City Council will hear a staff presentation Tuesday, April 24, recommending the decertification of the La Jolla Community Planning Association, which could result in the group losing its authority to weigh in on community issues.
A letter issued March 28 by Jim Waring, the city’s deputy chief of economic development and land use, warned the group that it risked decertification by continuing to operate under bylaws unapproved by the city’s Planning Department.
The majority of trustees and resident members, however, voted April 5 to keep the new bylaws in place despite a recommended motion by LJCPA President Tim Golba to reinstate the old bylaws previously approved by city staff.
The proposal included two amendments to the old bylaws that would decrease membership requirements from three meetings per calendar year to one and eliminate proxy voting “” measures that would have made the old document similar to the new revised bylaws, Golba said.
One difference between the two sets of governing rules is the number of elected and appointed trustees, according to Rob Whittemore.
The new bylaws, which were revised during a three-month period by a subcommittee, allow 22 trustees to sit on the board, as opposed to 18 trustees cited in the old document.
Issues surrounding the bylaws began last October, when many residents discovered that they were not registered members of the planning group because they had not attended three meetings within the past calendar year.
Many community members were concerned that the old membership requirement would limit the community’s influence with the planning group.
The city is simultaneously updating its shell for the bylaws, which is a general outline for the document used by all community planning groups. The bylaws shell must be updated in conformance with the Brown Act, a provision that requires proper noticing for public meetings.
The city must complete that process by May 1 and will then begin reviewing each community’s bylaws.
City Council meets at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 24, in Council Chambers at the City Administration Building, 202 C Street, 12th floor.
For more information, visit www.sandiego.gov/directories/government or www.lajollacpa.org.