CITY OF SIMI VALLEY
MEMORANDUM
September 9, 2024
TO: City Council
FROM: Office of the City Manager
SUBJECT: DESIGNATION OF TWO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AS THE CITY’S
VOTING DELEGATE AND ALTERNATE AT THE LEAGUE OF
CALIFORNIA CITIES ANNUAL CONFERENCE BUSINESS MEETING
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council designate two Council Members, one as voting delegate, and one as alternate voting delegate to represent the City of Simi Valley at the 2024 League of California Cities (League) Annual Conference Business Meeting , and authorize the City Clerk to submit the information through the California Cities new online submission form as requested in the attached 2024 Annual Conference Voting Delegate Information Packet (Attachment A, page 4)
BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW
The League of California Cities will hold its Annual Confer ence (“Conference”) from Wednesday, October 16 , 202 4, through Friday, October 18, 202 4, in Long Beach. The Conference was created to enable cities to share ideas, success stories, best practices, and participate in discussion forums pertaining to various areas of municipal interest. The Conference will conclude with an Annual Business Meeting where selected voting delegates, on behalf of their designated cities, cast votes on conference resolutions. These resolutions establish League policy to guide cities and the League in its efforts to improve the quality, responsiveness, and vitality of local governm ent in California. The League’s Bylaws stipulate that each city is entitled to one vote on matters affecting municipal or League policy, and a City’s voting delegate and up to two alternates must be designated by the City Council. League policy states th at the voting delegate and alternate(s) must be registered to attend the Annual Conference.
FINDINGS AND ALTERNATIVES
The League Conference is scheduled for Wednesday, October 16, 2024, through Friday, October 18, 2024. The Annual Business Meeting will take place on Friday, October 18, 2024 to consider and take final action on conference resolutions. Resolutions approved by the General Assembly become League Policy.
AGENDA ITEM NO.
3(A)1
2 In order to vote at the Annual Business Meeting, each city must designate a voting delegate, and u p to two alternate voting delegates may be selected in the event the designated voting delegate is unable to serve in that capacity. Delegates may be elected officials and/or staff, as long as they are selected by the City Council.
New this year, the League of California Cities will host a pre- conference information session for voting delegates to explain their role. S ubmitting the voting delegate form by September 25, 2024 , will allow the League of Cities time to establish voting delegate/alternate records prior to the conference and provide pre- conference communications with voting delegates.
Mayor Pro Tem Rhodes and Council Member Judge are scheduled to attend the October 18, 2024 Annual Business Meeting of the League Conference. Historically, the City Council has designated the Mayor as the City’s voting delegate and the remaining voting delegates based first on current service as Mayor Pro Tem and then, should the Mayor Pro Tem be unable to take part in the Business Meeting, based on Council tenure among attending City Council Members. Staff is recommending that the City Council designate a voting delegate and an alternate voting delegate to participate in the Annual Business Meeting.
In the event the voting delegate is unable to participate, the alternate voting delegate will participate in the voting. A 2024 Annual Conference Voting Delegate/Alternate form must be submitted to the League by Wednesday, September 25, 202 4, affirming the City’s designation.
The following alternatives are available to the City Council:
1. Designate two Council Members, one as voting delegate and one as alternate voting delegate to represent the City of Simi Valley at the 2024 League of California Cities Annual Conference Business Meeting, and authorize the City Clerk to submit the information through the California Cities new online submission form as requested in the attached 2024 Annual Conference Voting Delegate Information Packet (Attachment A, page 4);
2. Designate other individuals as the voting delegate and alternate voting delegate(s);
3. Provide staff with alternative direction.
Staff recommends Alternative No. 1.
