Santa Monica : City Council to Meet Earlier
Responding to complaints that it conducts the public’s business in the middle of the night, the Santa Monica City Council on Tuesday initiated a plan to start their meetings an hour earlier, at 6:30 p.m.
Council members said they hope the earlier start will allow the panel to get routine business out the way so the public hearings can start at 7:30 p.m.
But new Councilman Paul Rosenstein, who has promised to streamline the marathon sessions, said starting earlier is only part of the solution. “Starting earlier is a good idea as long as it still doesn’t end up with late meetings,” he said.
Council meetings routinely run past midnight, sometimes long past midnight. Rosenstein has suggested that council members refrain from lengthy and repetitive inquisitions of staff and the public.
Councilman Kelly Olsen responded that it is not feasible to set such rules for council members. “You can’t say (a council member) only gets to ask one question per item,” Olsen said.
The staff was directed to return with a proposal for the change for a later vote.
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