TO: CITY COUNCIL
FROM: ADAM PIRRIE, CITY MANAGER
DATE: FEBRUARY 27, 2024
Reviewed by:
City Manager: AP
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDERATION OF (1) A RESOLUTION AFFIRMING THE CITY COUNCIL’S LONG-STANDING PRACTICE OF NOT ADOPTING RESOLUTIONS OR ISSUING PROCLAMATIONS THAT TAKE AN OFFICIAL CITY POSITION ON SOCIAL OR POLITICAL ISSUES THAT ARE NOT LOCAL TO CLAREMONT, AND (2) A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR AN IMMEDIATE PEACEFUL RESOLUTION TO THE ONGOING CONFLICT AND HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IMPACTING GAZA AND ISRAEL.
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SUMMARY
During the City Council meeting on February 13, 2024, several people requested that the City Council adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire and immediate peaceful resolution to the on-going conflict and humanitarian crisis impacting Gaza and Israel. In response to these requests, Councilmember Jennifer Stark asked that an item be placed on the agenda for the February 27, 2024 City Council meeting so that the City Council could consider either (1) formalizing its long-standing practice of not issuing resolutions or proclamations that adopt an official City position on social or political issues that are not local to Claremont (Attachment A) or (2) departing from this practice and adopting a resolution calling for an immediate peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis impacting Gaza and Israel (Attachment B).
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the City Council adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA, AFFIRMING THE CITY COUNCIL’S LONG-STANDING PRACTICE OF NOT ADOPTING RESOLUTIONS OR ISSUING PROCLAMATIONS THAT TAKE AN OFFICIAL CITY POSITION ON SOCIAL OR POLITICAL ISSUES THAT ARE NOT LOCAL TO CLAREMONT.
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ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDATION
In addition to the recommendation, there are the following alternatives:
A. The City Council may depart from its longstanding practice of not adopting official City positions on social or political causes that are not local to Claremont, and consider adopting A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR AN IMMEDIATE PEACEFUL RESOLUTION TO THE ONGOING CONFLICT AND HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IMPACTING GAZA AND ISRAEL as currently drafted (Attachment B) (the “Ceasefire Resolution”).
B. The City Council may also make revisions to the draft Ceasefire Resolution and consider adopting the amended resolution.
C. The City Council may choose to take no action.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The staff cost to prepare this report is estimated at $1,600 and is included in the operating budget of the Administrative Services Department.
ANALYSIS
During the City Council meeting on February 13, 2024, several people requested that the City Council adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire and immediate peaceful resolution to the on-going conflict and humanitarian crisis impacting Gaza and Israel. In response to these requests, Councilmember Jennifer Stark asked that an item be placed on the agenda for the February 27, 2024 City Council meeting so that the City Council could consider either (1) formalizing its long-standing practice of not issuing resolutions or proclamations that adopt an official City position on social or political issues that are not local to Claremont (Attachment A) or (2) departing from this practice and adopting a resolution calling for an immediate peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis impacting Gaza and Israel (Attachment B).
Resolution Formalizing Longstanding Practice (Attachment A)
Staff recommends that the City Council continue its longstanding practice of not issuing resolutions or proclamations that take an official City position on social or political issues that are not local to Claremont. While this practice exists as an Administrative Policy (at the staff level) and has been a long standing practice of the City Council, a formal policy has never been adopted by the City Council. If the City Council would like to make this longstanding practice an official City Council policy, it may adopt the draft Resolution included with this report as Attachment A. As an alternative, the City Council may continue its longstanding practice by taking “no action” on this item (i.e., Alternative C). It is important to note that individual City Council members are free to take positions on social and political causes (e.g., “the Mayor of Claremont supports X.”). The practice and proposed policy only pertain to the City Council, by majority vote, adopting official City positions on social and political causes (e.g., “The City of Claremont supports X”).
The City of Claremont is made up of diverse individuals whose collective cultures, religions, backgrounds, orientations, abilities, and viewpoints join to form a highly pluralistic community which prides itself on being a place which welcomes persons and families of all walks of life. Because members of the community often have different perspectives on social and political issues, it can be divisive and alienating to adopt “official City positions” on causes and issues that community members do not wholly agree on.
