Torrance City Council Adopts Rules to End Meetings Earlier

Weary of meetings that last until after midnight, the Torrance City Council on Tuesday voted 7 to 0 to adopt new guidelines to limit speakers’ time and conclude council meetings earlier.

People addressing the council will be advised to limit remarks to five minutes. The guidelines also call for expanding the so-called “consent calendar,” which groups some agenda items together for a single vote.

“Every effort will be made to adjourn the council meeting no later than 11:30 p.m.,” say the guidelines, which were drawn up by a council committee chaired by Councilman George Nakano.

“We have had several meetings that went beyond 1 o’clock,” Nakano said Thursday. The starting time for council meetings alternates between 5:30 and 7 p.m.

The guidelines are less stringent than an earlier version proposed by the committee. That version was roundly criticized by Mayor Katy Geissert, who said a proposal to have a police officer announce council rules before meetings began would have set “sort of an ominous tone.”

Geissert also questioned the wisdom of setting a “hard and fast rule” on speaking times, preferring “a certain degree of flexibility and discretion.”

Although Geissert voted for the revised guidelines, she said Thursday that a time limit for speakers would be most appropriate when many people are speaking on the same subject.

“I have to assume that as presiding officer (of the council), I have certain discretion as far as speaking times (go),” she said.