COUNCIL POLICY MANUAL
7.3.21 – Page 1
Policy 7.3.21 Recognition of Sunnyvale’s Elected and Appointed Officials and Visiting Dignitaries
POLICY PURPOSE:
This policy is designed to establish procedures for formal recognition of Councilmembers, Mayors, and Board and Commission membersMembers, and visiting dignitaries.
POLICY STATEMENT:
1. City Council
A. Written communications which acknowledge or recognize City councilmembers Councilmembers (including, but not limited to, City letterhead stationery, Council meeting minutes, news releases and media requests, public information flyers, event invitations, Quarterly Reports, City plaques, General Plan Sub -Elements) shall list those members in the following order: Mayor, followed by Vice Mayor, followed by remaining councilmembers Councilmembers in order of seniority, . Seniority shall be designated by the length of continuous service on the Council. Should two members have equal seniority, the councilmember who received more votes in the most recent election would be determined to have the higher seniority.
B. For public introductions, the Mayor shall be introduced first, then the Vice Mayor, followed by Councilmembers in random order.
C. Councilmembers: Outgoing Councilmembers will be presented with a plaque commemorating his or hertheir service to the City, and a memento(s) of appreciation selected by the Councilmember. The total cost of the plaque and memento(s) shall not exceed the gift limits established by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) in effect at the time. Re-elected Councilmembers remaining on Council will be presented with a plaque commemorating their previous term of service. The cost of the plaque shall not exceed the limit established by the FPPC in effect at the time.
D. Mayor: Councilmembers completing a term as An outgoing Mayor will be presented with a plaque commemorating his or hertheir at-large service as Mayor, and a memento(s) of appreciation. The total cost of the plaque and Tthe total cost of the memento(s) shall not exceed the gift limits established by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) in effect at the time. A re-elected Mayor remaining on Council will be presented with a plaque commemorating their previous term of service. The cost of the plaque shall not exceed the limit established by the FPPC in effect at the time.
2. Boards and Commissions
An annual event to recognize the service of all Board and Commission membersMembers, as well as citizens residents serving on special ad -hoc committees, shall be coordinated through the Office of the City Manager.
Outgoing Board and Commission members shall receive a certificate of appreciation and a small memento of appreciation. The type of certificates and Attachment 7
COUNCIL POLICY MANUAL
7.3.21 – Page 2
mementos provided are at the discretion of the Office of the City Manager and, shall not exceed the gift limit established by the Fair Political Practices Commission in effect at the time, and will be suitable for the occasion.
3. Official City Souvenirs
A. Visiting Dignitaries: The City Council recognizes that gifts to visiting dignitaries are an appropriate method of commemorating certain occasions.
At the discretion of the Mayor or City Manager, visiting dignitaries will be presented with an official City souvenir, appropriate to each dignitary’s level of office.
B. Councilmembers Visiting Other Jurisdictions: Mayors and Councilmembers who visit dignitaries in other cities and countries on official City business may, at their discretion, present an official City souvenir, to the dignitary visited. Appropriateness of these gifts will be determined by the Office of the City Manager.
C. Visiting delegates or tour groups may be presented with official City souvenirs, at the discretion of the Office of the City Manager.
Councilmembers with requests for souvenirs for specific visiting groups should coordinate such requests through the Office of the City Manager.
D. Requests for Souvenirs: All requests, both internal and external, for official City souvenirs will be handled through the Office of the City Manager, and souvenirs will be provided as appropriate.
(Adopted: [No RTC, Council Motion] (8/2/1982); Amended: RTC 00 -096 (3/28/2000); (Clerical/clarity update, Policy Update Project 7/2005) ; Amended RTC 06 -376 (11/28/2006); Amended: RTC 08 -113 (4/8/08) ; Amended: Council Motion, Budget Workshop (5/23/2013); Amended RTC 25-0912 (11/18/2025))
Lead Department: Office of the City Manager
Attachment 7