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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-05-13; City Council; 11; Council Member Request: Discussion and Reconsideration of City Council Policy No. 99 - City Council Proclamations, Certificates of Recognition and Congratulatory LettersCA Review CKM Meeting Date: May 13, 2025 To: Mayor and City Council From: Geoff Patnoe, City Manager Staff Contact: Faviola Medina, Director of Constituent & Clerk Services faviola.medina@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-5989 Subject: Council Member Request: Discussion and Reconsideration of City Council Policy No. 99 - City Council Proclamations, Certificates of Recognition and Congratulatory Letters Districts: All Recommended Actions Consider a request from Mayor Blackburn to discuss and reconsider the use of City Council Policy No. 99 - City Council Proclamations, Certificates of Recognition and Congratulatory Letters. Executive Summary Mayor Blackburn submitted the email attached as Exhibit 1 to the City Manager on May 2, 2025, requesting that City Council Policy No. 99, City Council Proclamations, Certificates of Recognition and Congratulatory Letters, be placed on the agenda for the City Council’s consideration,1 specifically to discuss and reconsider the use of the policy. Fiscal Analysis No city funding is being requested. Environmental Evaluation The proposed action to discuss and reconsider the use of a City Council policy is exempt from environmental review under California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3) and 15378(b)(5) as it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the proposed action may have a significant effect on the environment. Exhibits 1.May 2, 2025, email request from Mayor Blackburn to place an item on a City Council agenda 2.Council Policy Statement No. 99 1 Carlsbad Municipal Code Section 1.20.060(C) states, “Items of business may be placed on the agenda by any member of the council, the city manager or the city attorney, or by council action. Council-originated items must be submitted to the city manager not less than seven days before the date of the council meeting at which the member desires the item to appear on the agenda. Nothing in this section precludes a council member from requesting council action to place an item on the agenda for a future meeting.” May 13, 2025 Item #11 Page 1 of 4 From:Geoff Patnoe To:Faviola Medina; Sheila Cobian Cc:Cindie McMahon Subject:FW: Request for an Agenda Item Date:Friday, May 2, 2025 2:16:52 PM Favi, Please place this on the May 13th agenda, thank you. Geoff From: Keith Blackburn <Keith.Blackburn@carlsbadca.gov> Sent: Friday, May 2, 2025 11:44 AM To: Geoff Patnoe <Geoff.Patnoe@carlsbadca.gov>; Sheila Cobian <Sheila.Cobian@carlsbadca.gov> Subject: Request for an Agenda Item Good Morning, As permitted by Carlsbad Municipal Code 1.20.060(c), I am requesting that City Council Policy No. 99 City Council Proclamations, Certificates of recognition and Congratulatory Letters be placed on a future agenda for the City Council’s consideration, specifically to discuss and reconsider the use of the policy. City Council Policy No. 99: https://records.carlsbadca.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=7089157&dbid=0&repo=CityOfCarlsbad Thanks, Keith Get Outlook for iOS Exhibit 1 May 13, 2025 Item #11 Page 2 of 4 City Council POLICY STATEMENT Policy No. Date Issued 99 Oct. 17, 2023 Resolution No. 2023-267 Subject: City Council proclamations, certificates of recognition and congratulatory letters Purpose This policy establishes guidelines and procedures for the issuance and presentation of City Council proclamations, certificates of recognition and congratulatory letters. Background Proclamations are ceremonial documents to honor, celebrate or create awareness of an event or significant issue. Certificates of recognition and congratulatory letters are documents that recognize an achievement or significant contribution to the community. Statement of policy It is the policy of the City Council of the City of Carlsbad to issue proclamations for: •Public awareness •Charitable fundraising campaigns •Non-profit organizations •Arts and cultural celebrations •Special honors, as determined by the Mayor City Council proclamations will not be issued for: •Recognition of City departmental celebration days, weeks or months. Rather, those recognitions shall be facilitated through the City Manager staff updates. •Advertisement or promotion of a for-profit business •Matters of a political or religious nature •Events or organizations with no direct relationship to the City of Carlsbad •Campaigns or events contrary to city policies The Mayor may issue a certificate of recognition or congratulatory letter for an event, person or organization that does not meet the requirements of a proclamation. The Mayor may