AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date: September 16, 2025
Item Number:
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council
From: Mandy Jiang, Senior Management Analyst
Subject: DESIGNATION OF THE CITY’S VOTING DELEGATE AND
ALTERNATES FOR THE 2025 CALCITIES ANNUAL CONFERENCE
AND APPROVE HOTEL ACCOMODATION REQUEST
Attachments: 1. League of California Cities 2025 Annual Conference Voting Delegate Packet
2. Resolution No 06-R-12053
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council designate Mayor Sharona Nazarian as the City of Beverly Hills’ Voting Delegate, Vice Mayor John Mirisch as the Alternate Voting Delegate, and Deputy City Manager Keith Sterling as the second Alternate Voting Delegate, to represent the City at the League of California Cities (“CalCities”) Annual Conference’s General Assembly (Attachment 1).
It is also recommended that the City Council approve Vice Mayor Mirisch’s request for hotel accommodation.
INTRODUCTION
This year, the CalCities Annual Conference is scheduled for October 8-10, 2025, at the Long Beach Convention Center. The CalCities Annual Conference provides opportunities for attendees to gain perspective and knowledge on current issues pertinent to cities, while deepening relationships with others in similar fields. The event program includes informational breakout sessions, workshops, networking opportunities, and an interactive Expo that may differ from year to year.
An important part of the Annual Conference is the General Assembly meeting for member cities, which will take place on Friday, October 10, 2025. During the General Assembly, member cities may vote on resolutions which establish CalCities’ policies for the upcoming year. To vote at the General Assembly, a member city’s Voting Delegate and up to two Alternate Voting Delegates must be designated by City Council action. In the absence of the Voting Delegate, the Alternate may vote, and the second Alternate may vote when both are absent.
Meeting Date: September 16, 2025
This year, no policy resolutions have been submitted for the General Assembly’s consideration. These resolutions are typically policy proposals on issues of importance to cities and require support from at least five additional member cities or individual members, before being presented to the General Assembly for action. Member cities may submit general resolutions 60 days before the beginning of the Annual Conference, and this deadline has passed without any resolutions received by CalCities.
DISCUSSION
To vote at the General Assembly, each member city must designate a voting delegate and two alternate voting delegates. Starting this year, CalCities will no longer require a resolution designating the City’s voting delegate and alternates. Instead, member cities must submit an online form attesting the designated delegates were approved by Council action, no later than September 24, 2025.
Mayor Nazarian and Vice Mayor Mirisch have expressed an interest in attending the Annual Conference and General Assembly, serving as the City’s Voting Delegate and Alternate respectively, if approved by the City Council. Additionally, Deputy City Manager Sterling can serve as the City’s second Alternate, in the absence of the Voting Delegate and Alternate.
Further, Vice Mayor Mirisch has requested hotel accommodation. Per Resolution No 06- R-12053 (Attachment 2), lodging expenses for business meetings located within 50 miles of City Hall must be approved by City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
Per CalCities, all three delegates are required to register for the General Assembly on Friday, October 10th. Registration for one-day is $375 per person or $725 for the entire conference. Pre-conference tours and workshops are available, and the registration fee is $200. Funding is available in the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Policy and Management City Council Administration and Support budget.
Keith Sterling
Deputy City Manager
Approved By
Attachment 1
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. 8, 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 9, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. On Friday, Oct. 10, 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 [email protected].
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 memberinformed 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).
