Agenda Item #15.2
For Council Meeting of: July 22, 2025
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JASON NUTT, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: AMENDING CHAPTER 1-04 OF THE CITY CODE ENTITLED “CUSTODY AND USE OF CITY SEAL AND OTHER OFFICIAL INSIGNIA” AGENDA ACTION: ORDINANCE INTRODUCTION AND RESOLUTION
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the City Manager’s Office and Communication and Intergovernmental Relations Department that the Council: 1) introduce an ordinance amending City Code Section 1-04.020 “Definitions” of Chapter 1-04, “Custody and Use of City Seal and Other City Insignia”; and 2) by resolution approve the 2025 Brand Book. _____________________________________________________________________
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As technology and organizational demands change, so must our image and brand across all mediums and platforms, digital and paper, to remain recognizable and relevant with the public. Council will consider adopting amendments to Chapter 1-04 relating to the use and style of the City’s official seal, logo and other official insignias. Adoption of the 2025 Brand Book replaces the prior style guide and specific definitions and detail contained within Subsection 1-04.020 “Definitions” to allow for greater flexibility to through a detailed guide on format, color, font and logo usage for all City products.
BACKGROUND
In the era of increased community engagement through web presence, social media, and merchandise, the City logo is the most immediately recognizable element of the City’s brand across all platforms. To reflect on the importance of the City logo, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 4008 (Attachment 3) on July 16, 2013, which governs the usage of official City insignia and logo. Additional key modifications were made through Ordinance 4038 (Attachment 4) on February 24, 2015, which incorporated additional modifications to the City logo style to standardize design options, modernize fonts and colors, address logo inconsistencies and incorporate a square logo format with additional colors that are more compatible with various electronic mediums and media.
As technology and organizational demands change, so to must our image and brand across all mediums and platforms, digital and paper, to remain recognizable and relevant with the public.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
See above in background section.
ANALYSIS
Over the past couple years, the City team has been working on additional modernizations to the city website, city newsletter and style guide to ensure the best possible public experience across all media types. This has resulted in the development of the 2025 Brand Book (Exhibit A), which replaces the prior style guide to provide detailed guidelines on format, color, font and logo usage for all City products. Given the regular modernization needs for products contained within the Brand Book, staff is recommending simplifying the City Code by removing specific branding details and instead adopting the Brand Book by resolution.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact as these modifications will be incorporated as a component of the City website redesign project.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This Ordinance is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code §§ 21000 et seq., “CEQA,” and 14 Cal. Code Reg. §§ 15000 et seq., “CEQA Guidelines”). Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378 (b), the Ordinance is not a project within the meaning of CEQA because it creates a licensing and government funding mechanism that will not result in either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. In the alternative, the proposed action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the project may have a significant effect on the environment.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Ordinance 4008, July 16, 2013
Attachment 2 – Ordinance 4038, February 24, 2015
Ordinance
Resolution
Exhibit A – 2025 Brand Book
PRESENTERS
Jason Nutt, Assistant City Manager
Bryce Aston, Community Outreach Specialist
AMENDING CHAPTER 1-04 OF THE CITY CODE ENTITLED “CUSTODY AND USE OF CITY SEAL AND OTHER OFFICIAL INSIGNIA” PAGE 1 OF 2