Carlsbad CA— The Carlsbad City Council established subcommittees July 23 to work on several topics, including: updating city laws and policies; sober living homes; a permit process for expressive activities like protests and demonstrations; homelessness; and legislative issues.
All but the legislative committee are considered “ad hoc” or temporary. Ad hoc subcommittees are not subject to the Brown Act if they are:

• Made up solely of members of the City Council, not city staff or members of the public);
• Have a defined purpose and limited timeframe to accomplish that purpose; and
• Are advisory, meaning the committees have no decision-making power, instead bringing recommendations to the City Council for decisions

Overview of New Committees

Topic: Carlsbad Municipal Code and City Council Policies Update
Type: Ad Hoc City Council Subcommittee
Members: City Council Member Keith Blackburn, City Council Member Cori Schumacher
Duration: The subcommittee will automatically be dissolved upon completing an update of the Carlsbad Municipal Code and City Council policies.
The City Council voted to form this subcommittee at the Jan. 8, 2019, City Council meeting. This subcommittee will:

• Conduct a review of the Carlsbad Municipal Code and City Council policies.
• Identify code sections and policies in need of updating.
• Recommend amendments to the City Council.

Topic: Sober Living Homes
Type: Ad Hoc City Council Subcommittee
Members: City Council Member Keith Blackburn, City Council Member Barbara Hamilton
Duration: 1 year
The City Council voted to form this subcommittee at the Feb. 19, 2019. The duties of the subcommittee include:

• Work with staff to engage community stakeholders.
• Listen to and discuss stakeholder concerns and recommendations regarding sober living homes.
• Recommend potential state and local regulatory and legislative strategies for the City Council to pursue.

Topic: Expressive Activities Ordinance
Type: Ad-Hoc City Council Subcommittee
Members: City Council Member Keith Blackburn, City Council Member Cori Schumacher
Duration: 90 days, or upon City Council adoption of an Expressive Activities Ordinance, whichever occurs earlier
The City Council voted to form this subcommittee at the May 14, 2019, City Council meeting during a discussion about a proposed permit process for expressive activities, which include protests and demonstrations on public property. The duties of the subcommittee include:

• Meet with representatives of the North County Civil Liberties Coalition.
• Listening to and discussing coalitions concerns and recommendations.
• Present a recommended final draft of an Expressive Activities Ordinance for consideration by the full City Council.

Topic: North County Homeless Action Plan
Type: Ad-Hoc City Council Subcommittee
Members: Mayor Matt Hall, City Council Member Cori Schumacher
Duration: The subcommittee would automatically be dissolved either after 180 days or upon a City Council decision about whether to participate in a regional North County Homeless Action Plan planning process, whichever comes first.
On May 14, 2019, city staff presented an update to the City Council the city’s Homeless Response Plan. At that meeting, the City Council voted to consider forming an ad-hoc subcommittee. The subcommittee will determine whether there is regional support for participating in a collaborative effort to develop a North County Homeless Action Plan. Specifically, the committee will:

• Work with staff to hold a meeting with the community to hear concerns.
• Meet with the nonprofit Alliance for Regional Solutions.
• Bring back information for City Council consideration.

If the City Council ultimately decides to participate in a regional effort, it would appoint members to a standing regional committee at that time.

Topic: Legislative
Type: Standing City Council Subcommittee
Members: Mayor Matt Hall, Mayor Pro Tem Priya Bhat-Patel
Duration: Indefinite
The legislative subcommittee will be a “standing” committee, meaning it is ongoing. Standing City Council subcommittees are subject to the Brown Act, a California law intended to provide public access to government meetings and decision making. Just like a City Council meeting, standing subcommittee meetings are open to the public, with agendas made available in advance.
On April 16, 2019, the City Council directed staff to establish a standing City Council legislative subcommittee. The subcommittee will work closely with staff and the city’s legislative consultants to:

• Review the City Council’s legislative program policy and recommend amendments to the City Council;
• Conduct an annual review of the City of Carlsbad legislative platform and recommend amendments to the City Council;
• Continuously monitor state and federal proposed legislation and make recommendations to the City Council regarding high priority bills and advocacy positions on bills not addressed by the legislative platform; and
• Proactively seek to identify local and regional legislative needs and recommend bill sponsorship opportunities to the City

Starting in 2020, the subcommittee’s membership will be determined as part of the regular process of choosing City Council members to serve on boards, commissions, committees or other bodies. This reorganization of duties happens every two years following City Council elections.
Since the City Council’s current legislative policy does not include a legislative subcommittee, the subcommittee’s first task will be to recommend changes to that policy for approval by the City Council. City Council policies require four votes to change, unlike most other City Council decisions, which require three.