Special Meeting of the Sister City Committee
City Hall
18747 Clarkdale Avenue
Artesia, CA 90701
(562) 865-6262
Monday, April 20. 2026
3:30 p.m.
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS
Anyone wishing to speak is asked to fill out a speaker card and submit it to the staff to address the Committee. Public comments may be submitted by email at [email protected] before 8:00 a.m. on the date of the meeting. All public comments are limited to a three-minute time period. Under California law, public comments at special meetings are limited to subjects on the agenda only.
4. ITEMS
4.A. Minutes from the January 28, 2026 Meeting
— Recommendation: Approve the minutes as presented for the January 28, 2026 Sister City Committee Meeting.
4.B. Review of Letters Requesting Sister City Relationship with Angra do Heroismo — Recommendation: Receive and file the Letter of Request submitted by Artesia DES and the Reciprocal Letter of Intent submitted by the City of Angra do Heroismo; and Recommend approval to the City Council for the establishment of a Sister City Relationship between the City of Artesia and the City of Angra do Heroismo, Portugal.
5. ADJOURNMENT
The City of Artesia complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you require special assistance to attend or participate in this meeting, please call the City Clerk’s office at 562-865-6262 at least 72 hours prior to the meeting. Copies of Staff Reports are on file in the Office of the City Clerk and are available for inspection.
Date Posted: April 17, 2026
SISTER COMMITTEE AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: April 20, 2026 ITEM NO: 4A.
TO: Committee Members
SUBJECT: Minutes from the January 28, 2026 Meeting
FROM: Mario Flores, Management Analyst
REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY:
Melissa Burke, Deputy City Manager
BACKGROUND:
The minutes of the Sister City Committee Meeting held on January 28, 2026 have been prepared and are attached to this report for Committee review. The minutes capture the actions taken during the meeting. The minutes must be approved to ensure accurate record of the proceedings.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Sister City Committee approve the minutes as presented for the January 28, 2026 Sister City Committee Meeting.
Attachments
1-28-26 SCC Meeting Minutes.pdf
Artesia Sister City Committee Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 – 8:30 a.m.
Artesia City Hall
18747 Clarkdale Avenue, Artesia, CA 90701
1. CALL TO ORDER MEETING
Mayor Pro Tem Ramoso called the meeting to order at 8:40 a.m.
2. ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor Pro Tem Ramoso and Councilmember Ahir.
Staff Present: City Manager Avalos, Deputy City Manager Burke, Management Analyst Flores.
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS
3A. Public Comments Public comments could be provided, in person or submitted by email to [email protected] on the date of the meeting. There were no public comments to report.
4. ITEMS
4A. Discussion on Sister City Designation Policy
The Committee reviewed the proposed Sister City Designation Policy draft and provided feedback to staff. Staff was directed to incorporate the recommended changes and present a revised draft to the City Council on March 9 for approval by resolution.
5. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 a.m.
SISTER COMMITTEE AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: April 20, 2026 ITEM NO: 4B.
TO: Committee Members
SUBJECT: Review of Letters Requesting Sister City Relationship with Angra do Heroismo FROM: Mario Flores, Management Analyst
REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY:
Melissa Burke, Deputy City Manager
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Sister City Committee:
1. Receive and file the Letter of Request submitted by Artesia DES and the Reciprocal Letter of Intent submitted by the City of Angra do Heroismo; and
2. Recommend approval to the City Council for the establishment of a Sister City Relationship between the City of Artesia and the City of Angra do Heroismo, Portugal.
BACKGROUND:
On March 9, 2026, the City Council adopted a Sister City Designation Policy establishing the requirements and procedures for community organizations and other eligible entities to propose the formation of Sister City relationships with the City of Artesia. The Policy provides that Sister City programs are intended to foster cultural exchange, community partnerships, and potential economic and professional collaboration. The Policy further clarifies that such programs are not supported by City staff or financial resources unless specifically authorized by a majority vote of the City Council.
Under the Policy, community organizations may seek City Council approval by submitting an application to the Sister City Committee by way of the City Manager. The Sister City Committee, composed of two members of the City Council designated by the Mayor, is responsible for reviewing applications and making recommendations to the City Council, which retains sole discretion to approve or deny each request on a case-by-case basis.
Staff has received a Letter of Request from Artesia DES proposing the establishment of a Sister City relationship with Angra do Heroismo, Portugal. A Reciprocal Letter of Intent (LOI) from Angra do Heroismo has also been submitted in support of the request.
ANALYSIS:
The request satisfies the Policy's minimum requirements, including submission of both a Letter of Request and a Reciprocal LOI.
DES Letter of Request
The Letter of Request provides strong justification based on the longstanding historical and cultural ties between Artesia's Portuguese community; primarily originating from the Azores. The letter also includes the historical and cultural ties between Artesia and Angra do Heroismo, the proposed Sister City. The letter highlights decades of cultural exchange, including festivals, performances, and community visits, as well as prior engagement between officials from both cities. It also notes that Angra do Heroismo has already expressed formal support for the relationship.
The proposal outlines objectives consistent with the Policy, including expanding cultural exchange, promoting Portuguese heritage (including cuisine, music, language, and soccer), and strengthening community partnerships.
The request aligns with the Policy's goals related to cultural exchange, international relationships, and community engagement. Furthermore, Artesia DES has demonstrated its organizational capacity to sustain the Sister City relationship, as evidenced by its decades of active involvement in cultural programming, international exchanges, and community engagement, consistent with the Policy requirements that such efforts not rely on City resources.