approve or decline any proclamation, certificate of recognition or congratulatory letter and may edit drafted material for final wording. The issuance of a proclamation, certificate of recognition or congratulatory letter does not constitute an endorsement by the City of Carlsbad or its elected or appointed officials. Decisions regarding proclamations, certificates of recognition or congratulatory letters are not appealable under Carlsbad Municipal Code Section 1.20.310. Exhibit 2 May 13, 2025 Item #11 Page 3 of 4 City Council Policy Statement Oct. 17, 2023 Page 2 Procedure Proclamations will be signed by the Mayor, or in the Mayor's absence, the Mayor Pro Tempore. Requests for Issuance of a Proclamation Requests for City Council proclamations will be processed by the City Manager and approved by the Mayor. Requests must be made by a City Council Member, City of Carlsbad resident or employee. Requests should be made at least 30 days in advance of the date the proclamation is needed and should be in writing and include the following: •a contact person's name, phone number, home address and email address •a brief summary of the event or organization •a specific name and date for the day, week or month or event to be proclaimed •the exact date the proclamation is needed •a draft text of the proclamation, including 4-5 "whereas" clauses •a mailing address to send the final proclamation or indication of whether it will be picked up Presentation of Proclamations The Mayor in consultation with the City Manager and the Legislative & Constituent Services Director will determine which proclamations will be presented at each meeting. All other proclamations will be mailed to the recipient or made available for pickup at City Hall. At the City Council meetings, the Mayor or a City Council Member selected by the Mayor will present the proclamation to the individual or representative of an organization or group receiving the proclamation. The recipient shall have up to two minutes to deliver comments regarding the event or organization for which the proclamation was issued. • Certificates of Recognition and Congratulatory Letters If the criteria for a proclamation are not met, the Mayor may issue a certificate of recognition or a congratulatory letter to an organization or individual to recognize an achievement or significant contribution to the community. May 13, 2025 Item #11 Page 4 of 4 Ana Alarcon From: Sent: To: Subject: Follow Up Flag: Flag Status: Stephanie Wells <ms.sicily@gmail.com> Thursday, May 8, 2025 11 :56 PM Keith Blackburn; Priya Bhat-Patel; Teresa Acosta; Melanie Burkholder; Kevin Shin; City Clerk Discussion and Reconsideration of City Council Policy No. 99 -Public Comment Follow up Completed Dear Mayor Blackburn and Councilmembers, I am writing to provide public comment for the May 13, 2025, City Council agenda item regarding the reconsideration of Policy No. 99 -City Council Proclamations, Certificates of Recognition, and Congratulatory Letters. In May of 2023, I stood before the Council with two children impacted by life-threatening food allergies-one of them being my son. Just two months earlier, on March 10, he had suffered his third anaphylactic reaction at his elementary school. When I arrived on campus, I found him collapsed on the ground-ghost white, stiff, and struggling to breathe. We were at that May meeting to receive a proclamation recognizing Food Allergy Awareness Week-a nonpartisan, life-saving issue that affects 1 in 13 children in this country. Before the meeting was called to order, Councilmember Melanie Burkholder was overheard referring to it as "the try not to laugh proclamation." This was said about a proclamation intended to raise awareness for a condition that causes daily, life-threatening fear for families like mine. It was also said in front of two children- both of whom live every day knowing a small bite of the wrong food could cost them their lives. The next day, I received a phone call from Councilmember Burkholder-not to sincerely apologize-but more so to explain that proclamations were a waste of time, and that she preferred to focus on "real city business." I have also received the city's Gun Violence Prevention Proclamation-another issue deeply personal to me. I am a survivor of gun violence. As a child, I witnessed my mother being shot during a domestic dispute in our home. Like food allergies, this issue is not political-it is about safety, trauma, and survival-and it is 100% nonpartisan. And yet, since that time, Councilmember Burkholder has used proclamations as a tool to elevate political allies and affiliations, including: • • • National Women's History Month (March • 2025) -introduced and presented • by Burkholder to Jennifer • Belnap, President of 1 • Carlsbad Republican Women, • a partisan political organization. No inclusive outreach was made to other