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 a...
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