Governance and Ethics Committee
June 3, 2024
Item #2
1 Governance &
Ethics Committee
Item #2 Review and Action on
Council Policy 020 (“Proclamations,
Commendations and Certificates of
Recognition”) and Council Policy
009 (“City Representation at
Meetings, Ceremonies and Special
Events”)
June 3, 2024
Background
• At the March 4 Governance and Ethics Committee – staff presented background and benchmarking information
from local agencies on:
• Council Policy 020 ("Proclamations, Commendations and Certificates of Recognition")
• Council Policy
009 ("City Representation at Meetings, Ceremonies, and
Events")
• Based on the Committee’s feedback, the following proposed amendments for both policies
are presented for further review and consideration.
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2 Post Meeting Materials
Governance and Ethics Committee
June 3, 2024
Item #2
2 Council Policy 020
• Council Policy 020 identifies the criteria and procedure for recognition of individuals, groups, organizations, businesses, special periods of observance, or special occasions by the issuance of Proclamations, Commendations & Certificates of Recognition • The current policy allows the public
and members of the City Council to request
items, with approval by the Mayor.
• Recognition items may be
presented at a City Council meeting,
an event or delivered to recipients.
3 Proposed Amendments
• Based on the City Charter, the Mayor is the presiding officer and the official head of the City for all ceremonial purposes.
• Consistent with this, over the years, the Mayor has presided over City ceremonial functions, and maintained approval authority over ceremonial proclamations and recognition.
• The proposed amendments maintains the process for approval:
Mayor approves all City Proclamations, Commendations, and Certificates of recognition (citywide and at the district level).
• Alternatively, the proposed amendments include a process for a City Councilmember to request approval of their proposed proclamation, commendation, or certificate of recognition by the full City Council, if the Mayor elects not to authorize it. This is in alignment with the current Council’s Policy 030 4 3
4 Governance and Ethics Committee
June 3, 2024
Item #2
3 Proposed Amendments
Definition for Proclamations: Staff proposes removing proclamations that are issued for “issues and actions”, as these are positions, which should be reviewed through the Legislative Advocacy Position Policy or Citywide Resolution process. City Council District Certificates of Recognition: Based on Committee feedback, staff proposes consideration of District Certificates issued to individuals/groups for achievement or contributions in the Council district. Signatures: 1) Proposed to include full City Council signatures on Proclamations and Commendations 2) Proposed to include the Mayor and City Councilmember’s signatures on District Certificates 3) Signatures are automatically included, unless changes requested to staff prior to issuance.
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Proposed
Changes (red)
Proclamations Commendations Mayoral Certificates
of Recognition
City Council District
Certificates of Recognition
Requested by: Any member of the public
or Mayor/Council
Any member of the public
or Mayor/Council
Any member of the
public or
Mayor/Council
Any member of the public or
Mayor/Council
Approved by: Mayor Mayor Mayor Mayor
Signatures: Mayor and City Council Mayor and City Council Mayor Mayor and City Councilmember Definition: Proclamations are issued
for special periods of
observance (e.g., days,
weeks, or months), civic
celebrations, or local,
community, regional,
state, or national
occasions or programs
with significance to the
City of Santa Clara.
Proposed to remove:
“issues or actions”.
Commendations are
issued to individuals,
groups, organizations,
businesses, or programs
of significance with a
connection to the City for
major milestones or
achievements that have
community-wide
significance. Also issued to
employees retired from the
City of Santa Clara or
Santa Clara Unified
School District for 20 years
or more of service or who
have made significant
contributions.
Mayoral Certificates
of Recognition are
issued to individuals,
groups,
organizations,
businesses, or
programs with a
connection to the
City for individual or
group achievement,
or contributions to
the Santa Clara
community
City Council District Certificates
of Recognition are issued to
individuals, groups,
organizations, businesses, or
programs with a connection to
the City for individual or group
achievement, or contributions to
the City Council district.
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Governance and Ethics Committee
June 3, 2024
Item #2
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Proposed Samples
Review & Discussion
Approve Proposed Amendments, if any, to Council Policy 020 (“Proclamations, Commendations and Certificates of Recognition”) 8 7
8 Governance and Ethics Committee
June 3, 2024
Item #2
5 Council Policy 009
• Council Policy 009 outlines the procedures for City
representation at meetings, ceremonies, and
events hosted by the City or by outside individuals
or groups.
• Based on Committee feedback, staff drafted a
proposed revision of the Policy 009 for
consideration.
• As currently in practice, all invitations received by staff shall be shared with the full City Council.
Invitations received solely for the Mayor or specific
City Councilmembers will not be forwarded to full
Council.
9 Proposed Amendments
City Hosted Events
• Maximum of two (2) Mayor/Council speakers: includes the Mayor and another City Councilmember. Based on programs, which may include multiple speakers from partner agencies/groups, staff will work to ensure programs are the appropriate length.
External Events The outside entity determines the planning of the event and shall request who represents the City of Santa Clara.
1. If not specified, the invitation shall be referred to the Mayor first.
2. If the Mayor is unable to attend, the invitation shall be referred to the Vice Mayor.
3. If the Vice Mayor is unable to attend, the invitation shall be referred to City Councilmembers in order of Seniority (same process as Vice Mayor rotation)
4. The City Manager (or a designee) may also be requested to represent the City at an event
5. The City Council may officially request a City Board or Commission member to represent the City on certain occasions.
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10 Governance and Ethics Committee
June 3, 2024
Item #2
6 Proposed Amendments
11 Primary Speaker Second Speaker
a. The Mayor, as presiding officer and the
official head of the City for all ceremonial
purposes, will be the primary speaker for all
City hosted events.
Option 1 District Councilmember – In addition to the Mayor, the Councilmember representing the district (geographic location) offered the opportunity to speak.
b. If the Mayor is unable to attend as a
speaker, the option goes to the Vice Mayor to
preside and speak as the City’s ceremonial
head.
Option 2 Councilmember Rotation – Many events often
occur in the same Council district; the Committee may choose to recommend a rotational approach to the selection of a City Councilmember. If a Councilmember misses their rotation, they will wait until their next scheduled spot.
Option 3 Special Interest/Expertise – If a Councilmember serves on a City Committee or Outside Agency Committee or Board which is related to the focus of a City hosted event, they may represent the City as the second speaker.
Maximum of two (2) Mayor/Council speakers at City Hosted Events:
Review & Discussion
Approve Proposed Amendments, if any, to Council Policy 009 (“City Representation at Meetings, Ceremonies and Special Events”) 12 11
12 Governance and Ethics Committee
June 3, 2024
Item #2
7 Governance &
Ethics Committee
Item #2 Review and Action on
Council Policy 020 (“Proclamations,
Commendations and Certificates of
Recognition”) and Council Policy
009 (“City Representation at
Meetings, Ceremonies and Special
Events”)
June 3, 2024
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