1 Date: January 14, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Aram Chaparyan, City Manager
By: Logan Galimi, Management Aide
Subject: City Manager – External Lighting Policy for City Facilities. Expenditure: None.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council review and provide direction on the External Lighting Policy for City Facilities.
FUNDING
None required.
DISCUSSION
City Hall, the Torrance Historical Museum, and the Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center have been equipped with external lighting systems that can be used to illuminate these City facilities.
Staff is bringing forth a draft policy of illumination proto cols for City facilities, including those mentioned above, prior to implementation. The draft policy is attached.
Staff is considering explicitly defining the followings terms: City Council, External Lights / External Lighting System, Holidays, Lighting Event, Mayor, Mayor Pro Tempore, and Patriotic Days. In particular, External Lights and External Lighting System would refer to “the lights that are installed outside of, reflect off of, and illuminate City facilities, including City Hall, for decorative purposes.” Additionally, a Lighting Event would be recognized as “the illumination of City facilities to recognize holidays; promote (i) events sponsored or co -sponsored by the City and/or (ii) the City’s mission as set out in the City’s Strategic Plan or other superseding document; and/or in response to any extraordinary events of City, County, State, National, or International significance.” The draft policy establishes three authorities with differing responsibilities for Lighting Events: the City Manager, City Council, and the Mayor. The City Manager or designee shall direct how City facilities are illuminated during non-religious Holidays and that City facilities are illuminated in red, white, and/or blue during Patriotic Days. When otherwise not specified, City facilities should be 10E
2 City Council
January 14, 2025
illuminated white. City Council shall retain the ultimate authority to decide when and how City facilities are illuminated for any day and/or event, including recognized and non -recognized holidays, community events, and commemorations. Staff envisions this to be via Council Concurrence rather than a formal Council item. Additionally, in order to quickly respond to and recognize recent championship achievements by Los Angeles area professional sports teams and Torrance high schools, staff requests the Mayor to be able to direct the illumination of City facilities with the team/school colors for up 72 hours after the achievement. In the Mayor’s absence, this responsibility would transfer to the Mayor Pro Tempore.
ATTACHMENT
1. City Facilities External Lighting Draft Policy
ATTACHMENT 1
3 City of Torrance City Facilities External Lighting Policy Chapter XX – Policy: City Facilities External Lighting Policy Chapter XXX – Procedure: City Facilities External Lighting Policy Contents
City Facilities External Lighting Policy................................................
Definitions.......................................................................... CityCouncil ................................................................................
External Lights / External Lighting System . ..........................
Holidays....................................................................
Lighting Event ............... ......................................... ..................
Mayor........................................................................... Mayor Por Tempore ..................................................................
PatrioticDays ..........................................................................
City Facilities External Lighting Procedures .... ......................
City Manager Authority ..................................................................
Patriotic Days and non-Holidays ... .............................................
City Council Authority .............. .............................................
Public Authority .......................... .......................................... 1 1
1 1
1 2
2 2
2 2
2 2
2 2
Historical Record . ................................................................. 3
CITY FACILITIES EXTERNAL LIGHTING POLICY
The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines to provide uniform and consistent procedures for illuminating City facilities, including City Hall and any other capable City facility, via external lights.
Definitions
City Council
The governing body of the City of Torrance.
External Lights / External Lighting System
The lights that are installed outside of, reflect off of, and illuminate City facilities, including City Hall, for decorative purposes.
Holidays
Holidays shall include those legally observed by City Hall. Presently, this includes New Years’ Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lincoln’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday (now President’s Day), Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.
Revision: 1
Policy
Procedure
XX.05
XX.10
4 City of Torrance City Facilities External Lighting Policy Chapter XX – Policy: City Facilities External Lighting Policy Chapter XXX – Procedure: City Facilities External Lighting Policy Lighting Event
The illumination of City facilities to recognize holidays; promote (i) events sponsored or co-sponsored by the City and/or (ii) the City’s mission as set out in the City’s Strategic Plan or other superseding document; and/or in response to any extraordinary events of City, County, State, National, or International significance.
Mayor
The City Council member elected by the public as Mayor who presides over City Council meetings.
Mayor Pro Tempore
The City Council member elected by the City Council to serve as Mayor Pro Tempore.
Patriotic Days
Patriotic events such as Armed Forces Day weekend and Elections.
CITY FACILITIES EXTERNAL LIGHTING PROCEDURES
The intent of the program is to comply with all Federal and State laws.
City Manager Authority
The City Manager or designee shall direct how City facilities are illuminated by their external lighting systems during non-religious Holidays. City facilities may also be illuminated with the American flag colors of red, white, and/or blue for Patriotic Days.
When otherwise not specified, City facilities should be illuminated white.
City Council Authority
City Council, through a majority vote, shall retain the ultimate authority to decide when and how City facilities external lights are illuminated for any day and/or event, including recognized and non-recognized holidays, community events, and commemorations.
Mayor Authority
In order to quickly respond to and recognize recent championship achievements by Los Angeles area professional sports teams and Torrance high schools, the Mayor may direct the illumination of City facilities with the team/school colors. Said illumination shall not extend for a period beyond 72 hours after the achievement. In the Mayor’s absence, the Mayor Pro Tempore shall fulfil this responsibility.
Public Authority
The external lighting system of City facilities are not intended to serve as a forum for free expression by the public.
Revision: 2
XXX.05
XXX.10
XXX.15
XXX.20
XXX.25
5 City of Torrance City Facilities External Lighting Policy Chapter XX – Policy: City Facilities External Lighting Policy Chapter XXX – Procedure: City Facilities External Lighting Policy
Historical Record
Original Publication
10/2024
Revisions
Revision: 3