Angra do Heroismo Reciprocal Letter of Intent
The LOI from Angra do Heroismo expresses a clear commitment to establishing a Sister City (twinning) relationship based on mutual cooperation, cultural exchange, and shared history. The letter emphasizes the strong connection between the Azorean community and Artesia, identifying the partnership as an opportunity to strengthen cultural identity, support economic and social development, and foster long-term collaboration.
The LOI outlines potential areas of cooperation, including cultural and educational exchanges, tourism promotion, professional development, and joint programs between public and private entities. It also proposes the establishment of a coordinating framework to manage the relationship, including regular meetings and ongoing program development. Overall, the letter demonstrates reciprocity and a structured, long-term commitment to the partnership consistent with Policy expectations.
Attachments
Letter of Request - Artesia DES - Angra do Heroismo.pdf LOI from Angra do Heroismo.pdf
Sister City Designation Policy 3.9.26.pdf
4 CITY OF ARTESIA
SISTER CITY DESIGNATION POLICY
1. PURPOSE:
This Policy establishes the requirements and procedures for community organizations and other interested entities to propose the formation of a Sister City relationship between a prospective city and the City of Artesia. Sister City programs are generally created between two cities to create friendships, cultural exchanges and may be expanded to include business and professional collaborations. Sister City programs are not supported by City staff and/or financial resources unless specifically authorized by a majority vote of the City Council.
2. POLICY DIRECTIVE:
Artesia-based community organizations may seek City Council approval to establish a Sister City relationship with a prospective city by submitting an application to the Sister City Committee by way of the City Manager in accordance with this Policy. All applications will be reviewed by the Sister City Committee and approved by the City Council on a case-by-case basis.
3. SISTER CITY FORMATION:
A. Community Organizations and Other Eligible Entities: Community organizations and other eligible entities may seek City of Artesia approval for the establishment of a Sister City relationship between a prospective city and the City of Artesia, subject to the following requirements.
For the purposes of this Policy, the Sister City Committee is defined as a committee composed of two (2) members of the Artesia City Council, designated by the Mayor.
1. A letter of request will be submitted to the Sister City Committee by way of the City Manager providing justification and/or reasoning for the proposed Sister City relationship. The letter will also be required to outline the goals and objectives of the proposed Sister City relationship such as:
a. Developing community partnerships between cities, counties, states of the United States and similar jurisdictions in other nations;
b. Creating opportunities for the city officials and citizens to experience and explore other cultures through long-term community partnerships;
c. Creating an atmosphere to facilitate economic development opportunities; d. Stimulating environments through which communities will creatively learn, work and solve problems together by sharing cultural, educational, municipal, business, professional, and technical experiences; and
e. Collaborating with local government organizations throughout the United States that share similar interests.
2. A reciprocal Letter of Intent (LOI) from the prospective city should accompany the Sister City application for the purpose of providing information about the organization or entity 5 and reasoning for the proposed relationship.
3. The proposing organization or entity shall be a non-profit organization or tax-exempt association as recognized by the State of California or the Internal Revenue Code with 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), or 501(c)(6) designation.
4. If applicable, a complete list of the organization’s members’ names, addresses and telephone numbers and other necessary information declaring if members are employed in the City, or are owners or operators of a business or other establishment located in the City, as of the date of the application.
B. Other Organizations: In the event that a proposing community group is not a formally established association or organization, the Sister City Committee may choose to accept a LOI from the sponsoring organization or individual representative stipulating that it can fulfil the above referenced requirements within 120 days of the date of the LOI. All requests to establish a Sister City relationship with the City of Artesia shall be subject to Sister City Committee review and City Council consideration and approval on a case-by-case basis.
C. Review Process: Once letters of request are received from a community organization or other eligible entity, the City Manager or designee will review the letter, and if found complete, shall convene a meeting of the Sister City Committee to review the Sister City request.
1. The Sister City Committee will review the request letter, and if they find the application warrants the creation of a new sister city relationship, they will make a recommendation to the full City Council to establish a new sister city relationship.
2. If the Sister City Committee does not recommend approval of the proposed sister city relationship, the request shall not proceed to the City Council and shall be considered denied unless otherwise directed by the City Council. If the Sister City Committee recommends approval, the recommendation shall be forwarded to the City Council for consideration. The City Council retains sole and absolute discretion to approve or deny the establishment of any sister city relationship.
3. In evaluating a request to establish a new Sister City relationship, the Sister City Committee shall consider the following criteria:
a. Eligibility and Compliance with Policy Requirements: The requesting organization meets all eligibility requirements set forth in this Policy, including nonprofit or taxexempt status, demonstrated connection to the City of Artesia, membership composition, and submission of required documentation.
b. Justification for the Proposed Relationship: The letter of request clearly articulates the rationale for selecting the proposed city and the proposed relationship demonstrates cultural, historical, educational, economic, or civic relevance to the City of Artesia and its residents.
c. Reciprocity and City Commitment: A reciprocal letter of request clearly articulates the rationale for selecting the proposed city.
d. Organizational Capacity: The sponsoring organization demonstrates the capacity to 6 manage and sustain the Sister City relationship without reliance on City Staff or financial resources unless otherwise authorized by the City Council. e. Alignment with Goals: The proposal supports one or more of the Sister City goals identified in the Policy, including cultural exchange, international friendship, educational opportunities, and potential economic or professional collaboration.
4. APPROVAL OF POLICY:
This Policy was approved by the Artesia City Council by Resolution No. 26-3077 on March 9, 2026, and became effective immediately thereon.