women's or nonpartisan civic • • • • • groups . • 250th Anniversary of the American • Revolution (April 2025) - • initiated by members of Carlsbad • Citizens for Community Oversight (C2O) • and presented at Council with support from city staff. Councilmember Burkholder helped coordinate this proclamation, which was originally drafted with ideological and politicized rhetoric invoking "tyrannical government," religious framing, and far-right references. • Despite staff making clear they could not formally support the broader effort, the proclamation was still • • prioritized and presented . These proclamations were supported and introduced by Councilmember Burkholder-while other residents with deeply personal, nonpartisan experiences were told proclamations were a nuisance or a joke. This isn't just about words. It's about the dignity of the office and the integrity of our public process. To see a councilmember use proclamations as personal favors for political allies-while dismissing life-saving issues as a "waste of time"-is more than disrespectful. It is a betrayal of public trust. That's why I strongly urge the Council to take action: • • • Keep Policy No. 99 • • • • • 2 • Strengthen it • • • • • • Make the proclamation process transparent, • inclusive, and accountable • Proclamations should reflect the diversity, contributions, and values of our entire city-not serve as a vehicle for political branding. The current process, as applied, allows for favoritism and exploitation while shutting out important public awareness efforts that matter to real people. Please ensure proclamations are treated with the integrity they deserve. They are not campaign tools. They are not punchlines. They are a chance to recognize what matters most to the people who live here. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Stephanie Wells Homeowner, Taxpayer, District 1 Resident Citizens Academy, 2023 Citizens Police Academy, 2025 en attachments or click on links unless ou reco nize the sender and know the content i 3 Ana Alarcon From: Sent: To: Subject: kmb4uky@aol.com Friday, May 9, 2025 5:24 PM Keith Blackburn; Priya Bhat-Patel; Teresa Acosta; Melanie Burkholder; Kevin Shin; City Clerk May 13: Discussion and Reconsideration of City Council Policy No. 99 -Public Comment Dear Mayor Blackburn and Council members, I am writing to share my public comment for the May 13, 2025, City Council agenda item pertaining to Policy No. 99 - City Council Proclamations, Certificates of Recognition, and Congratulatory Letters. As someone who periodically attends Council meetings when issues of interest are on the agenda, even if they don't always affect me personally, I wanted to add my thoughts on the subject of doing things, the value of which are not always easy to personally justify. I will be attending the May 20th Council meeting during which I have been offered the honor of receiving a Proclamation in support of National Gun Violence Awareness Day. As a longtime Moms Demand Action gun violence prevention advocate, I spend much of my time with young people to help them make their voices heard on this issue. They can't yet fully participate in a world where serious and often deadly consequences of adult actions are often borne by them and their friends and families. So, they are largely limited to watching us to see how seriously we take the issues about which they deeply care. Many of their issues do not always register at the adult level. But, they also care about how others are treated, especially marginalized communities. Signs of both support and recognition matter to them and give them hope that their community leaders care about them. Frankly, I'm with them on this. While it may take up some Council time, I feel strongly that any thought of doing away with these unnecessary, but meaningful. actions should not be curtailed or, worst case, abandoned altogether. I will add that I have been at meetings where one or more council members could be seen rolling their eyes or not-very- surrepticiously looking at their phones or showing other signs of disinterest. That sends a message to constituents that the only things that matter to the Council are things they personally want to do. There will be young people at the May 20th meeting, excited about seeing some sign that their local leaders care about something that has marred their educational experience from their earliest memories. Their friends may be gay, have dangerous allergies, and other concerns that warrant more than a symbolic day of recognition and sometimes, celebration. I, for one, think we should be able to at least give them that. And, their parents too, as they try to protect their kids in these turbulent times. So, I ask the Council to please not only keep Policy No.99 in place, but to work together to strengthen it regardless of your own personal feelings