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HomeMy WebLinkAboutD.2 - Staff Report - LCC Voting Delegate & AlternateLeague of CA Cities Voting Delegate & Alternate August 18, 2025 Page 1 SCHEDULED ITEM D-2 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL VIA: SERGIO GONZALEZ, CITY MANAGER FROM: NICO DE ANDA-SCAIA, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER DATE: AUGUST 18, 2025 SUBJECT: DESIGNATION OF VOTING DELEGATE & ALTERNATE FOR THE LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES 2025 ANNUAL CONFERENCE. BACKGROUND: The League of California Cities’ 2025 Annual Conference & Expo is scheduled from October 8- 10 in Long Beach, CA. Each year, the Conference includes an Annual Business Meeting, where the League membership considers and acts on resolutions that establish League Policy. The League’s bylaws stipulate that each city is entitled to one vote on matters affecting municipal or League policy. Therefore, in order to vote at the Annual Business Meeting, the League has requested cities to designate by City Council approval a Voting Delegate and up to two Alternates to represent their respective cities. In addition, proof of designation which reflects the action taken by council is required. The City Council is also encouraged to review annual League of California Cities conference resolution(s) and determine a city position so that the designated voting delegate may most effectively represent and convey the City’s position on these matters. At the time of preparation of this staff report, no resolutions or other policy matters have been submitted to the League of California Cities by the required deadline for consideration at the annual conference. Therefore, there is no legislative analysis to be provided for Council consideration at this time. RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends that the City Council take the following actions: 1)Designate a Voting Delegate and an Alternate for the League of California Cities Annual Business Meeting, scheduled for Friday, October 10, 2025; and APPROVED CITY COUNCIL 8/18/2025 Delegate: Councilmemeber Avila Alternate: Councilmember Bow League of CA Cities Voting Delegate & Alternate August 18, 2025 Page 2 2) Authorize the City Council’s Voting Delegate to vote in a manner that most adequately reflects the best interests of the City, on any potential resolution(s) not yet submitted for consideration during the League of California Cities’ General Assembly Meeting. ANALYSIS: Policy development is a vital and ongoing process within the League of California Cities. The principal means for deciding policy on the important issues facing cities and the League (Cal Cities) are through the League’s eight standing Policy Committees and the Board of Directors. The process allows for timely consideration of issues in a changing environment and assures city officials the opportunity to both initiate and influence policy decisions. Annual conference resolutions constitute an additional way to develop League policy and help guide cities and the League in its efforts to improve the quality, responsiveness, and vitality of local government in California. In order to vote during the General Assembly, City Councils must designate a voting delegate. Cities may also appoint up to two alternate voting delegates, one of whom may vote if the designated voting delegate is unable to serve in that capacity. Voting procedures and day-of instructions for delegates are included in the attached League Voting Delegate Information Packet (Attachment 1). Currently, the City Council’s representative to the League is Councilmember Avila, with Councilmember Mendez as the alternate. However, Council may designate any member as voting delegate or alternate(s) to the General Assembly. This year, no resolutions or other policy matters have been submitted by member cities for consideration at the annual conference. Should a future item be submitted past the required deadline that is accepted by the League for a vote at the conference, given adequate time, City staff will bring back an agenda item for Council’s consideration at the scheduled September meeting. Otherwise, League staff will provide the required analysis on any last-minute policy matters to voting delegates directly at the Annual Business Meeting. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended actions. Adequate funds are available in the FY2025-2026 budget for conference travel and related expenses. Prepared by: Reviewed and Approved: Nico De Anda-Scaia Sergio Gonzalez Deputy City Manager City Manager Attachment: 1) 2025 League Voting Delegate Information Packet 1400 K Street, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814 • 916.658.8200 • calcities.org DATE: Wednesday, July 16, 2025 TO: Mayors, Council Members, City Clerks, and City Managers RE: DESIGNATION OF VOTING DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES League of California Cities Annual Conference and Expo, Oct. 8-10, 2025 Long Beach Convention Center Every year, the League of California Cities convenes a member-driven General Assembly at the Cal Cities Annual Conference and Expo. The General Assembly is an important opportunity where city officials can directly participate in the development of Cal Cities policy. Taking place on Oct. 10, the General Assembly is comprised of voting delegates appointed by each member city; every city has one voting delegate. Your appointed voting delegate plays an important role during the General Assembly by representing your city and voting on resolutions. To cast a vote during the General Assembly, your city must designate a voting delegate and up to two alternate voting delegates, one of whom may vote if the designated voting delegate is unable to serve in that capacity. Voting delegates may either be an elected or appointed official. Action by Council Required. Consistent with Cal Cities bylaws, a city’s voting delegate and up to two alternates must be designated by the city council. Please note that designating the voting delegate and alternates must be done by city council action and cannot be accomplished by individual action of the mayor or city manager alone. Following council action, please submit your city’s delegates through the online submission portal by Wed., Sept. 24. When completing the Voting Delegate submission form, you will be asked to attest that council action was taken. You will need to be signed in to your My Cal Cities account when submitting the form. Submitting your voting delegate form by the deadline will allow us time to establish voting delegate/alternate records prior to the conference and provide pre-conference communications with voting delegates. Conference Registration Required. The voting delegate and alternates must be registered to attend the conference. They need not register for the entire conference; they may register for Friday only. Conference registration is open on the Cal Cities website. Council Action Advised by September 24, 2025 For a city to cast a vote, one voter must be present at the General Assembly and in possession of the voting delegate card and voting tool. Voting delegates and alternates need to pick up their conference badges before signing in and picking up the voting delegate card at the voting delegate desk. This will