Further, the City receives several requests for proclamations and/or resolutions each year on issues over which the City Council has no jurisdiction. Here are examples of requests that the City has received since 2020:
• Anti-Mask/Vaccination Mandates
• Defund the Police (8 Can’t Wait and We Demand Justice Now)
• Black Lives Matter
• Recall Deputy Attorney General George Gascon
• Rare Disease Awareness Month
• Breast Cancer Awareness
• Fentanyl Awareness Day
• Red Ribbon Week
• Mental Health Awareness
• Suicide Prevention
• Gun Violence
The City cannot realistically accommodate every request. First, preparing well-researched, well-drafted proclamations and resolutions requires a significant commitment of staff time and resources. As discussed in the next section, this work also included outreach to stakeholders. The City currently does not have the staff resources to regularly create proclamations and resolutions for matters that are not local to Claremont, and over which the City Council has no authority or jurisdiction. Second, public comment and City Council deliberation on these proclamations and resolutions can be lengthy, particularly when an issue or cause is controversial. To ensure City Council meetings are manageable and productive, adding these items to an agenda will inherently result in City business being postponed to subsequent meetings. For example, in anticipation of substantial public comment and deliberation on the Ceasefire Resolution, staff removed two City business items from the agenda for the February 27, 2024 meeting.
Because time and resources are finite, if the City Council were to depart from its longstanding practice, it would put staff in the very difficult position of deciding which requests should be considered by the City Council and which would not.
While not adopting resolutions or issuing proclamations related to specific social or political causes, the City has strived to provide information and support when issues or causes impact its community. For example, the City has previously taken the following actions:
• Issued a Police Department (PD) statement in advance of the George Floyd verdict and created a transparency page with information on Claremont Police Department policies related to the use of force.
• Public Information Office staff has created social media posts and website banners for “recognition” months and has created informational handouts and posts to raise awareness.
• In response to anti-Semitic flyers distributed in the City, directly impacting Claremont’s Jewish community, the City Council adopted a resolution condemning hate speech.
City staff prides themselves on being accessible and responsive to local demands, which are generally reflected in the City Council Priorities and Objectives. Taking on the task of preparing resolutions and/or proclamations that relate to issues outside the purview of the City Council impacts the ability of City staff to address Priorities and Objectives that have a direct impact on the citizens of Claremont.
Draft Ceasefire Resolution (Attachment B)
During the City Council meeting on February 13, 2024, several people requested that the City Council adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire and immediate peaceful resolution to the on-going conflict and humanitarian crisis impacting Gaza and Israel. Since that meeting, the City has heard from several people, some who deeply support and others who deeply oppose such a resolution. Written public comment that was received prior to the posting of the February 27, 2024 City Council agenda can be found in Attachment C to this report.
Given the relatively short time between the February 13 and 27 Council meetings, staff did brief outreach to both the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys and the Islamic Center of Claremont to obtain feedback on a potential resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Representatives from the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys expressed that they are not supportive of a “ceasefire” resolution. Specifically, the Jewish community would be deeply offended by a resolution that contained the words “apartheid” and/or “genocide”; that does not acknowledge that a ceasefire was in place until October 6, 2023, and that Hamas’ actions created the current situation; and that does not call for the immediate return of hostages.
The President of the Islamic Center of Claremont provided the following statement: “We at the Islamic Center of Claremont are in full support of any action taken by the City Council to stop the bloodshed in Gaza. As a community, we must use our voice to pressure our state and federal representatives to vote for a ceasefire now at the UN Security Council. Although we are a small town and it may seem like our voices will not make a difference, we believe it will. We urge you to take immediate action because this massacre cannot continue.”
The obvious division among the community as it relates to this issue made drafting a resolution very challenging. While the proposed resolution attempts to be deferential to citizens on both sides of the issue, it is clear that it may not meet the expectations of either group. Should the City Council elect to consider the adoption of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, they have the option of approving revisions to the proposed resolution before voting on approval.
LEGAL REVIEW
The draft resolutions have been reviewed and approved as to form by the City Attorney.
RELATIONSHIP TO CITY PLANNING DOCUMENTS
Staff has evaluated the agenda item in relationship to the City’s strategic and visioning documents and finds that it does not apply to City Planning Documents.
CEQA REVIEW
This item is not subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
The agenda and staff report for this item have been posted on the City website and distributed to interested parties. If you desire a copy, please contact the City Clerk’s Office.
Submitted by: Prepared by:
Adam Pirrie Katie Wand
City Manager Assistant to the City Manager
Attachments:
A - Resolution (Policy)
B - Resolution (Ceasefire)
C - Public Comment Received Prior to Publication of Agenda