and biases. I also ask that you hold each other accountable for, and be transparent about, the motivations behind what you collectively do. This is one area where the impetus can and should be what's good for the community, avoiding any individually motivated political posturing. With appreciation for what you do for the betterment of Carlsbad, Karin Brennan 25+ year Carlsbad resident and CERT volunteer 1 Ana Alarcon From: Sent: To: Subject: Chih-Wu Chang <chihwu.chang@gmail.com> Saturday, May 10, 2025 10:35 AM City Clerk; Keith Blackburn; Teresa Acosta; Priya Bhat-Patel; Melanie Burkholder; Kevin Shin Agenda Item #11 -City Council Policy No. 99 -Proclamations, Certificates Of Recognition And Congratulatory Letters Dear Mayor and City Council Members, I am writing to express my concern for City Council Members to reconsider City Council Policy No. 99. I am asking you to keep Policy No. 99 as it is. We need to ensure we will comply with the policy. As stated in the Policy No. 99, City Council Proclamations will not be issued for matters of political or religious nature. Any proclamations of a city shall be nonpartisan, transparent, and inclusive. They shall represent the interest of the entire community rather than favoring one political party. A nonpartisan stance helps foster unity, encourage broad participation of residents, and maintain the integrity of the City's governance. Proclamations shall not be used as tools to promote political agenda and serve political purposes. I want to follow your leadership so that city staff and commissioners will not advocate for the interests of a political party when making critical decisions. Otherwise, the City will become divisive and chaotic. I love the City and want to see it remain a well-functioning city. Please retain and enforce Policy No. 99. 1 Best regards, Chih-Wu Chang carlsbad Resident Graduate of Citizens Academy Graduate of Citizens Police Academy CAUTION: Do not o en attachments or click on links unless 2 Ana Alarcon From: Council Internet Email Sent: To: Monday, May 12, 2025 7:46 AM City Clerk Subject: FW: Policy No. 99 -----Original Message----- From: Eileen Freedland <efreedsun@gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2025 5:15 AM To: Council Internet Email <council@carlsbadca.gov> Subject: Policy No. 99 Dear council members, I support keeping Policy No. 99 but ask that the process be fair and inclusive. It's important that it also be respectful of all Carlsbad residents. Thank you, Eileen Freedland CAUTION: Do not open attachments or click on links unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. 1 Ana Alarcon From: Sent: To: Subject: Council Internet Email Monday, May 12, 2025 7:47 AM City Clerk FW: Keep Policy 99 / Strengthen Policy 99 From: Mary Real <anewday4me2020@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2025 1:23 AM To: Council Internet Email <council@carlsbadca.gov>; geoff.padnoe@carlsbadca.gov; Sheila Cobian <sheila .co bia n@ca rlsbadca .gov>; Mary Rea I <a newday4Me2020@gma ii .com> Subject: Keep Policy 99 / Strengthen Policy 99 Hello committed public officials and all interested parties: I am fully in favor of keeping and strengthening policy 99 to include more transparency and protect against any biases by presenting all sides of an issue. Thank you for your consideration. Mary Lucid 1 Ana Alarcon From: Sent: To: Subject: Chih-Wu Chang <chihwu.chang@gmail.com> Monday, May 12, 2025 8:12 AM City Clerk; Keith Blackburn; Teresa Acosta; Priya Bhat-Patel; Melanie Burkholder; Kevin Shin Agenda Item 11 -City Council Policy no. 99 Dear Mayor and City Council Members, I want to reiterate the importance of keeping and enforcing Policy No. 99. I am not sure what the reason is for reconsidering Policy No. 99. I hope no one is going to try to abolish the Policy. The Policy has been served well for the City's needs. Removing the Policy will send an ominous message to the residents that it is fine to create division. Proclamations in a city tend to serve several important purposes. They provide official recognition, facilitate community engagement, help celebrate historical events and cultural heritage, highlight important social causes, and foster a sense of community. Overall, proclamations are a way for city officials to communicate with the public and strengthen community ties. It is my understanding there will be an API Month Proclamation, which is another reason we do not want to abandon Policy no. 99. This proclamation will help us acknowledge different communities. It helps unite us. As we live in a wonderful city, let's unite us and celebrate together. Please keep and enforce Policy No. 99. Best Regards. Chih-Wu Chang Carlsbad Resident Graduate of Citizens Academy Graduate of Citizens Police Academy CAUTION: Do not open attachments or click on links unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. 1