Appointments to Commissions, Boards, and Committees
Women belong in the places decisions are made. At the local, regional, and state level, commissions and other groups are composed of appointed members - why not you?
The process of serving on an appointed board or commission can be confusing, but we’re here to help. Residents of Pasadena, Glendale, La Cañada, and Sierra Madre all have the opportunity to serve on city commissions; residents of all cities as well as those of Altadena can serve on LA County or State of California commissions.
SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY
LOCAL/CITY APPOINTMENTS
Appointment to a municipal or county commission can be an entry step for women to build experience and networks toward running for elected office. Sometimes gaining an appointment is as simple as expressing interest to your City Councilperson, County Supervisor, or a member of their staff after you identify an unfulfilled opening.
NWPC Greater Pasadena Area offers the following listings within our region to demystify the process and help you get started. This information can become out-of-date quickly, and we will provide updates regularly, but be sure to check that a position is still open before you contact the appointing elected official.
City of Glendale Commissions
No vacancies as of 3/25/21
City of Pasadena Commissions
All City of Pasadena Commissions, Boards, and Committees and more about specific commissions including terms, conflicts of interest, and other restrictions on membership
Many Pasadena commission appointments are made by district; you can find your city council district here. On the page for each Council District (listed below), you’ll find a “Contact” option for both the Councilperson and his/her liaison.
City of La Cañada-Flintridge Commissions
No active vacancies as of 3/25/21 but all commissions have seats with terms expiring as of 5/31/2021
The La Cañada City Council appoints residents to their local Commissions, Boards, and Committees - a full list of opportunities, with dates of expiring terms, can be found here.
City of Sierra Madre Commissions
No active vacancies as of 3/25/21 but all commissions have seats with terms expiring as of 6/30/2021
The Sierra Madre City Council appoints residents to their local Commissions, Boards, and Committees - a full list of opportunities, with dates of expiring terms, can be found here as well as additional information on the City’s website about how to apply.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY APPOINTMENTS
Since its first meeting in 1852, the Board of Supervisors has encouraged citizen involvement and expertise to assist the Board in serving the community. Commissions were established to help the Board deal with the many and varied duties and responsibilities of local county government. Today there are 205 commissions, committees, task forces, and special district agency boards. These are created by State or Federal law, County ordinance or by action of the Board of Supervisors. The Commission for Women, the Commission on Disabilities, and various others provide forums for citizen input and accessibility to county government. The Board relies on these groups to advise them on a wide range of issues affecting their constituencies, and to assure they are responsive to community needs.
LA County’s Commission Services website is a great place to start, and if you’d like to know more about the missions/scopes of various commissions and any vacancies, you can see a full listing of all commissions here.
To submit an application to any of the listed county-wide commissions, click here.
5th Supervisorial District—Kathryn Barger, Supervisor
There are also seats that are within the remit of the County Supervisor directly (in our case, 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger). The following is a list of commissions with vacancies, and the number of open seats are listed in parentheses. For more information, or to inquire about specific opportunities, please contact the Supervisor’s Office.
Vacancies as of 3/25/21:
Assessment Appeals Board (many)
Beach Commission (1)
Commission on HIV (many—not attached to a particular Supervisor)
Community Action Board (1)
Fish & Wildlife Commission (1)
5th District Consolidated Oversight Board (1)
Gender Responsive Advisory Committee (1 alternate)
Housing Advisory Committee (2—not attached to a particular Supervisor)
Library Commission (1)
Mental Health Commission (1)
Policy Roundtable for Child Care & Development (1)
Regional Planning Commission (1?—District 5 member term expired)
Rental Housing Oversight Commission (1)
Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspectors (1)
Veterans Advisory Commission (1)
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
How to Apply for a Governor-Appointed Position:
To view the index of Appointed Positions, please visit https://www.gov.ca.gov/appointments/. At the webpage, you will find an index of all Governor-appointed positions to review with indications of whether they are salaried, per diem, or non-compensated.
To begin the application process, please visit https://www.gov.ca.gov/appointments-application/. Here you will find all the application instructions.
How to Apply for a Speaker-Appointed Position:
To access the Speaker’s appointment webpage, please visit https://speaker.asmdc.org/appointments.
To start your application and view the list of boards and commissions, please visit https://speaker.asmdc.org/appointments/how-to-apply.
In addition, the Speaker’s Appointment Office also conducts seminars throughout California. For a list of upcoming seminars, you can visit the Events Calendar through this link: https://speaker.asmdc.org/appointments/events.