Proposed bylaws changes to be considered by General Assembly during 2022 Annual Conference and Expo

Aug 10, 2022

During its July meeting, the League of California Cities Board of Directors approved proposed bylaws amendments to enhance Cal Cities governance.

Specifically, the proposed bylaws amendments, which are available here, would accomplish the following:

  1. Formalize oversight of the Resolutions Committee by establishing the Second Vice President as the chair of the committee, while retaining the President’s authority to appoint the vice chair of the committee.
  2. To ensure a more inclusive Nominating Committee, add one committee member appointed from among the Caucus Directors and one additional committee member appointed from among the At-Large Directors for a total of 13 committee members.
  3. Clarify that, unless the Board establishes otherwise, the Cal Cities President appoints the chair of Board-established committees.
  4. To avoid confusion and clarify organizational responsibilities, remove “Treasurer” from the title of the Second Vice President. 
  5. To promote consistency, replace the term “Board member(s)” with “Director(s).”

The proposed bylaws amendments will go before the General Assembly for a vote at the Annual Business meeting on Sept. 9, 2022, during the Annual Conference and Expo in Long Beach. At least two-thirds of those voting at the General Assembly must vote in favor of the proposed bylaws amendments in order for them to take effect.

Background on proposed bylaws amendments

Cal Cities’ 2018-2021 Strategic Growth Plan set forth goals to enhance membership engagement in leadership opportunities, increase overall effectiveness in fulfilling our mission and vision as an organization, and ensure the pathway to leadership is transparent and inclusive. In furtherance of these goals, Cal Cities undertook a comprehensive review of its governance in early 2021 that was informed by over 350 members through advisory groups, roundtable discussions, interviews, and surveys. 

The review resulted in a series of recommendations to enhance Cal Cities’ governance system that were presented to the Board during its July 2021 meeting. Following a robust exchange of ideas and input, the Board decided to move forward with many of the recommendations, several of which required bylaws amendments, referred other recommendations to a “to be established” board subcommittee for further study, and deferred consideration of the remaining recommendations.

Following Board approval, in September 2021 during the Cal Cities Annual Conference and Expo, the General Assembly voted to approve the following bylaws amendments:

  1. Adjust the composition of the Board to achieve a higher impact and be more representative by adding Director seats to the Board for each of the five Diversity Caucuses, and transitioning members of the National League of Cities Board from Cal Cities Directors to one non-voting advisor to the Cal Cities Board.

  2. Recognize the Cal Cities Diversity Caucuses in the Cal Cities bylaws to reflect the full contribution the caucuses make to Cal Cities’ mission and vision.

Those amendments became effective on Nov. 24, 2021.

In addition to those bylaws amendments, among the recommendations the Board decided was a priority to move forward was the establishment of a standing Governance Committee to assist the Board in fulfilling its governance function.

At its February 2022 meeting, the Board voted to approve Board policy establishing the Governance Committee with the task of regularly reviewing the governance structures, policies, and practices of Cal Cities and reporting its findings and recommendations to the Board. The Board also approved a one-year work plan for the Governance Committee that established priority governance issues to focus on in its first year.

Following the Board meeting, President Cindy Silva appointed the following Board members to serve on the Governance Committee:

  • Cheryl Viegas Walker, Immediate Past President and Council Member, El Centro, Chair
  • Walt Allen, Council Member, Covina
  • Jan Arbuckle, Vice Mayor, Grass Valley
  • LaTanya Bellow, Deputy City Manager, Berkeley
  • Pippin Dew, Council Member, Vallejo
  • Lynne Kennedy, Mayor Pro Tem, Rancho Cucamonga
  • Karen Goh, Mayor, Bakersfield
  • Jim Lewis, City Manager, Pismo Beach
  • Lisa Middleton, Mayor, Palm Springs
  • John Minto, Mayor, Santee
  • David Pollock, Council Member, Moorpark

The Governance Committee met in April 2022, and following engaging and productive discussions, brought forward to the Board at its May 2022 meeting several recommendations to further enhance Cal Cities’ governance, including the above proposed bylaws amendments. On July 15, 2022, the Board voted to present these proposed bylaws amendments to the General Assembly at the 2022 Cal Cities Annual Conference and Expo.

Cities are encouraged to consider the proposed bylaws amendments prior to their delegate’s vote at the Closing Luncheon and General Assembly, which will be held on Friday, Sept. 9, at 11:30 a.m.  If you have any questions regarding these materials, please contact Norman Coppinger at ncoppinger@calcities.org or by phone at 916.658.8277.