Council Will Vote in New Vice Mayor at Special Organizational Meeting, Masuda Ends Second Term in Position

The Pasadena City Council will elect a new Vice Mayor when it meets tonight in a Special Meeting at City Hall.

City Clerk Mark Jomsky said the Special Organizational Meeting, which occurs on the first Monday in the month of May every year, will officially adjourn the outgoing City Council, mark the end of the second term of the current Vice Mayor, Gene Masuda, and see the swearing in of the “new” City Council, which will include the three recently re-elected incumbent City Councilmembers.

District 4’s Masuda has been a member of the City Council in April 2011 representing East Pasadena and was elected as Vice Mayor by the City Council in May, 2015. The last of his two one-year terms in that position officially ends on Monday, Jomsky said.

The election of a new Vice Mayor will follow a series of formal procedural actions by the City Council tonight after it convenes.

Jomsky will report on the results of the canvass of the April 18 General Municipal Election and recommend that the Council adopt a resolution declaring Andy Wilson as the elected Councilmember for District 7.

“They will accept my canvass of the election result and adopt a resolution certifying the election,” Jomsky said. “And then they will do what’s called adjourning ‘sine die’ – what that means is that concludes the terms of those Councilmembers who have just finished serving their four-year terms, and at that point I will swear in the Councilmembers to serve their next four-year terms. I swear in these new Councilmembers for the next four-year terms, and that’s the new Council.”

The newly elected Councilmembers are expected to speak.

Following that, the City Council will go about selecting a new Vice Mayor, Jomsky said.

The “sine die” (Latin that literally translates to “without any future date being designated”) adjournment, he added, is basically signaling the end of the terms that have expired including the term of the Vice Mayor.

Jomsky said at the very moment after the adjournment of the outgoing Council, there is no Vice Mayor and every representative on the Council is equal and qualifies for nomination.

“Gene Masuda has concluded his two-year term as Vice Mayor and we’ll go through the nomination process.” Jomsky said. “It works the same way as any action of the City Council that takes place.”

A motion will be made, with a second, and the a vote will be taken.

As soon as a new Vice Mayor is elected, that Councilmember is given time to address the City Council. Following, the Special Organizational Meeting will adjourn.

The Special Organizational Meeting will be held at the Council Chamber, Room S249 at City Hall, starting at 6:30 p.m.