LA County Board

5.\nStrengthening the Transparent Policymaking Process: Enhancing the\nReview of Substantive Policy Motions at County Cluster Meetings\nRecommendation as submitted by Supervisor Mitchell: Instruct the Executive\nOfficer of the Board, in consultation with County Counsel, to revise Section\n22.1(g) of the Rules of the Board to state that, “This Section shall become\neffective for member motions to be introduced for the January 21, 2025, Board\nmeeting and shall stay in effect until repealed.” The revision shall extend the\nCluster Motion Review Process for all substantive Board motions to do the\nfollowing: Instruct County Counsel, in coordination with the Executive Officer\nand Acting Chief Executive Officer, to amend Section 22.1 of the Rules of the\nBoard within 60 days to:\nClearly define and distinguish “substantive” from “non-substantive”\nmotions, that is, motions that propose policy, operational, fiscal, or\nprogrammatic actions affecting County Departments or services, as\ncurrently defined in the Rules of the Board.\nClearly define all exemption categories, namely: declarations and\nratifications of emergency and all recovery and related actions; fee\nwaivers; reward motions; adjournments in a deceased person’s memory;\nceremonial proclamations and acknowledgments, without substantive\ndirectives; presentation of scrolls; nominations and appointments to\nBoards and Commissions, or other bodies; motions related to Board\nmeeting scheduling; motions involving the land acknowledgement\nstatement; motions related to the Board’s annual reorganization including\nthe election of the Chair Pro-Tem; motions directly pertaining to declared\nemergencies; and motions for which the Board finds that an emergency\nsituation, pursuant to Gov't Code §54954.2(b)(1) or urgency pursuant to\nGovernment Code §54954.2(b)(2) exists.\nDesignate the Board Chair’s Office, in consultation with County Counsel,\nas the authority to approve exemptions and resolve disputes related to\nCluster assignment or process applicability, and in consultation with the\nActing Chief Executive Officer, to determine the most appropriate Cluster\nthrough which each motion should be introduced.\nSection 22.1(b), (d), and (e) to remain as written based on the August\n12, 2025 Board motion.\nInstruct all Department Heads to ensure that Department subject-matter\nrepresentatives attend Clusters and are available to respond to questions and\nclarify implementation considerations on motions that impact their Department.\nInstruct the Executive Officer, in consultation with the Board Chair of each\nCluster, and the Director of Internal Services, to explore technology options to\nimprove public accessibility and engagement at Cluster meetings by\nstandardizing public comment rules across all Clusters, including speaking time\nlimits, the designated points in the agenda when public comments are invited,\nhybrid participation protocols, language access, and accessibility standards.\nInstruct the Executive Officer, in consultation with the Director of Internal\nServices, to assess and implement any technology changes that are\nneeded to ensure that Cluster meeting participants can effectively see,\nhear, and participate in Cluster meetings, whether they participate\nvirtually or in person.\nDirect the Acting Chief Executive Officer, in consultation with the Board\nChair’s office, to establish a standardized agenda format to be used\nconsistently across all Cluster meetings.\nStandardize the Economic Development and Policy Committee on equal\nstanding as the “Original Five” Clusters, with the same support from the Acting\nChief Executive Officer, Executive Officer, and the Directors of Economic\nOpportunity and Internal Services. In addition, rename this body the\n“Workforce and Economic Development Cluster.”\nStandardize the Homeless Policy Deputies Meeting on equal standing as the\n“Original Five” Clusters, with the same support from the Acting Chief Executive\nOfficer, Executive Officer, and the Directors of Homeless Services and Housing\nand Internal Services. In addition, rename this body the “Homelessness\nCluster.” Homelessness Cluster to be added to Section 22.1(a) as an additional\npolicy cluster along with the existing six policy clusters in Section 22.1(a).\n(25-6480)\nMotion by Supervisor Mitchell\nMotion by Supervisor Mitchell (Updates Following Cluster)