ROGC AGENDA: 6/15/22
ITEM: B.2
Memorandum
TO: CITY COUNCIL FROM: Mayor Sam Liccardo
SUBJECT: REQUEST TO
TRAVEL
DATE: June 8, 2022
Approved: Date: June 8, 2022
Recommendation: Authorize travel, and accept travel payments to the City of San José, and designate Mayor Sam Liccardo and Mackenzie Mossing, the Mayor’s Deputy Chief of Staff, as the City representatives to attend the France-California Conservation and Climate Exchange Study Tour in Saclay (Paris Region), France and Brussels, Belgium from July 10, 2022 to July 15, 2022.
Location: Saclay, France and Brussels, Belgium
Meeting Dates: July 10-15, 2022
Source of Funds: Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority and Terre et Cité (airfare, lodging, meals, ground transportation)
Purpose:
Mayor Liccardo and Mackenzie Mossing to represent the City of San José for the France California Conservation and Climate Exchange Study Tour, hosted by the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority and Terre et Cité.
The purpose of the France-California Conservation and Climate Exchange Study Tour is to share innovative solutions that build biodiversity and climate resilience for communities in adjacent natural and working landscapes, by comparing ideas, initiatives, and actions in Coyote Valley, San José with those on the Plateau de Saclay (near Paris, France). The tour will involve delegations of local and state policymakers, members of regional organizations and associations, and scientists from France and California. The Study Tour will include meeting with European Union (EU) officials to discuss EU policies and initiatives regarding climate, biodiversity, agriculture and open space; meeting with French senators regarding relevant climate and land use topics; visiting farms to learn about climate-friendly practices and programs; and a field tour of water resource systems. The group will explore ways to highlight the tradeoffs and processes necessary for achieving sustainability in these types of landscapes through meetings with stakeholders and experts on the Plateau, in Paris, and in Brussels. Mayor Liccardo was told that he would speak at one or more of these gatherings.
Originally scheduled for 2020, this trip has been rescheduled repeatedly as a result of the pandemic. Mayor Liccardo will personally pay for expenses relating to his wife’s travel.