enable them to receive the special sticker on their name badges that will admit the voting delegate into the voting area during the General Assembly. Please view Cal Cities’ event and meeting policy in advance of the conference. Transferring Voting Card to Non-Designated Individuals Not Allowed. The voting delegate card may be transferred freely between the voting delegate and alternates, but only between the voting delegate and alternates. If the voting delegate and alternates find themselves unable to attend the General Assembly, they may not transfer the voting card to another city official. Seating Protocol during General Assembly. At the General Assembly, individuals with a voting card will sit in a designated area. Admission to the voting area will be limited to the individual in possession of the voting card and with a special sticker on their name badge identifying them as a voting delegate. The voting delegate desk, located in the conference registration area of the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, will be open at the following times: Wednesday, Oct. 16, 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 17, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. On Friday, Oct. 18, the voting delegate desk will be open at the General Assembly, starting at 7:30 a.m., but will be closed during roll calls and voting. The voting procedures that will be used at the conference are attached to this memo. Please share these procedures and this memo with your council and especially with the individuals that your council designates as your city’s voting delegate and alternates. Once again, thank you for submitting your voting delegate and alternates by Wednesday, Sept. 24. If you have questions, please contact Zach Seals at zseals@calcities.org. Attachments: • General Assembly Voting Guidelines • Information Sheet: Cal Cities Resolutions and the General Assembly 1400 K Street, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814 • 916.658.8200 • calcities.org General Assembly Voting Guidelines 1. One City One Vote. Each member city has a right to cast one vote on matters pertaining to Cal Cities policy. 2. Designating a City Voting Representative. Prior to the Cal Cities Annual Conference and Expo, each city council may designate a voting delegate and up to two alternates; these individuals are identified on the voting delegate form provided to the Cal Cities Credentials Committee. 3. Registering with the Credentials Committee. The voting delegate, or alternates, may pick up the city's voting card at the voting delegate desk in the conference registration area. Voting delegates and alternates must sign in at the voting delegate desk. Here they will receive a special sticker on their name badge and thus be admitted to the voting area at the General Assembly. 4. Signing Initiated Resolution Petitions. Only those individuals who are voting delegates (or alternates), and who have picked up their city’s voting card by providing a signature to the credentials committee at the voting delegate desk, may sign petitions to initiate a resolution. 5. Voting. To cast the city's vote, a city official must have in their possession the city's voting card and voting tool; and be registered with the credentials committee. The voting card may be transferred freely between the voting delegate and alternates but may not be transferred to another city official who is neither a voting delegate nor alternate. 6. Voting Area at General Assembly. At the General Assembly, individuals with a voting card will sit in a designated area. Admission to the voting area will be limited to the individual in possession of the voting card and with a special sticker on their name badge identifying them as a voting delegate. 7. Resolving Disputes. In case of dispute, the credentials committee will determine the validity of signatures on petitioned resolutions and the right of a city official to vote at the General Assembly. Sixty days before the Annual Conference and Expo, Cal Cities members may submit policy proposals on issues of importance to cities. The resolution must have the concurrence of at least five additional member cities or individual members. How it works: Cal Cities Resolutions and the General Assembly General Assembly General Resolutions Policy Committees Developing League of California Cities policy is a dynamic process that engages a wide range of members to ensure Cal Cities represents cities with one voice. These policies directly guide Cal Cities’ advocacy to promote local decision-making, and lobby against statewide policies that erode local control. The resolutions process and General Assembly is one way that city officials can directly participate in the development of Cal Cities policy. If a resolution is approved at the General Assembly, it becomes official Cal Cities policy. Here’s how resolutions and the General Assembly work. The petitioned resolution is an alternate method to introduce policy proposals during the annual conference. The petition must be signed by voting delegates from 10% of member cities, and submitted to the Cal Cities President at least 24 hours before the beginning of the General Assembly. Petitioned Resolutions The Cal Cities President assigns general resolutions to policy committees where members review, debate, and recommend positions for each policy proposal. Recommendations are forwarded to the Resolutions Committee. Who’s who The Resolutions Committee includes representatives from each Cal Cities diversity caucus, regional division, municipal department, and policy committee, as well as individuals appointed by the Cal Cities president. Voting delegates are appointed by each member city; every city has one voting delegate. The General Assembly is a meeting of the collective body of all voting delegates —one from every member city. Seven policy committees meet throughout the year to review and recommend positions to take on bills and regulatory proposals. Policy committees include members from each Cal Cities diversity caucus, regional division, and municipal department, as well as individuals appointed by the Cal Cities president. During the General Assembly, voting delegates debate and consider general and petitioned resolutions forwarded by the Resolutions Committee. Potential Cal Cities bylaws amendments are also considered at this meeting. Cal Cities policy development is a member- informed process, grounded in the voices and experiences of city officials throughout the state. For more information visit www.calcities.org/general-assembly Prior to the Annual Conference and Expo Resolutions Committee The Resolutions Committee considers all resolutions. General Resolutions approved1 by either a policy committee or the Resolutions Committee are next considered by the General Assembly. General resolutions not approved, or referred for further study by both a policy committee and the Resolutions Committee do not go to the General Assembly. All Petitioned Resolutions are considered by the General Assembly, unless disqualified.2 During the Annual Conference and Expo 1 The Resolution Committee can amend a general resolution prior to sending it to the General Assembly. 2 Petitioned Resolutions may be disqualified by the Resolutions Committee according to Cal Cities Bylaws Article VI. Sec. 5(f).