Council Approves Process to Fill Gordo Council Seat Vacancy

One week after former Councilmember Victor Gordo was sworn in as mayor, the process of filling his vacant District 5 seat has begun. The City Council on Monday unanimously approved enacting Section 404 of the Pasadena City Charter Code to begin the vacancy appointment process. 

Gordo also left his position on the Rose Bowl Operating Company (RBOC) Board, and was appointed by the Council to the Fire and Police Retirement Board.

As City Clerk Mark Jomsky explained to the Council in their online meeting, “If a vacancy occurs among any other members of the City Council, the remaining members shall within 75 days after such occurrence, appoint a qualified resident voter of the unrepresented district who shall hold office until the office is filled at the next general municipal election.”

“If the City Council cannot agree on one person to fill the vacancy, the replacement shall be chosen by lot,” said Jomsky, quoting the code.

According to Section 404, the Council District 5 vacancy the City Council must take action no later than Saturday, February 20. 

The appointed Councilmember would then hold office until the next general municipal election— in the June and November 2022 Pasadena Primary Nominating and General Municipal election cycle

The appointment made by the City Council would be for the remaining unexpired term, just under two years.

The Council will publish a Notice of Intention in local newspapers on  December 17, . The application filing period would run from December 17 to January 14. The appointed position would then run from the date of appointment to December 12, 2022. 

Interested candidates must pick up an application in person in the Office of the City Clerk. The candidates must be of voting age, and registered to vote in, and reside within, District 5 at the time the application is issued by the City Clerk

The deadline to submit an application is  Thursday, January 14 at 5:30 p.m. Once all applications are received, the ad hoc committee will review them, and decide on the details of the public interview process. 

Mayor Gordo said at the Monday meeting that he would begin considering volunteers and recommendations for the ad hoc committee. 

The committee will present a recommendation of candidates to be interviewed by the full City Council, and then decide on questions to be asked during the public interviews, to be held in a Council Special Meeting.

All candidates would be interviewed on the same day, and no candidate would be permitted to view or be present during the interview of any other candidate. The interview process would also be broadcast as part of a public meeting, 

 Interestingly, the staff report also noted that if interviews are conducted virtually, provisions should be considered by the ad hoc committee to ensure that no candidate is able to view prior interviews,  and thereby gain an unfair advantage.

Each qualified applicant will be asked to make a six-minute presentation to the City Council, and may then be asked to respond to follow up questions from the City Council.

The order of applicants’ presentations will be determined by a random draw of all applicants‘ names and will take place at the beginning of the special meeting, just prior to the start of the interview process. The drawing will be conducted in public by the City Clerk.

Any action by the City Council to appoint an individual to serve requires five affirmative votes. Should the City Council be unable to muster the necessary five votes for one applicant by February 20  the replacement would then be chosen by lot, following Charter Section 404.

Following the selection of the appointee to serve on the City Council, the City Clerk will then immediately administer the oath of office.