Boards & Commissions

The City Council has established a number of advisory bodies to review City programs, projects, and community issues. Members of the community are appointed to serve on the advisory bodies to provide greater community participation and public input in the determination of City policies.

All registered voters within the South Pasadena city limits are eligible for appointment to an advisory body. Residency and registered voter status requirements may be waived for certain Youth Commission positions. Elected city officials and City employees are not eligible for membership on any board or commission. No individual shall serve on more than one board or commission at the same time (SPMC 2.24).

No, members of all boards and commissions serve without compensation for their services, but may receive reimbursements for necessary travel and other expenses incurred for official duty when such expenditure have been authorized (SPMC 2.28).

In November of each year, the City Clerk's Division conducts a recruitment campaign for advisory body positions that are due to expire in the upcoming year. Regular appointments are made each year in January. All candidates are appointed by the Mayor and ratified by the City Council. Terms are for three years and Commissioners can be reappointed for a second term (SPMC 2.25).

If an unscheduled vacancy occurs, applications on file will be considered for appointment by the Mayor, to be ratified by the City Council. Applications remain active for two years and applicants will be contacted to renew or update their applications. You are encouraged to apply at any time, as applications will be considered for unscheduled vacancies (SPMC 2.26).

The public is welcome to attend meetings of Advisory Bodies. If you are interested in serving on an Advisory Body, you are highly encouraged to attend at least one of the Advisory Body meetings before applying. Visit the Advisory Body's webpage for information about regular meeting dates, times, and locations.

The City welcomes your participation in Advisory Body and City Council meetings. The public is afforded an opportunity to provide public comment on each agendized matter and at Regular Meetings the public may address the Advisory Body on any non-agendized matter of concern.

Speaker Cards may be requested and should be submitted to the Advisory Body Chair of Staff Liaison so that you may be called upon at the appropriate time. Submission of a Speaker Card is voluntary and not a requirement to participate in the meeting. However, the Speaker Card is useful to ensure the correct spelling of your name for the record. If you do not submit a speaker card, please verbally advise either the Chair or Staff Liaison of your intent to speak during the public comment period(s).

All Advisory Body Members are resident volunteers and do not maintain office hours or possess City-issued communication devices. As such, submission of written materials is welcome and the City requests that written materials be submitted to the City Clerk's Division who will assist in the dissemination of the information to the entire Advisory Body and Staff Liaison and ensure such materials are retained for the record.

To submit written materials please email cityclerk@southpasadenaca.gov or contact the City Clerk's Division at (626) 403-7230 during normal business hours. Please indicate which Advisory Body the material are intended for and allow for sufficient time to allow for distribution of the material prior to the meeting, typically a minimum of 24 hours.

The City Clerk's Division and the City Attorney's Office conducts training on a periodic basis to review Conflict of Interest laws, Brown Act Open Meeting regulations, and best practices for meeting management.

Applications can be completed online or you may download a fillable PDF application. You may return completed applications to the City Clerk's Division in person or by fax, mail, or email:

City of South Pasadena
City Clerk's Division
1414 Mission Street
South Pasadena, CA 91030

Phone: (626) 403-7230
Fax: (626) 403-7211
Email: cityclerk@southpasadenaca.gov