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CITIZENS ADVISORY 2012/10/18CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT MINUTES Thursday, October 18, 2012 6:00 p.m. Brookhurst Community Center 2271 W. Crescent Avenue, Anaheim 1. Call Meeting to Order — The meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Elections and Community Involvement (CAC) was called to order at 6:03 p.m. COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Peter Agarwal Anthony Armas Bill Dalati David Diaz Joseph Karaki Larry Larsen Martin Lopez Gloria Ma'ae Vivian Pham Vic Real John Woodhead, Ex Officio Member STAFF PRESENT: Robert J. Tyson, Deputy City Attorney Caroline Morey, Administrative Assistant 2. Introductions - Self- Introductions of Committee Members 3. Public Comments - Public comments on any agenda items or subject matter within the jurisdiction of the Citizen Advisory Committee. Please note: Individual comments are limited to three minutes per speaker. Mr. Woodhead provided general housekeeping rules and procedures relating to public comments and advised that anyone wishing to address the CAC may complete a speaker card and their name would be added to an interest list to receive information about upcoming meetings relevant to the CAC. Mr. Woodhead opened public comments. Grant Henninger, resident, expressed appreciation to CAC members and provided his disagreement with the first meeting date being held on the same night as a neighborhood council meeting. Don Baldwin, 25 year resident, encouraged the CAC to reject the idea of district voting. Ron Bengochea, resident, shared his opposition to districting. Regular Meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee, Elections and Community Involvement October 18, 2012 Page 2 of 4 Receiving no further comments, Mr. Woodhead closed public comments and moved to the next agenda item. 4. Introduction /Overview /Obligations - Presentation of committee charge and scope. Mr. Woodhead provided an overview of the duties and responsibilities of the CAC as outlined in Council Resolution No. 2012 -090. 5. Ralph M. Brown Act - Presentation of the Brown Act Deputy City Attorney, Robert J. Tyson, presented an overview of the Ralph M. Brown Act. In response to Member Lopez's concern of low public attendance at this evening's meeting, Mr. Woodhead advised that the meeting was publicized through press releases and fliers, as well as postings on Facebook and Twitter. The meeting was also announced at the last City Council meeting. In addition, Mr. Woodhead noted that meeting agendas are posted three days prior to any meeting. 6. Meeting Dates, Policies and Procedures, and Suggested Topics — Schedule meeting dates, time, and locations of future Committee meetings; discuss policies and procedures pertaining to Committee meetings; discuss and set tentative agenda for next regular meeting of the Committee. Committee Member Armas moved to schedule the next CAC meeting to Thursday, November 8, 2012 at 7 p.m., seconded by Committee Member Pham. Motion carried: 9 ayes; 1 abstention (Committee Member Agarwal abstained). Committee Member Diaz moved to schedule the December CAC meeting to Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 7 p.m., seconded by Committee Member Armas. Motion carried: 10 ayes; 0 nays. Committee Member Dalati moved to conduct the November 8, 2012 meeting in east Anaheim, seconded by Committee Member Armas. Motion carried: 9 ayes; 1 nay (Committee Member Diaz opposed). The CAC directed staff to select a facility in east Anaheim for the November 8, 2012 meeting. Staff indicated that a list and map of potential facilities will be presented to the CAC at its next meeting. Member Karaki inquired about the legality of districts and at -large systems, any legal ramifications, considering the geographic size and demographics, and if there were any legal requirements that the City was not adhering. Mr. Woodhead advised that current litigation against the city would not be discussed during CAC meetings. Subject matters for the November 8, 2012 meeting were discussed and Member Agarwal requested information about election systems in other cities. Staff provided that an expert could also provide an overview of the different election systems. Regular Meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee, Elections and Community Involvement October 18, 2012 Page 3 of 4 7. Chair and Vice Chair - Nominate and appoint a Chair and Vice Chair Committee Member Dalati moved to continue the nomination and appointment of Chair and Vice Chair to the next meeting, seconded by Committee Member Armas. Without objection, the nomination and appointment of Chair and Vice Chair was continued to the November 8, 2012 meeting. 8. Committee Communications - Closing comments Member Armas explored the idea of having CAC meetings advertised via utility bill and encouraged all residents to attend and participate in the CAC meetings. Member Pham stated that she believed the CAC was tasked with a decision on a fair and just system based on research. Member Real spoke about increasing participation by taking in consideration the fact that people do not have access to the internet and /or read the paper anymore. Member Dalati expressed his interest in learning and doing what would be best for the people of Anaheim and receiving input from residents. Member Agarwal shared that he would attend meetings with an open mind and believed that the CAC was a conduit for the public and encouraged greater participation from residents. Member Diaz, central Anaheim resident, referenced an Orange County Register article that provided information on each Committee Member, as well as whom they were appointed by. He further encouraged citizens to participate and spoke about the challenges in getting participation at the central neighborhood council meetings sharing that greater outreach could improve attendance at CAC meetings. Member Karaki, 24 year Anaheim resident, spoke about the importance of the current issue and encouraged residents to provide input to assist the CAC with their recommendations. He further shared his commitment to research the issues presented to the CAC. Member Ma'ae, 34 year Anaheim resident, expressed her interest in learning more about the topic through workshops and experts. She also encouraged residents to tell their neighbors about meetings. Member Lopez, 7 year Anaheim resident, shared his past work for the census, and advised that he was serving with an open mind and encouraged community members to attend meetings to ensure the CAC makes the best decision for Anaheim. Member Larsen, spoke about his community involvement and believed that the CAC should receive as much education as possible as the recommendations made by the CAC would be far reaching and impact generations. He encouraged residents to attend meetings and provide input to assist with the decisions of the CAC. Regular Meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee, Elections and Community Involvement October 18, 2012 Page 4 of 4 9. Adjournment Mr. Woodhead adjourned the CAC meeting to November 8, 2012 at 7:42 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Caroline Morey Recordind Secretary