Attachment 2
RESOLUTION NO 06-R-12053
RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS
ESTABLISHING A POLICY REGARDING REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES WHEREAS, the City of Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hills City Council take stewardship over the use of hmited public resources seriously, WHEREAS, public resources may be used for travel and remmbursing the expenses of members of the City Council and appointed officials on commissions and committees when there is a benefit to the City and when conducting City business, WHEREAS, the benefits to the City of rermbursing expenses incurred by members of the City Council include but are not limited to the opportunity to discuss the community’s concerns with local, state and federal officials, participating in regional, state and national organizations whose activities benefit and affect the City, attending educational seminars designed to improve officials’ skill and information levels through continuing education and information sharing with other public officials, and promoting public service and morale by recognizing such service, WHEREAS, legislative and other regional, state and federal agency business 1s frequently conducted over meals, sharing a meal with regional, state and federal officials ts frequently the best opportunity for a more extensive, focused and uninterrupted communication about the City’s policy concerns, and each meal expenditure must comply with the hmits and reporting requirements of local, state and federal law, WHEREAS, this policy provides guidance to City Councilmembers and appointed commissioners and committee members on the appropriate use and expenditure of City resources, as well as the standards against which those expenditures will be measured, WHEREAS, this policy satisfies the requrements of Government Code Sections 53232 2 and 53233 3,
WHEREAS, this policy supplements the definition of actual and necessary expenses for purposes of applicable State laws relating to permissible uses of public resources, NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Beverly Hills does resolve as follows Section 1 Application This policy applies to all City Councilmembers and to members of appointed commisstons and committees as set forth in Section 17 of this Resolution (collectively referred to herein as “public official”) In the event that expenses are incurred which exceed these guidelines, the cost borne or reimbursed by the City will be limited to the costs that fall within the guidelines, unless such excess amounts have been approved in advance by the City Council
B0785 0001/876367 5 (rev)
Section 2 Expenses City funds, equipment, supplies, and staff tme must only be used for authonzed business of the City of Beverly Hills Section 3 Authorized Expenses Expenses incurred by a public official in connection with the following types of activities generally constitute authorized expenses, and may be reimbursed by the City as long as the other requirements of this policy are met A Serving the needs of the residents, businesses and visitors of the City of Beverly Hills
B Communicating with constituents in compliance with applicable laws, Cc Communicating with representatives of regional, state and national government on City policy positions,
D Attending educational seminars designed to improve public officials’ skill, knowledge, and information levels,
E City workshops (e g , priority setting programs and the performance evaluation of appointed staff)
F Participating in regional, state and national organizations whose activities benefit or affect the City’s interests,
G Attending City, community, regional and other events whose activities benefit or positively affect the City’s interests,
H Recognizing distinguished guests and visitors to the City (for example, a gift or flowers to a visiting dignitary of nominal value and cost), I Implementing a City-initiated strategy for attracting or retaining businesses to the City
Section 4 Prior Approval The reimbursement of any international travel shall require prior approval by the City Council
Section 5 Non-Reimbursable Expenses Examples of personal expenses that the City will not reimburse include, but are not limited to A The personal portion of any trip
B Political or charitable contributions
Cc Family expenses, including spouse or partner’s expenses when accompanying official on agency-related business, as well as children-or pet-related expenses, B0785 0001/876367 5 (rev) 2
D Entertainment expenses, including but not iimited to theater, movies (either inroom or at the theater), recreational events not related to City business (including gym, massage and/or golf related expenses), and cultural events not related to City business, E Non-muileage persona! automobile expenses, including repairs, traffic citations, insurance or gasoline,
F Personal alcohol or bar expenses, unless such alcohol or bar expense 1s consumed in conjunction with activities set forth in Section 3
Any questions regarding the propnety of a particular type of expense should be resolved by seeking and receiving approval from the City Council prior to incurring the expense Section 6 Transportation The most economical mode and class of transportation reasonably consistent with scheduling needs and the public official’s time constraints must be used, using the most direct and time-efficient route The public official must use government and group rates offered by a provider of transportation when available The City Council recognizes and acknowledges that some public officials are part-time volunteers, and that personal, employment and other commitments may impact the economy of available travel arrangements