SUGGESTED CITY COUNCIL MOTION
I move to designate ________________ as the City of Simi Valley’s voting delegate and designate ______________________ as the alternate voting delegate to the 2024 League of California Cities Annual Conference Business Meeting, and authorize the City Clerk to submit the information through the California Cities new online submission form 3 as requested in the attached 2024 Annual Conference Voting Delegate Information Packet (Attachment A, page 4)
SUMMARY
The League of California Cities will hold its Annual Conference from Wednesday, October 16, 2024 through Friday, October 18, 2024, in Long Beach. It is recommended that the City Council designate two Council Members, one voting delegate and one alternate voting delegate to represent the City of Simi Valley at the 2024 League of California Cities Annual Conference Business Meeting , and authorize the City Clerk to submit the information through the California Cities new online submission form as requested in the attached 2024 Annual Confer ence Voting Delegate Information Packet (Attachment A, page 4)
_______________________________
Lucy Blanco
City Clerk
Prepared by: Lucy Blanco, City Clerk
INDEX Page
Attachment A – Voting Delegate Information Packet ........................... 4
1400 K Street, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814 • 916.658.8200 • calcities.org DATE: Wednesday, July 10, 2024
T
O: Mayors, Council Members, City Clerks, and City Managers RE
: DESIGNATION OF VOTING DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES
League of California Cities Annual Conference and Expo, Oct. 16-18, 2024 Long Beach Convention Center
E
very 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.
Ta
king place on Oct. 18, 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 c
ast 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.
A
ction 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.
F
ollowing council action, please submit your city’s delegates through the online submission portal by Wed., Sept. 25. 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.
Su
bmitting 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.
C
onference 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 is open on the Cal Cities website.
Council Action Advised by September 25, 2024
4 ATTACHMENT A
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 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 Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, will be open at the following times: Wednesday, Oct. 16, 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 17, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. On Friday, Oct. 18, 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 Wednesday, Sept. 25. 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
5 1400 K Street, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814 • 916.658.8200 • calcities.org
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.
2. Designating a City Voting Representative. Prior to the Cal Cities Annual Conference 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.
4. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
6 Sixty days before the
Annual Conference
and Expo, Cal Cities
members may submit
policy proposals on
issues of importance
to cities. The resolution must
have the concurrence of at least
five additional member cities or
individual members.
How it works: Cal Cities
Resolutions and the General Assembly
General Assembly
General Resolutions Policy Committees
Developing League of California Cities policy is a dynamic process that engages a wide range of members to ensure Cal Cities represents cities with one voice. These policies directly 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.
The petitioned
resolution is an
alternate method
to introduce policy
proposals during
the annual conference. The
petition must be signed by
voting delegates from 10% of
member cities, and submitted to
the Cal Cities President at least
24 hours before the beginning
of the General Assembly.
Petitioned Resolutions
The Cal Cities
President assigns
general resolutions
to policy committees
where members
review, debate, and recommend
positions for each policy proposal.
Recommendations are forwarded
to the Resolutions Committee.
Who’s who
The Resolutions Committee
includes representatives
from each Cal Cities
diversity caucus, regional
division, municipal
department, and policy
committee, as well as
individuals appointed by
the Cal Cities president.
Voting delegates
are appointed by each
member city; every city
has one voting delegate.
The General Assembly is a
meeting of the collective
body of all voting
delegates —one from
every member city.
Seven policy committees
meet throughout the year
to review and recommend
positions to take on bills
and regulatory proposals.
Policy committees include
members from each Cal
Cities diversity caucus,
regional division, and
municipal department,
as well as individuals
appointed by the Cal
Cities president.
During the General Assembly, voting delegates
debate and consider general and petitioned
resolutions forwarded by the Resolutions
Committee. Potential Cal Cities bylaws
amendments are also considered at this meeting.
Cal Cities policy
development is a member-
informed process,
grounded in the voices and
experiences of city officials
throughout the state.
For more information visit www.calcities.org/general-assembly Prior to the Annual Conference and Expo
Resolutions Committee
The Resolutions
Committee considers
all resolutions. General
Resolutions approved
1 by
either a policy committee
or the Resolutions Committee are next
considered by the General Assembly.
General resolutions not approved, or
referred for further study by both a
policy committee and the Resolutions
Committee do not go to the General
Assembly. All Petitioned Resolutions
are considered by the General
Assembly, unless disqualified.
2 During the Annual Conference and Expo
1 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). 7