The Santa Monica City Council voted 6-1 last week to eliminate a practice that allowed residents to donate unused speaking time to other speakers, marking the latest step in an ongoing effort to streamline public meetings while sparking debate over citizen participation.
The new rules of procedure, approved as Item 4M on the May 27 agenda, allow members of the public to speak for up to six minutes across an entire meeting. Speakers who speak on more than one item can divide their time in one minute increments up to a maximum of two minutes per item. Speakers who only speak on one item per meeting can have up to four minutes on that single item. The revised rules prohibit the previous practice of sharing time among speakers.
Council Member Ellis Raskin cast the lone dissenting vote, citing his opposition to "changes to the time donation issue and the way in which the amendments would restructure public participation."
The rule changes represent the culmination of months of debate over how to balance meeting efficiency with public input. The discussion began in earnest during a March 11 Council meeting, where members debated various proposals to expedite meetings while preserving public comment opportunities.
At that March meeting, community members were divided on the proposed changes. Some speakers opposed ending time donations, arguing it would silence those who organize their remarks collaboratively, while others supported tighter limits to prevent marathon meetings. No final vote occurred at the March meeting, but the Council provided direction to pursue new rules to streamline public comment.
The formal process began on May 13, when the Council approved initial amendments to meeting rules and directed staff to draft language eliminating time donations. Council members addressed concerns that the practice prolonged meetings and created inequities, with a majority ultimately favoring abolishing the donation system.
Staff recommended discontinuing time donation to bring more efficiency to Council meetings while addressing concerns about the perception of the erosion of the ability of members of the public to speak more fully on particular items.
Under the previous system adopted in January 2023, the Council had consolidated public comment periods but had not adjusted time limits or donation practices to align with the new process.
The resolution also included new language proposed by Mayor Torosis for 16 items and an adjustment to rule number three regarding quorum and action.
The May 2025 rule changes had already implemented other efficiency measures, including reducing individual speaking times to one minute when more than 25 members of the public register to speak on a given section, down from the usual two minutes.
The new speaking time limits and elimination of time donations took effect immediately following Tuesday's vote.