A Airfare/Train/Personal Vehicle Allowance for air and train travel is based on actual round trip coach fare, tourist fare or by the method least costly to the City Public officials are expected to make special efforts to take advantage of discounts, special fares and travel vouchers whenever available at reasonable and convenient times Travel by personal vehicle shall not exceed the cost of the airfare or train fare
B Automobile Automobile mileage ts rermbursed at Internal Revenue Service rates presently in effect (see www irs gov) The Admumstrative Services Department shall provide a new, adjusted mileage rate in January of each year, or when appropriate, and the rate for 2006 1s 445 cents per mile These rates are designed to compensate the driver for gasoline, insurance, maintenance, and other expenses associated with operating the vehicle This amount does not include bridge and road tolls, which are also reimbursable The Internal Revenue Service rates will not be paid for rental vehicles, only receipted fuel expenses will be reimbursed when a rental vehicle 1s used during official travel Public officials must have a valid California drivers license and proof of insurance when using a personal vehicle for City business Cc Car Rental Allowance for car rental 1s based on actual cost to rent a full-size vehicle Public officials are expected to make special efforts to take advantage of discounts, special fares and travel vouchers whenever available at reasonable and convenient times Public officials must have a valid California drivers license and proof of insurance when using a rental vehicle while on City business
D Taxis/Shuttles/Limousines/Town Cars Taxis, shuttles, limousines, town cars may be reimbursed, including up to a 20 percent gratuity per fare, when the cost of such fare is B0785 0001/876367 5 (rev) 3
equal or less than the cost of car rental, gasoline and parking combined, or when such transportation 1s necessary for time-efficiency Public officials are expected to take the most economical mode and class of transportation consistent with scheduling needs and the officials’ time constraints
E Parking Expenses City will provide rermbursement for actual cost of parking associated with travel, including parking at the airport, hotel and conference parking, training or meeting site or in conjunction with any activity set forth in Section 3 of this policy Section 7 Lodging Lodging expenses will be reimbursed or paid for when travel on official City business reasonably requires an overnight stay No re:mbursement shall be made when official travel 1s within 50 miles of the City Hall unless pnor authorization 1s sought and granted from the City Council If the public official chooses to utilize a higher rate hotel or accommodation outside this policy, the public official 1s personally responsible for the difference 1n cost
A Conferences/Meetings If such lodging 1s in connection with a conference, lodging expenses must not exceed the group rate published by the conference sponsor for the meeting in question if such rates are available at the tme of booking If the group rate 1s not available, see paragraph B of this Section
B Other Lodging The public official must request government lodging rates, when available Lodging rates that are equal or less to government rates are presumed to be reasonable and hence reimbursable for purposes of this policy In the event that government rates are not available at a given time or in a given area or for a particular hotel property, lodging rates that do not exceed a rate offered for a standard room in a hotel rated no more than four stars on a five star scale listed on websites such as www travelocity com, www expedia com, www orbitz com or www hotels com shall be considered reasonable and hence reimbursable Section 8 Meals Public officials should, when available, take meals that are provided as part of a seminar or conference registration fee Reimbursable meal expenses and associated gratuities shall not exceed a daily rate of $150 per person for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner including tax and tip This amount shall be adjusted annually without further action by the City Council to reflect changes im the cost of living in accordance with statistics published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, all urban consumers for the Los Angeles/Anaheim/Riverside Metropolitan Area (The annual adjustment will be based on this area whether travel 1s within the area or not) The City will reimburse alcohol or bar expenses 1f such expense 1s im conjunction with meals taken as part of an authonzed activity as set forth in Section 3 of this policy Ifa public official exceeds the daily amount for meals, the public official 1s required to pay these expenses from their personal funds either by paying the additional expense directly or reimbursing the City, whichever method 1s appropriate
