Staff recommends that the City Council directs the City’s voting delegate to support the League of California Cities resolution at its 2022 Annual Conference Business Meeting in Long Beach (Attachment A) – Resolution (page 5).

The resolution provides amendments to the League of California Cities to ensure the organization can function at the highest level and be responsive to its members in the most effective manner possible. After the League undertook a thorough strategic planning process that resulted in the adoption of the “Powering Up for California Cities Strategic Growth Plan 2018-2021,” the League’s Board implemented a series of amendments to its bylaws last year. Those changes were approved during the 2021 Annual Conference Business Meeting. The amendments being requested this year are a continuation of updating the bylaws to ensure Cal Cities is enhancing its governance capabilities and meeting the diverse needs of its members.

This year, the League of California Cities Annual Conference is being held September 7-9, 2022 in Long Beach, CA. The annual business meeting will be held at noon on Friday, September 9, 2022 when the membership takes action on resolutions that establish League policy. Designated voting delegates or their alternates registered to attend the Annual Conference constitute the League's General Assembly. At the August 17, 2022 City Council meeting, the Council appointed Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial Officer Dennis Kauffman, as the City’s voting delegate and Government Relations Administrator, Mark Wolinski, as the alternate voting delegate. 

Designated voting delegates registered to attend the Annual Conference constitute the League's General Assembly. Voting during the business meeting is an important aspect of the conference where the membership takes action on conference resolutions. Annual conference resolutions guide cities and the League in efforts to improve the quality, responsiveness and vitality of local government in California. 

DISCUSSION
The League of California Cities has identified one resolution to be considered at the upcoming annual conference. The following is a brief description of the resolutions including staff’s recommendations: 

Resolution - (Recommended Position: Approve) – On July 15, 2022, the League of California Cities (Cal Cities) Board of Directors (Board) voted to present proposed bylaws amendments to the General Assembly at the 2022 Cal Cities Annual Conference and Expo. 

Beginning in 2017, the Board directed Cal Cities to undertake a strategic planning process that resulted in the adoption of the “Powering Up for California Cities Strategic Grown Plan 2018-2021” (Strategic Growth Plan). 

The Strategic Growth Plan set forth goals to enhance Cal Cities’ governance to: 
a) Achieve even higher levels of engagement and effectiveness; 
b) Ensure optimal engagement by members and effectiveness in supporting fulfillment of the Cal Cities’ mission; and 
c) Ensure the pathway to leadership is transparent and inclusive. 

In furtherance of its governance goals, the Board engaged an association governance consultant (Consultant) to evaluate the Cal Cities governance system and make recommendations for enhancing Cal Cities’ governance. The Consultant gathered and considered input from more than 350 Cal Cities members through advisory groups, roundtable discussions, interviews, and surveys. On July 8, 2021, the Consultant produced a report (Governance Report) detailing 49 recommendations to the Board to deepen the engagement of Cal Cities Member Cities and ensure Cal Cities’ governance is operating at peak performance. 

The Governance Report included findings indicating that Cal Cities is a strong organization, with a high level of member engagement, but also highlighted opportunities for Cal Cities to enhance its governance. The opportunities for enhancement included: 
a) Improving the clarity, ease, and consistency in how the governance system works; 
b) Clarifying the guidelines for position qualifications and performance expectations; 
c) Identifying ways to deepen member engagement and enhance the quality of the experience of involvement; and 
d) Ensuring Cal Cities has an intentional, consistent organizational culture at all levels of the governance system.

The findings and recommendations from the Governance Report were presented to the Board during the July 2021 Board meeting. Following a robust exchange of ideas and input, the Board decided to move forward with many of the recommendations, referred other recommendations to a “to be established” board subcommittee for further study, and deferred consideration of the remaining recommendations. 

The Board approved the recommendations and 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. 

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. Among the recommendations approved by the Board during that meeting are two that require bylaws amendments: 

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. 

In addition to those recommendations identified by the Governance Committee and approved by the Board, Cal Cities staff identified various non-substantive revisions to the Cal Cities bylaws: 

1. Clarify that, unless the Board establishes otherwise, the Cal Cities President appoints the chair of Board-established committees. 

2. To avoid confusion and clarify organizational responsibilities, remove “Treasurer” from the title of the Second Vice President.

3. To promote consistency, replace the term “Board member(s)” with “Director(s).” 

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. 

Procedure for Amending the Cal Cities Bylaws 
Amendments to the Cal Cities bylaws may be proposed by the Cal Cities Board and may be adopted: (a) by vote of the Cal Cities General Assembly, or (b) by mail ballot to Member Cities. In this case, the amendments will be considered by the General Assembly. Bylaws amendments need to be approved by 2/3 of those voting, and the number that constitutes 2/3 of those voting (a) cannot be less than a majority of the voting delegates present if there is a quorum at the time the vote is taken; or (b) cannot be less than a majority of a quorum if the meeting started with a quorum but a quorum is not present when the vote is taken. 

If approved by the General Assembly, the amendments to the bylaws will go into effect after the expiration of a 60-day protest period. If, within 60 days after the adoption of the amendments, one-third or more of Member Cities submit a written protest against such amendments, the amendments are automatically suspended until the next Annual Conference and Expo, when they may be taken up again for reconsideration and vote. If the amendments are approved by the General Assembly and no protest is lodged, the effective date of the bylaws amendments will be Nov. 9, 2022. 

Staff recommendation: The City supports the approval of this resolution as it provides amendments to the League of California Cities Bylaws to ensure the organization can function at the highest level and be responsive to its members in the most effective manner possible. After a thorough strategic planning process that resulted in the adoption of the “Powering Up for California Cities Strategic Growth Plan 2018-2021” the League’s Board implemented a series of amendments to their bylaws last year. Those changes were approved during the 2021 Annual Conference Business Meeting. The amendments being requested this year are a continuation of updating the bylaws to ensure Cal Cities is enhancing its governance capabilities and meeting the diverse needs of its members.

There is no financial impact associated with this action.  

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Dominick Casey, City Manager