HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-09-23; City Council; 09; Designation of Voting Delegate and Alternate for the League of California Cities Annual ConferenceCA Review CKM
Meeting Date: Sept. 23, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Geoff Patnoe, City Manager
Staff Contact: Morgen Fry, Assistant City Clerk
morgen.fry@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2819
Subject: Designation of Voting Delegate and Alternate for the League of California
Cities Annual Conference
District: All
Recommended Action
Adopt a resolution designating City Council Member Teresa Acosta as the voting delegate and
City Manager Geoff Patnoe as the alternate voting delegate for the League of California Cities
Annual Conference and Expo being held in Long Beach on Oct. 8-10, 2025.
Executive Summary
The League of California Cities, or Cal Cities, asked each member city to select a voting
representative for the group’s annual business meeting being held during the general assembly
on Oct. 10, 2025. At this meeting, the Cal Cities membership considers and acts on resolutions
that establish Cal Cities policies. Each member city has a right to cast one vote on matters
pertaining to Cal Cities policies.
Consistent with the Cal Cities bylaws, the City Council is being asked to appoint a delegate to
vote during the General Assembly at the annual conference. The City Council may also appoint
up to two alternate voting delegates, one of whom may vote in the event that the designated
member is unable to serve in that capacity.
A letter from Cal Cities advising the city to appoint a delegate is provided as Exhibit 2.
Fiscal Analysis
Designating a voting delegate and an alternate does not result in a fiscal impact to the city.
Adequate funds were included in the City Council budget for the costs associated with
attending the annual conference.
Next Steps
Staff will submit the necessary notification to Cal Cities of the City Council’s voting delegate and
alternate before Sept. 24, 2025.
Sept. 23, 2025 Item #9 Page 1 of 8
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Environmental Evaluation
This action does not constitute a project within the meaning of the California Environmental
Quality Act under California Public Resources Code Section 21065 in that it has no potential to
cause either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect
physical change in the environment and therefore does not require environmental review.
Exhibits
1. City Council resolution
2. July 16, 2025, letter from the League of California Cities
Sept. 23, 2025 Item #9 Page 2 of 8
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Exhibit 1 RESOLUTION NO. 2025-215
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD,
CALIFORNIA, DESIGNATING CITY COUNCIL MEMBER TERESA ACOSTA AS THE
VOTING DELEGATE AND CITY MANAGER GEOFF PATNOE AS THE ALTERNATE
VOTING DELEGATE FOR THE LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES ANNUAL
CONFERENCE AND EXPO TO BE HELD IN LONG BEACH ON OCT. 8-10, 2025
WHEREAS, the City of Carlsbad is a member of the League of California Cities, or Cal Cities; and
WHEREAS, as a member, the City of Carlsbad is entitled to vote on resolutions that establish Cal
Cities policy at the General Assembly scheduled in Long Beach on Friday, Oct. 10, 2024.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California, as
follows:
1.That the above recitations are true and correct.
2.That the proposed action does not constitute a project within the meaning of the
California Environmental Quality Act under California Public Resources Code Section
21065 in that it has no potential to cause either a direct physical change in the
environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment
and therefore does not require environmental review.
3.That the following are designated as the Voting Delegate and Alternate for the League
of California Cities Annual Conference representing the City of Carlsbad:
Voting Delegate: Teresa Acosta
Voting Delegate Alternate: Geoff Patnoe
Sept. 23, 2025 Item #9 Page 3 of 8
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PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the
City of Carlsbad on the 23rd day of September, 2025, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Blackburn, Bhat-Patel, Acosta, Shin.
NAYS:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
Burkholder.
None.
None.
___________________________________
KEITH BLACKBURN, Mayor
___________________________________
SHERRY FREISINGER, City Clerk
(SEAL)
Sept. 23, 2025 Item #9 Page 4 of 8
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1400 K Street, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814 • 916.658.8200 • calcities.org
DATE: Wednesday, July 16, 2025
TO: Mayors, Council Members, City Clerks, and City Managers
RE: DESIGNATION OF VOTING DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES League of California Cities Annual Conference and Expo, Oct. 8-10, 2025 Long Beach Convention Center
Every 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.
Taking place on Oct. 10, 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 cast 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.
Action 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.
Following council action, please submit your city’s delegates through the online submission portal by Wed., Sept. 24. 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.
Submitting 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.
Conference 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 24, 2025
Exhibit 2
Sept. 23, 2025 Item #9 Page 5 of 8
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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. 24. If you have questions, please contact Zach Seals at
zseals@calcities.org.
Attachments:
• General Assembly Voting Guidelines
• Information Sheet: Cal Cities Resolutions and the General Assembly
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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.
Sept. 23, 2025 Item #9 Page 7 of 8
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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 approved1 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). Sept. 23, 2025 Item #9 Page 8 of 8
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