Section 9 Telephone/Fax/Cellular Public officials shall be rermbursed for the actual cost of all actual telephone and fax expenses while traveling on City business in order to accomplish City-related business Telephone bills should identify which calls were made on City BO0785 0001/876367 5 (rev) 4
business For cellular calls when the public official has a particular number of minutes included in the public official’s plan, the public official can identify the percentage of calls made on City business and be reimbursed for that percentage of applicable charges Personal calls up to thirty minutes per day may be made at City expense
Section 10 Internet/Computer Rental and Related Equipment On out-of-town trips, public officials will be rermbursed for the actual cost of Internet access connection and/or usage fees away from home, computer rental and related eqmpment if such use and devices are necessary for City-related business
Section 11 Tips_and Gratuities Reasonable expenses for tps and gratuities are allowed for hotel and transportation purposes will be rembursed Baggage handling fees of up to $2 per bag will be rermbursed Tips for meals are included in the daily meal rate, and therefore are not separately reimbursed
Section 12 Cash Advance Policy From time to time, 1t may be necessary for an official to request a cash advance to cover anticipated expenses while traveling or doing business on the City’s behalf Such request for an advance should be submitted to the Administrative Services Department not less than seven (7) days pnor to the need for the advance with the following information (a) the purpose of the expenditure(s), (b) the anticipated amount of the expenditure(s) (for example, hotel rates, meal costs, and transportation expenses), and (c) the dates of the expenditure(s)
Any unused advance must be returned to the City treasury within five (5) business days of the official’s return, along with an expense report and receipts documenting how the advance was used in compliance with this expense policy
Section 13 Expense Report Content_and Submission Deadline All cash advance expenditures, credit card expenditures and expense reimbursement requests must be submitted on an expense report form provided by the City Public officials must submit their expense reports within 30 days of an expense beg mcurred All expenses reported on must comply with this policy Expense reports must document that the expense in question meets the requirements of this Policy, including providing receipts and/or credit card shps The inability to provide such documentation in a timely fashion may result in the expense bemg borne by the official The information submitted 1s a public record
Section 14 Venfication of Expense Reports All expenses are subject to verification that they comply with this Policy The Chief Financial Officer or his/her designee may request additional documentation or explanation of individual expenditures for which a public official requests rermbursement
Section 15 Reports To the Public At a subsequent City Council meeting, each public official shal! briefly report, orally or in writing, on meetings attended at City expense If multiple officials attended an event, a jomt report or individual report on behalf of all attendees may be made
BO0785 0001/876367 5 (rev) 5
Section 16 | Compliance With Laws Public officials should keep in mind that some expenditures could be subject to reporting under the Political Reform Act and other laws Records of all City expenditures and documentation regarding expense resmbursements are public records subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act Section 17 Commission and Commiuttee_Travel_and Expenses Members of Commissions and Committees set forth in Chapter 2 of Title 2 of the Beverly Hills Municipal Code, will not be reimbursed for any expenses except as provided in this Secton 17 Members of Commissions and Committees may be authorized by the City Manager or his designee to attend educational seminars or meetings that relate to the Commissions’ or Committees’ responsibilities when that meeting 1s located outside of the City In such case, the commissioner or committee member must comply with the applicable provisions of this Resolution Section 18 Violation Of This Policy Use of public resources or falsifying expense reports in violation of this policy may result in any or all of the following loss of rermbursement privileges, a demand for restitution to the City, the agency’s reporting the expenses as income to the elected official to state and federal tax authorities, civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day and three times the value of the resources used, and prosecution for misuse of public resources Section 19 — This policy shall be incorporated and made part of the City Council Policy and Operations Manual as adopted on March 1, 2005 The policy shall be deemed to apply to any reimbursements for expenses approved as of February 1, 2006 Section 20 The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution and shall cause this Resolution and his certification to be entered in the Book of Resolutions of the Council of this City
Adopted March 7, 2006
Mayor'6f the City of
Beverly Hillis, Califorma
ATTEST ** “!
___(SEAL)
BYRON POPE
Acting City Clerk
B0785 0001/876367 5 (rev) 6
CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS
A municipal corporation
APPROVED AS TO FORM
Da P A Roa Cm
LAURENCE S WIENER
City Attorney
BO0785 0001/876367 5 (rev)