Boards, Commissions & Committees

About Boards, Commissions, and Committees

More than 90 residents are appointed by the City Council to serve on City Boards, Commissions, and Committees (advisory bodies.) Boards and Commissions are directly responsible to the City Council and fill advisory and/or quasi-judicial roles. Commissions are composed of lay residents while members for Boards are selected for their special expertise. Committees sponsored by the City are intended to be working groups and do not fill quasi-judicial roles.

Staff liaisons are assigned to each advisory body and are responsible for several areas including generating meeting materials, management of advisory body records, facilitating meetings, advising members, and ensuring compliance with the Brown Act and Parliamentary Procedure.

The City Clerk’s Office is responsible for oversight and management of advisory body membership including the application and appointment process, ensuring compliance with all City Council regulations, as well as providing support to department liaisons assigned to staff the various advisory bodies.

For more information, please contact the City Clerk at cityclerk@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or 510-215-4305.

Application and Appointment Process

Residents interested in serving on an Advisory Body begin the process by attending meetings of the advisory bodies of interest to them. Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend meetings of the advisory body applied for prior to submitting an application.

Applicants are required to attend two of the last three meetings prior to submitting an application of interest to the City Clerk. (this requirement has been temporarily suspended by City Council until further notice)

The following advisory bodies are exempt from the pre-meeting attendance requirement:
• Citizens Street Repair and Maintenance Oversight Committee
• Civil Service Commission
• Contra Costa County Library Commission
• Contra Costa County Mosquito & Vector Control District (Board of Trustees)
• Contra Costa Transportation Authority (Citizens Advisory Board)
Applicants for Boards, Commissions, and the Citizens Street Oversight Committee will be invited to interview with the City Council at a publicly noticed meeting. The City Council is responsible for selecting applicants that best fit the needs of the advisory body and representation of the city as a whole. After applicants have been interviewed, the City Council will take action to make appointments.

Applicants for Committees will be directed to the staff liaison to coordinate the committee conducting an informal interview and consideration of recommendation to City Council to appoint. After the committee has made its recommendation, the City Council will consider appointment of the individual at the next City Council meeting.

Vacancies and Term Expiration
Vacancies arise when a current member of an advisory body resigns or no longer meets the requirements to serve on an advisory body. Up-to-date vacancy information is posted online, advertised in the newspaper, and noticed in a variety of outlets. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and will be held for future vacancies if none exist at the time the application is received. All applications on file with the city Clerk shall remain valid for a period of one year from the date received.

Term expiration for seats on advisory bodies largely expire on March 1 of staggered years. Annually, by December 31, the City is required to publish and post a full list of term expiration for the upcoming calendar year. Because of the number of interviews required for annual term expiration, an application period is opened for a three month period with a specified final filing date. This allows time for interested persons to attend meetings, to process applications, schedule and conduct interviews, and make appointments in advance of the March 1 term expiration. New applications and applications from re-applying members are accepted. 

Member Requirements and Resources 
Individuals appointed to a city advisory body are required to fulfill several training and filing requirements that have been established by the City Council. This includes the following:

• Oath of Office (upon appointment)
o Required prior to participating in a meeting as an appointed member
• Orientation and Handbook Training (w/in 30 days)
o One-hour training required within 30 days of appointment for new members
o Live training held annually following March 1st full term appointments and recorded for viewing throughout the year by partial term appointments. The 2023 annual training was held at 6:00 PM on Thursday, March 23, 2023 in City Council Chambers.
o Includes submission of Orientation & Member Handbook Acknowledgement Form
• Sexual Harassment Prevention Training (w/in 30 days)
o One-hour online training required within 30 days of appointment, then every two years for the duration of service
• Ethics Training (w/in 30 days)
 o Two-hour online training required within 30 days of appointment, then every two years for the duration of service
• Statement of Economic Interests Statement Form 700 (w/in 30 days)
o Filing required for those advisory bodies identified in the Conflict of Interest Code
o Due within 30 days of appointment, and annually thereafter for the duration of service.

Resources are available for interested or appointed individuals by visiting the Membership Tools page. This includes the Advisory Body Member Handbook, local and state regulation information and details related to the training/filing requirements described above.

Advisory Body Websites