(a) Any person denied approval or renewal of a taxicab driver or taxicab company permit under this chapter, or a taxicab driver or taxicab company whose permit has been suspended, revoked or conditioned, may appeal. Such appeal must be in writing and must be filed with the City Manager or designee not more than fourteen (14) days following the mailing of the notice of denial, suspension, revocation, or conditioning sent to the applicant to the address listed by the applicant pursuant to this chapter. The written appeal must contain all reasons and documentary support why the denial, revocation, suspension, or conditioning should be overturned. Any successful appeal will result in approval or reinstatement of an approval and refund of any fines collected by the City.
(1) The City Manager shall not accept an appeal, and no hearing shall be held, unless the appellant has paid a filing fee, in an amount set by resolution of the City Council, to defray the cost of such appeal. Any appeal without the timely payment of fees shall be considered to be untimely.
(2) The scope of the appeal hearing pursuant to this section shall be limited to those issues raised by the appellant in the written appeal, as submitted pursuant to this section.
(b) City Manager action.
(1) Upon receipt of a timely filed appeal, the City Manager or designee shall set the matter for hearing which shall be held not fewer than ten (10) calendar days nor more than thirty (30) calendar days from the date of the appeal request. The hearing may be continued from time to time upon the mutual consent of the parties.
(2) The appellant shall be provided with notice of the time and place of the appeal hearing, as well as a copy of all relevant materials at least seven (7) calendar days prior to the hearing.
(3) At the time of such hearing, the City Manager shall review the records and files relating to the decision.
(4) In conducting the hearing, technical rules relating to evidence and witnesses shall not apply. Any relevant evidence may be admitted if it is material and if it is evidence customarily relied upon by responsible persons in the conduct of their affairs regardless of the existence of any common law or statutory rule which might make admission of such evidence improper over objection in civil actions. Hearsay evidence may be admissible if it is the sort upon which reasonable persons are accustomed to rely in the conduct of serious affairs. The rules of privilege shall be applicable to the extent they are permitted in civil actions. Irrelevant, collateral, and repetitious testimony shall be excluded.
(5) In the case of denial of an initial permit application the appellant shall have the burden of proving that he or she meets the requirements for issuing the permit in the first instance; in the case of the conditioning, revocation or denial of a permit renewal, the City shall have the burden in proving that grounds exist for revoking or failing to renew a permit.
(6) Based upon the evidence presented at the hearing, the City Manager shall determine whether the decision should be affirmed, modified or reversed.
(7) The City Manager's decision shall be communicated in writing to the appellant within seven (7) calendar days after the close of the hearing and submission of the matter to the City Manager for decision. The City Manager's decision shall state whether the decision is affirmed, modified or reversed and shall state the reasons therefor.
(8) The decision of the City Manager shall include notice that the decision is final and conclusive, that judicial review may be sought therefrom pursuant to California Civil Procedure Code Section 1094.5, and that any action filed in the Superior Court shall be filed within ninety (90) days following the City Manager's notice pursuant to California Civil Procedure Code Section 1094.6.
(Part 2, Ord. 1653-NS, eff. January 1, 2019)