Oxnard—On a 6-1 split vote, the City Council voted to keep its committee system.
Council Member Aaron Starr, who brought the item forward, voted no.
The City Council had been a five-member body; all five members and the Mayor were elected at large. Six years ago, the City Council transitioned from its five-member at-large system to seven members with six districts, each with a Council Member and an at-large elected Mayor.
City Manager Alex Nguyen said, Tues, Dec 11, that the formal Committee structure ensures “proper vetting and prevents significant delays in the City’s business.”
Starr said when the Committee system was formed in 2018, the City would make recommendations, and the Committees would make recommendations.
“The people thought the public would take advantage of a proposal to weigh in early in the process since these meetings were not held in the middle of the workday,” he said. “I think our experience has not matched those expectations.”
He said the public rarely attends committee meetings, and there are agenda items where reports are received and filed.
“I never saw a committee where the Committee expanded the number of options offered to the City Council,” he said.
Mayor Pro Tem Gabe…
