The council appointed: Mark Boeckman, John Brooks, Eric Crutchlow, Lauren Diamond, Burt Field, Eric Jensen, Steve Kelly, Mohammad Naveed, Pat Nikolai, Susan Peters, Holly Rhea Roberts, Joe Sosinski and Bernard Thamsey.<\/p>\n
SPONSORED<\/p>\n
SPONSORED<\/p>\n At its first meeting last month, the committee elected former police chief Pat Nikolai as chair and Joe Sosinski as Vice Chair.<\/p>\n At the second meeting, the group formed six subcommittees that will focus on specific parts of the charter. Unlike past charter reviews, this effort is a comprehensive overhaul of the entire charter, and the goal is a single 2026 ballot proposal for a comprehensive revision.<\/p>\n Santa Clara\u2019s charter was written in 1950, and time has rendered some of its provisions outmoded \u2014 for example, the charter requires council approval for expenditures over $1,000 \u2014 that would be about $13,500 in 2025 dollars. Other provisions don\u2019t reflect current city practices or contemporary best practices in public administration, according to City Attorney Glen Googins.<\/p>\n The proposed changes will be brought to the city council in three groups: Level 1 changes are corrections and reorganizations. Level 2 changes are ones that align the city\u2019s operations with accepted best practices. The last group, level 3, are changes so substantial or potentially controversial that Council may wish to consider them separately or not at all.<\/p>\n The city attorney\u2019s office made subcommittee assignments based on members\u2019 preferences when possible:<\/p>\n Powers and Structure of City Government: Rules\/Process for Action: Tansey, Nikolai and Jensen<\/p>\n City Council: Elections, Powers and Conduct of Meeting: Kelly, Boeckman, Crutchlow, Roberts and Peters<\/p>\n Senior Officials: Duties and Qualifications: Tansey, Nikolai, Diamond and Naveed<\/p>\n Boards and Commissions: Composition, Powers and Duties: Diamond, Brooks, Field\u00a0 Sosinski<\/p>\n Civil Service: General Rules for Classified and Unclassified Employees, Commission Composition and Duties: Peters, Boeckman, Roberts and Naveed<\/p>\n Fiscal Administration and Procurement: Crutchlow, Brooks and Field<\/p>\n Subcommittees Not Subject to Open Meeting Laws<\/p>\n Ad hoc \u201cadvisory\u201d subcommittees aren\u2019t subject to California\u2019s open meetings law, the Brown Act<\/a>, as long as they are temporary, the members don\u2019t make up a quorum of the whole committee, exist to address a single task \u2014\u201cad hoc\u201d \u2014 and the subcommittee sets its own schedule for meetings.*<\/p>\n Exemption from the Brown Act means they don\u2019t have to publish agendas and minutes, and meetings aren\u2019t necessarily open to the public.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t [have to take minutes],\u201d said City Attorney Glenn Googins, but \u201cI think it would be a good idea \u2026 for someone to make notes of what your meeting consisted of, because that will facilitate your report out to the larger committee.\u201d<\/p>\n Members of the city attorney\u2019s office will attend all subcommittee meetings.<\/p>\n If subcommittee members discuss their work with other members of the larger committee, they risk violating the Brown Act with a \u201cserial meeting\u201d \u2014 something that can happen easily with social media.<\/p>\n Resident Michele Ryan raised concerns about committee transparency.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was said that the data on the subcommittee preference was shared with the committee and it was made public,\u201d said Ryan. \u201cBut it is not available online to the public. Materials that were provided to the committee are not available to the public. So that, I think, needs to be corrected.\u201d<\/p>\n City Attorney Googins explained that this information was distributed to the committee at the meeting and would be \u201cavailable as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Conflicts of Interest?<\/p>\n Ryan had a second question, saying that it was \u201cconcerning that the former chief of police [Nikolai], who may still have strong connections, is assigned to the group that is dealing with senior officials. It seems that that presents an appearance of conflict of interest.\u201d<\/p>\n Nikolai is a close political ally of Mayor Lisa Gillmor, and was a leader in opposing a charter change to appoint, rather than elect, Santa Clara\u2019s police chief. Nikolai, who retired in 2024, was the longtime president of the police union before being elected police chief when the prior chief, Mike Sellers, retired in 2019.<\/p>\n Googins didn\u2019t see a conflict, \u201ccertainly not a conflict under the Political Reform Act, because there\u2019s no financial interest. I\u2019m not seeing a conflict that would apply and limit you [Nikolai], at least in the formation of the committees and your appointment to it, Mr. Chair. If you had a one, we could look into it a little bit deeper before you actually participate on that committee.\u201d<\/p>\n The next Charter Review Committee<\/a> meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19, 2025. The meetings are streamed on Zoom and are available on the city website the following week.\u00a0<\/p>\n Zoom link: https:\/\/santaclaraca.zoom.us\/j\/86127408402<\/a>, ID 861 2740 840.<\/p>\n Phone: (669) 444-9171.<\/p>\n *The First Amendment Coalition has a discussion about the application of the Brown Act to ad hoc subcommittees: firstamendmentcoalition.org\/asked-and-answered\/how-does-the-brown-act-apply-to-ad-hoc-versus-standing-committees\/<\/a><\/p>\n SPONSORED<\/p>\n![\"brainShare](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/brainSHARE-Advert-AD-8-Updated_000.jpg\"\/)
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