DATE: 03/19/2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Department of the City Manager
2025-115
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
FEEDBACK AND DIRECTION ON COUNCIL MEMBER DADDARIO’S REQUEST FOR
A CITY LOGO USAGE POLICY FOR YOUTH SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
On November 14, 2024, Council Member Daddario submitted a Future Agenda Request for the City Council to consider creating a City Logo Usage Policy for youth sports organizations. On January 15, 2025, the City Council directed staff to research and draft a policy. This policy will provide clear guidelines for using the City of Corona’s logo appropriately by local youth sports organizations, thereby protecting the City's brand identity and ensuring consistent presentation across teams. Rather than directly distributing digital logo files, teams will be directed to an approved vendor who will produce official logo patches, ensuring consistency with the city's brand and among youth sports teams. The goal is to establish guidelines for the City of Corona’s logo to maintain its integrity, ensure consistency, protect the City’s brand identity, and support youth sports organizations.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council provide feedback and direction on a logo usage policy for youth sports organizations.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Corona Municipal Code (CMC) Section 1.04.170 prohibits the unauthorized use of the City seal or logo without express consent from the City Council. On November 14, 2024, Council Member Daddario submitted a Future Agenda Request for the City Council to consider creating a City Logo Usage Policy for youth sports organizations. On January 15, 2025, Council directed staff to research and draft a policy. The proposal aligns with the City’s Strategic Plan Goal #5: “Sense of Place” by promoting community pride while protecting the City’s brand. This proposal seeks to formalize a process for granting permission to local youth sports organizations while ensuring appropriate usage and adherence to design standards.
The Corona Municipal Code (CMC) Section 1.04.170 prohibits the unauthorized use of the City seal or logo without express consent from the City Council.
Staff researched policies from eight neighboring cities to identify the best practices in municipal logo usage. This research revealed that while policies for Norco, Hemet, and Murrieta do not restrict logo use to youth sports organizations only, these cities do place emphasis on ensuring appropriate use of city logos through approval processes, restrictions on alterations, and clear guidelines for endorsements, advertising, and political use. The proposed policy incorporates these principles to allow logo use while enhancing transparency, consistency, and accountability specifically for youth sports organizations.
ANALYSIS:
The Youth Sports City Logo Usage Policy aims to balance support for local youth sports organizations with the need to protect and maintain the City’s brand identity. Youth sports are organized athletic activities for individuals between the ages of 3 and 18, typically structured through leagues, clubs, or school-based programs. Traditional team sports include soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, football, volleyball, and cheer.
The proposed policy provides eligibility requirements and guidelines for youth sports organizations to request use of the City’s official logo for placement on team apparel.
Eligibility under this policy requires that the organization serves youth defined as ages 3 to 18 and a minimum of 65% of the youth sport organization participants be residents of Corona. Requests for logo use must be submitted in writing to the City Manager’s Office, detailing the intended use, audience, and placement. Permitted uses of the logo focus on youth sports and include display on team uniforms and accessorizing apparel such as team hats and jackets. The youth sports logo policy usage is not applicable to promotional materials for events, and league publicity, such as websites or newsletters, to highlight the City’s support. Approved organizations will be permitted to display the City’s official logo as a patch on their apparel, thereby maintaining the logo’s original proportions, colors, and elements. Groups may obtain patches through the City approved printing vendor. This process ensures that logo patches meet established quality and design standards, maintaining consistency across all youth sports teams.
This policy also establishes clear guidelines for logo use, ensuring consistent application and preventing misuse. Prohibited uses include the logo’s association with political activities, such as endorsements of campaigns or candidates, and its use in commercial ventures for profit-making activities without explicit approval. Misrepresentation, such as unauthorized alterations or associations with content conflicting with City values, is also prohibited. Enforcement measures will include cease-and-desist orders, revocation of privileges, and potential legal action for unauthorized use. Upon Council’s feedback and direction, Council will present a final draft for adoption.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with this recommended action.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt if it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment. Adopting a Youth Sports City Logo Usage Policy is an administrative action and does not involve physical changes to the environment or approval of any project that could impact environmental resources. Therefore, this policy is not subject to CEQA, and no further environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: TALA QASQAS, CITY MANAGEMENT FELLOW
REVIEWED BY: AMINAH MEARS, DPA, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER
NICOLE MCDANIEL, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER
ATTACHMENTS:
1. EXHIBIT 1 – Future Agenda Item Request
2. EXHIBIT 2 – Draft Policy