LEAGUE OF
CALIFORNIA
CITIES
Council Action Advised by September 1, 2026
DATE: Wednesday, May 13, 2026
TO: Mayors, Council Members, City Clerks, and City Managers RE: DESIGNATION OF VOTING DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES
League of California Cities Annual Conference and Expo, Sept. 23-25, 2026 Anaheim 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 Friday, Sept. 25, 2026 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 Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. 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 opens June 2.
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 1400 K Streel Suite 400 Sacramento CA 95814 916 658 8200 -colcilies ore
LEAGUE OF
CALIFORNIA
CITIES
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 Anaheim Convention Center, will be open at the following times: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 24, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. On Friday, Sept. 25, 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 Tuesday, Sept. 1. 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 1400K Street, Suite 400, Sacramento CA 95814 • 916.658.8200 • calcities.org
LEAGUE OF
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CITIES
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.
Designating a City Voting Representative. Prior to the Cal Cities Annual Conterence 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.
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.
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.
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.
1400 K Sfreet. Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814 • 916.658.8200 - calcities. org How it works: Cal Cities
LEAGUE OF
CALIFORNIA
CITIES Resolutions and the General Assembly
Developing League of California Cilies policy is a dynamic process that engages a wide range of members to ensure Cal Cilies represents cities with one voice. These policies direclly 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.
Prior to the Annual Conference and Expo Who's who
Cal Cities policy
General Resolutions Policy Committees development is a member- Sixty days before the The Cal Cities informed process,
Annual Conference grounded in the voices and
President assigns
and Expo, Cal Cities general resolutions experiences of city officials members may submit to policy committees throughout the state. policy proposals on where members
issues of importance review, debate, and recommend The Resolutions Committee to cities. The resolution must includes representatives positions for each policy proposal.
have the concurrence of at least Recommendations are forwarded from each Cal Cities five additional member cities or to the Resolutions Committee. diversity caucus, regional individual members. division, municipal
department, and policy
committee, as well as
During the Annual cont individuals appointed by
the Cal Cities president.
Petitioned Resolutions Resolutions Committee
The petitioned The Resolutions Voting delegates
resolution is an Committee considers are appointed by each alternate method all resolutions. General member city; every city to introduce policy Resolutions approved' by has one voting delegate. proposals during either a policy committee
the annual conference. The or the Resolutions Committee are next The General Assembly is a petition must be signed by considered by the General Assembly. meeting of the collective voting delegates from 10% of General resolutions not approved, or body of all voting member cities, and submitted to referred for further study by both a delegates -one from the Cal Cities President at least policy committee and the Resolutions every member city. 24 hours before the beginning Committee do not go to the General of the General Assembly. Assembly. All Petitioned Resolutions Seven policy committees are considered by the General meet throughout the year
Assembly, unless disqualified.? to review and recommend positions to take on bills
and regulatory proposals.
Policy committees include
General Assembly members from each Cal
During the General Assembly, voting delegates Cities diversity caucus, debate and consider general and petitioned regional division, and resolutions forwarded by the Resolutions municipal department, Committee. Potential Cal Cities bylaws as well as individuals amendments are also considered at this meeting. appointed by the Cal Cities president.
' 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).
For more information visit www.calcities.org/general-assembly