Annual conference resolutions due July 9; time to designate a voting delegate

The General Assembly will be held on Sept. 9 during the League of California Cities Annual Conference and Expo. 

Policy development is a key part of the League of California Cities’ legislative effectiveness. Cal Cities’ annual conference resolutions process is one way that city officials can directly participate in the development of Cal Cities policy.

Resolution submission process

Any elected or appointed city official, city council, division, department, caucus, policy committee, or the Cal Cities board of directors may submit a resolution for consideration at the Cal Cities Annual Conference and Expo. Resolutions must be germane to city issues. 

Resolutions must be submitted via email to Meg Desmond no later than 60 days before the opening session of the annual conference.

Any submitted resolutions must have the concurrence of at least five or more cities, or of city officials from at least five or more cities, and those submitting resolutions must provide written documentation of such concurrence. This may be in the form of a letter from the city or the city official in support. For concurrence by a city official, the official’s city and office held must be included in the letter. All documentation of concurrences must be submitted with the resolution.

The deadline to submit resolutions and concurrences for this year’s conference is midnight, July 9.    

Consideration at the Cal Cities Annual Conference

The Cal Cities president refers resolutions to appropriate Cal Cities policy committees for review and recommendation to the General Resolutions Committee (GRC). The GRC consists of one representative from each division, department, caucus, policy committee, and up to ten additional individuals appointed by the Cal Cities president. If the GRC approves a resolution, or if a resolution was approved by all policy committees to which it was referred, the resolution is then considered by the General Assembly. 

If a resolution is not approved by the GRC and at least one policy committee to which it was referred, the resolution does not move to the General Assembly. The GRC may amend the resolution prior to moving it forward for consideration by the General Assembly. Resolutions approved by the General Assembly become Cal Cities policy.

Voting delegates

Cal Cities members consider and take action on resolutions that establish Cal Cities policy. In order for member cities to vote at the General Assembly, a city council must designate a voting delegate. Each city may also appoint up to two alternate voting delegates, one of whom may vote on behalf of the city in the event that the designated voting delegate is unable to vote.
 
A letter, along with the voting delegate form asking for the designation of voting delegates and alternatives, is being sent by mail to all city managers and city clerks. The voting delegate packet will be available online. 

Late-breaking issues

Resolutions to address late-breaking issues may be introduced by petition at the Cal Cities Annual Conference and Expo. To qualify, a petitioned resolution must be signed by 10% of the voting delegates and submitted by 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 8 — 24 hours before the beginning of the General Assembly.

All qualified petitioned resolutions are forwarded to the GRC and the General Assembly for consideration unless the petition is disqualified due to a lack of required signatures, if the resolution is not germane to city issues, or if it is identical or substantially similar in substance to a resolution already under consideration.

For questions about the annual conference resolution process, please contact Meg Desmond.