Title
Consider Directing Staff to Review Having a Holiday Tree, Menorah, Kwanzaa Banner, etc., in Front of City Hall and a Mayor’s Tree Lighting Event. (Councilmember Herrera Spencer)
Body
COUNCIL REFERRAL FORM
The Council can take any of the following actions:
1) Take no action.
2) Refer the matter to staff to schedule as a future City Council agenda item. Concurrence that staff time will be devoted to the item does not signify approval.
3) Take dispositive action only on time sensitive legislative matters if sufficiently noticed such that the public and Council have been provided sufficient information by the published agenda, and no formal published notice of a public hearing is required.
Name of Councilmember(s) requesting referral: Councilmember Herrera Spencer
Date of submission to City Clerk (must be submitted before 5:00 p.m. on the Monday two weeks before the Council meeting requested): 1/3/2023
Council Meeting date: 1/17/2023
Brief description of the subject to be printed on the agenda, sufficient to inform the City Council and public of the nature of the referral:
Recently there were multiple communications from members of the public regarding the City not having a holiday tree, Menorah, Kwanzaa banner, etc., in front of City Hall this past December and canceling its Mayor's Tree Lighting event.
My research of the history of the issue provides:
1. On June 10, 2021, Director Amy Wooldridge submitted a report to the Recreation and Parks Commission on "Reimagining Community Events." In that report, staff describes that the Mayor's Tree Lighting Ceremony (the 7th event listed) focuses "primarily on one religion" and did "not represent and include everyone in our community." Staff recommended to "instead decorate City Hall with white lights." At that meeting (held via zoom), no members of the public spoke and that Commission voted to support Director Wooldridge's recommendation. See, Agenda and Minutes attached.
The video of the Recreation and Parks Commission meeting provides: Director Wooldridge says she'd met with the mayor and the mayor supports it. I don't believe that Director Wooldridge discussed it with me as a councilmember or other councilmembers; nor did any other staff. Link to video:
<http://alameda.granicus.com/player/clip/2781?view_id=6&redirect=true&h=f0a949c780490d76cd30ff36604c99e4>
2. Then City staff placed the item on the City Council's consent calendar on the July 20, 2021 agenda. There were 19 consent items and this was 5th. Staff did not do a presentation to the public on the regular agenda. Consent items are supposed to be routine; and even though I don't believe this was routine, no one pulled it and no members of the public spoke on the issue. Thus, City Council unanimously voted on the item along with other consent items.
3. On November 22, 2021, I did a referral to Council, after hearing from community members disappointed that the Tree Lighting event was not happening in December, 2021, to ask Council to discuss the issue publicly and consider having the event after all. My referral was heard by Council on June 7, 2022 but only Councilmember Daysog joined me so it failed. No members of the public emailed or spoke so, sadly again, the public wasn't aware.
4. In December, 2022, I did a Public Records Request to the City for all Records re costs. The records produced so far are incomplete as the cost of the tree has not been located, however, it's my understanding that staff is looking into that additional cost.
<https://cityofalamedaca.nextrequest.com/requests/22-597>
I think it's important that City Council revisit this issue.
Thank you for your consideration.
The City Council, at its July 25, 2020 Priority Setting Workshop, established the following 5 priorities for 2021:
1. Preparing Alameda for the future
2. Encouraging economic development across the Island
3. Supporting enhanced livability and quality of life, including addressing the housing crisis and homelessness
4. Protecting core services
5. Ensuring effective and efficient operations
Briefly describe which Council priority the subject falls under and how it relates:
3. Supporting enhanced livability and quality of life.