Item 24 - Councilmember Requested Item to consider Amdending the 2025 City Council Meeting Calendar

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CITY ATTORNEY Sonia R. Carvalho CITY MANAGER Alvaro Nuñez CITY CLERK Jennifer L. Hall 20 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA - P.O. BOX 1988, M31 - SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702 TELEPHONE (714) 647-6900 - FAX (714) 647-6954 - www.santa-ana.org Councilmember-Requested Item Report DATE June 17, 2025 TOPIC Request to Amend 2025 City Council Meeting Calendar to Include a Summer Recess COUNCILMEMBER-REQUESTED ITEM TITLE Discuss and Consider Providing Direction to the City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney to prepare and return to the City Council with a Resolution to Amend the 2025 City Council Meeting Calendar to Provide for a City Council Recess During Either July or August 2025—Specifically by Canceling the Regular Meetings Scheduled for July 1 and 15, 2025, or August 5 and 19, 2025—in Accordance with the City Council Rules and Procedures and the Ralph M. Brown Act. DISCUSSION The City Council Rules and Procedures (Resolution No. 2025-004, Section 2) currently establishes regular City Council meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Section 2(b) of the resolution provides the City Council with the authority to set, cancel, or reschedule any regular meeting by majority vote through a duly adopted resolution, provided that proper notice is given in accordance with applicable law. The Ralph M. Brown Act (Government Code § 54950 et seq.) governs how local legislative bodies conduct public meetings but does not mandate a minimum frequency of meetings. Therefore, a City Council may cancel all regularly scheduled meetings in a given month, provided it takes formal action and ensures proper public notification of the cancellations. A temporary summer recess offers multiple organizational and operational benefits. For Councilmembers, it allows a period for rest, reflection, and strategic planning away from regular legislative duties. For City staff, a recess allows for a brief reprieve from the time-consuming cycle of agenda preparation, report writing, and meeting facilitation— supporting both productivity and morale. It also provides departments an opportunity to focus on longer-term projects or internal priorities that may otherwise be constrained by the recurring City Council meeting schedule. Importantly, a recess also gives the City Manager more time and flexibility to strategically plan and coordinate upcoming agenda items. This promotes better agenda management, allows for cross-departmental collaboration, and helps ensure that items