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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990-02-27 - AGENDA REPORTS - LOBBYIST REGISTRATION (2)AGENDA City Manager Approval Item presented by: NEW BUSINESS City Manager DATE: February 27, 1990 SUBJECT: Lobbyist Registration DEPARTMENT: City Manager BACKGROUND At the City Council meeting of February 13, 1990, Councilman Carl Boyer requested that City staff develop a procedure to register lobbyists. City staff has contacted other cities who have policies regulating lobbying act.i.:-:ities in their municipality. Out of 456 cities in Cali fo: ni.a, only the City of San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco have adopted ordinances which govern lobbyists activities and provide registration procedures for municipal legislative advocates within their city. These lobbyists are directly paid or reimbursed for expenses incurred for the purpose of attempting to influence the action on municipal legislation. Other than these very large cities which have considerably different organizations than Santa Clarita, none of the cities have considered this issue or have a policy in place. RECOMMENDATION In light of research findings, that only the three larger cities in California have a policy for registration of lobbyists, City staff recommends that City Council proceed with caution, evaluate the pros and cons of this proposal, and allow City staff to study the impacts of this proposal before any action is taken. If, however, Council would prefer to adopt an ordinance now, staff has one drafted which is attached for consideration. ATTACHMENT Draft Ordinance No. 90-5 -04-� ;� -174, Agenda Item: 13— DRAFT ORDINANCE NO. 90-5 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA RELATING TO THE REGISTRATION OF LOBBYISTS Section 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Clarita does hereby ordain as follows: a. Any person who shall engage for pay or for any consideration is paid or reimbursed for expenses incurred for the purpose of attempting to influence the action on municipal legislation by the City Council, any of its committees, or any board or commission shall, (hereinafter "Legislative advocacy activity") before engaging in this Legislative advocacy activity, register with the City Clerk as a municipal legislative advocate, "lobbyist". Section 2. At the time of registering, the person shall file with the City Clerk in writing: a. Name, business and residence address; b. Name and address of the person in whose interest the person appears or works; C. Duration of such employment; how much he/she will be paid and he/she will receive and by whom he/she is paid or will be paid; d. How much he/she will be paid for his expenses; e. Shall submit to the City Clerk a written authorization from each person by whom he/she is employed to act as a lobbyist; f. List the proposed legislation he/she is employed to support or oppose; g. The City Clerk shall issue a registration card indicating the registration expiration date. Registration will be valid for one year. In order to maintain an active registration, such person shall re -register between the first and last day of the month in which his/her registration expires; h. At the time of registration or re -registration, each lobbyist shall pay a fee of thirty-five dollars ($35.00), and an additional fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00) for each person the lobbyist identifies that he/she represents; and, • i. Each person shall as long as active registration continues, file with the City Clerk a detailed report of all money received for lobbyist activities during the preceding quarter. Compensation for employment for expenditure of $25.00 or more shall be reported. Section 3. The provisions of this Ordinance shall not apply to the following: a. A public official acting in an official capacity; b. A newspaper or other regularly published periodical, radio or television station (including any individual who owns, publishes or is employed by any such newspaper or periodical, radio or television station) which in the ordinary course of business publishes news items, editorials, or other comments, or paid advertisements, which directly or indirectly urge action upon local legislative or administrative action, if such newspaper, periodical, radio or television station or individual engages in no further or other activities in connection with such legislative or administrative action; C. A person acting on behalf of others in the performance of a duty or service, which duty or service lawfully can be performed for such other only by an attorney or an architect licensed to practice in the State of California, and including any communication by an attorney concerning the settlement of a lawsuit involving the City; d. A person invited by or on behalf of any officer of the City to confer, consult or give testimony in aid of the officer extending the invitation; e. A person appearing with respect to local legislative or administrative action pursuant to a procedure established by State or Federal law, or pursuant to any procedure established by an ordinance for levying an assessment against real property for the construction or maintenance of an improvement; and, Section 4. No person who is required to register as a municipal. legislative advocate under Section 2 shall engage in any Legislative advocate activity before any body or official of the City or to accept compensation for acting in this role except upon condition that he be registered as a municipal legislative advocate. • PASSED AND APPROVED this day of Jo Anne Darcy, Mayor ATTEST: W••� George Caravalho, City Clerk STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES) ss CITY OF SANTA CLARITA) I, City Clerk of the City of Santa Clarita, do hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance No. 90-5 was regularly introduced and placed upon its first reading at a regular meeting of the City Council on the day of That thereafter, said Ordinance was duly adopted and passed at a regular meeting of the City Council on the day of 1990 by the following vote, to wit: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS George Caravalho, City Clerk