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 applications and appointments, 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.

Residents interested in serving on an Advisory Body begin the process by submitting an application of interest to the City Clerk.

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 begin attending meetings of the committee. After attending at least three meetings, the committee may take action to recommend that City Council appoint the individual. After the committee has made its recommendation, the City Council will consider appointment of the individual at the next City Council meeting.

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.

Term expirations 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 expirations for the upcoming calendar year. Because of the number of interviews required for annual term expirations, an application period is opened from November – January with a specified final filing date. This allows time 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. Full details and deadlines for annual term expirations are posted and available during the annual recruitment process.