City Council

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L to R: Councilmember Alicia Weintraub, Councilmember Peter Kraut, Mayor James R. Bozajian, Mayor Pro Tem Edward Albrecht and Councilmember David J. Shapiro.

The City Council is composed of five members elected at large on a non-partisan basis to serve four year overlapping terms. Municipal elections are held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November (as of 2015) of even numbered years, with three Council members selected at one election and two at the next.

The Council is the legislative policy-making branch of City government. It is the Council's responsibility to enact ordinances, resolutions and orders necessary for governing the affairs of the City, to approve or amend the annual budget, to authorize contracts on behalf of the City, act as the final appeal body on rulings of commissions, appoint the City Manager, and all members of the various commissions and committees.

The Mayor is selected by the City Council, from one of its members, for a one year term and serves as the official representative of the City for all legislative and ceremonial purposes. The Mayor is the presiding officer at City Council meetings and executes legal instruments and documents. However, the Mayor is not vested with administrative authority.

The regular meeting of the City Council is a vital part of the democratic process in the conduct of the City's affairs. It is at Council meetings that laws, policies and basic decisions are made for the government of Calabasas. All meetings of the City Council are open to the public and citizens are encouraged to attend to learn more about how the City operates. City Council meetings are held in the Council Chambers, 100 Civic Center Way, at 7:00 p.m., on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month (Subject to change; please check the City Calendar).

The City Council agenda is the official order of business at Council meetings. Items for the agenda are prepared and submitted to the City Council by the City Manager and staff. All documents submitted to the City, including emails related to the public's business, are generally public records, absent a specific exception as articulated under State law, and could be posted on the City’s website and otherwise made available to the public.

James R. Bozajian