special Election Committee Meeting held at Women's Club @ 9:00 a.m.

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