Boards, Commissions & Committee

The City’s Charter allows the City Council to create by ordinance Boards or Commissions and may grant to them powers and duties consistent with the provisions of the City’s Charter.  California Government Code 54950, often referred to as the Ralph M. Brown Act, establishes guidelines for open and public meetings of legislative bodies.  It defines “legislative body” broadly to include just about every type of decision-making body of a local agency.

Board, Commission, and Committee members are advisory bodies. They are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the City Council in an advisory capacity to provide citizen input and recommendations. They advise and make recommendations to the City Council, but the City Council has the final responsibility for all policy decisions.  The Planning Commission also serves as a decision-making body, per State law.

Members of Boards, Commissions and Committees are appointed by the City Council as terms expire and/or as vacancies occur.  An appointment to a Board, Commission, or Committee is an honor and a responsibility and increases citizen participation in the affairs of government.  As advisors, regular attendance at meetings, understanding the duties and role, and working to contribute to the betterment of the community are needed of each member. City staff provides technical and administrative assistance to the City Council and appointed advisory group.

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Commission (7 members)

The Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Commission is responsible for advising the City Council in all matters pertaining to public recreation and parks, including problems relating to the development of recreational areas, facilities, programs and services, formulating policies on recreational services, and programming yearly events within the community that promote the fine arts. 

Personnel Appeals Commission (5 members)

The Personnel Appeals Commission meets on an as-needed basis to receive personnel appeals submitted by any person employee by the City. 

Planning Commission (7 members)

The Planning Commission is responsible for making recommendations to the City Council regarding the implementation of the City's General Plan and zoning ordinances, as well as reviewing development proposals.

Traffic Commission (7 members)

The Traffic Commission is responsible for reviewing complaints, requests and/or suggestions concerning traffic safety conditions, and making recommendations to the City Council.

Commissioner Handbook

This Handbook has been prepared to assist Commissioners and members of Committees in the performance of their duties. Included are standards adopted by City Council that delineate the administrative procedures and the rules and regulations that relate to the Boards, Commissions, and Committees. This manual is intended to give Commissioners an orientation of their Commission. It includes an overview of the Commission's role and responsibilities and the structure and procedures of Los Alamitos’ Municipal Government.  

You can review the Commissioner Handbook here.

Recruitment Process

Only registered voters of the City of Los Alamitos are eligible for appointments. All Board, Commission and Committee members are appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the City Council.  The City Clerk oversees the appointment process and maintains a roster of all appointees.

Those wishing to apply for appointment to a Board, Commission or Committee may do so by filling out an application form available from the office of the City Clerk.    Every effort is made by the Council to give representation on a Board, Commission or Committee from a diverse cross-section of the City’s citizens.  A resident may apply concurrently for appointment to more than one Board, Commission or Committee, but may be appointed to only one of these advisory bodies at a time.

The process of filling vacancies is as follows:

  • An Availability Notice, detailing the Commission/Board’s purpose, meeting location/time and current vacancy is prepared. The Notice specifies a filing period in which applications are accepted. The Notice is sent to local newspapers and posted at City Hall, the Community Center and the Museum, and posted online.
  • Only new applications will be considered for current vacancies. Residents who are not current appointees and are interested in serving on a Commission/Board are invited to complete and submit a new application during the filing period.
  • Once the application deadline is met, a date will be scheduled for City Council to interview all applicants for the vacancy under consideration. Thereafter, the appointment will be made by the City Council.

Terms

All members shall be appointed for a term of three years, with the exception of members of the Personnel Appeals Commission, who serve four years.