PROPOSITION J IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS BY THE CITY ATTORNEY OF PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO SECTION 602 OF THE SANTA MONICA CITY CHARTER

 Under Section 602 of the current City of Santa Monica City Charter, the Mayor and City Council members receive no compensation for their services as City elected officials. Neither the Council members nor the Mayor receives health insurance or any other employment benefit. City Charter Section 602 does permit the Mayor and City Council members to receive limited reimbursement of some expenses. The Section allows reimbursement for travel and other expenses when Council members are on official duty out of the City. For all other expenses the Charter calls for each Council member to receive as reimbursement a fixed payment of $50 each month. The Mayor receives $150 each month as reimbursement of all other of the Mayor's expenses. The Council members' reimbursement rate of $50 was set in 1946, when the City Charter was first adopted. The Mayor's reimbursement amount was set by Charter amendment in 1954.

 This proposition will completely amend Section 602. Under the proposed amendment, City Council members will receive $750 each month as compensation, while the Mayor will receive $900 each month. This compensation will be increased once yearly if inflation occurs. The amount of any inflation caused increase is limited to the increase in the Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim region that occurred during the prior year.

 The proposition also provides that City Council members and the Mayor will receive the same medical, dental, health and other employment benefits as the City routinely and customarily gives to its "miscellaneous" employees, who are those City employees who are not police officers or fire fighters. City Council members and the Mayor will be reimbursed for travel and other expenses the same as City departmental directors.

Prepared by:
Marsha Jones Moutrie, City Attorney
Joseph Lawrence, Assistant City Attomey
 

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