HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/21/2004, BUS 4 - MARDI GRAS WEEKEND 2005 PLANNING UPDATE AND RECOMMENDED STRATEGY council ".°m°M
Se tember 21 2004
AD aacEnaa Report 1W.
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
FROM: Deborah Linden, Chief of Police
SUBJECT: MARDI GRAS WEEKEND 2005 PLANNING UPDATE AND
RECOMMENDED STRATEGY
CAO RECOMMENDATION
That the Council:
1. Receive a report regarding the planning efforts to date for Mardi Gras weekend 2005,
and endorse an overall 2005 strategy for ending the dangerous and destructive "Mardi
Gras Weekend" phenomenon that has evolved in San Luis Obispo over the last
several years.
2. Authorize the CAO to execute a contract with Barnett Cox & Associates for an
amount not to exceed $30,000 for public information services for Mardi Gras
weekend 2005.
3. Conceptually support the creation of Safety Enhancement Zones in the areas of
Foothill and California and the downtown, and direct staff to return to Council with
an ordinance formally adopting them.
REPORT-IN-BRIEF
Over the long Mardi Gras Weekend of 2004, our community experienced dangerous and
destructive behavior that culminated in a riot on the evening of February 21". Two months later,
in April, the City Council met to discuss this experience and, among other things, directed staff
to develop a comprehensive plan for avoiding a similar experience in 2005. This report details
what has been learned since our April meeting and sets forth for Council consideration a four-
point overall strategy for 2005 that will serve to guide more detailed efforts and plans. Several
such efforts and plans are also outlined in this report under the three categories of Community,
Messaging, and Operations strategies. These more detailed strategies will evolve over the
coming months, as we work with others to flesh out final plans. A professional and strategic
public information plan shall be essential, and this report recommends entering into a contract for
such services. Lastly, to support the overall goal of strongly discouraging similar behavior in
2005, staff is recommending an entirely new idea—a"Safety Enhancement Zone" - that has been
effective in Newport Beach. If Council supports this idea, staff will return with an implementing
ordinance at a subsequent meeting.
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Mardi Gras Planning Update Page 2
DISCUSSION
Background.
On April 20, 2004, the Council received a report from CAO Ken Hampian and Police Chief
Deborah Linden regarding the riot and other problems that occurred during Mardi Gras weekend
in February 2004. Following the presentation, Council provided direction to staff to take all
appropriate steps within our control to avoid a recurrence of these events and to end public Mardi
Gras celebrations in San Luis Obispo. In response to this action and at Council's specific
request, Mardi Gras of San Luis Obispo opted to not seek a parade permit in 2005..
Since that meeting, staff has been researching and planning for Mardi Gras weekend 2005.
Experience tells us that even with the cancellation of the parade, it will likely take several years
for our community to completely quell the destruction and violence that has become associated
with Mardi Gras in San Luis Obispo. The Police Department has been actively researching
strategies that have proven successful in other communities in order to build our plan for 2005.
For the purposes of our planning and this report, we have defined "Mardi Gras 2005" as the
period of time beginning Thursday, February 3, 2005 and ending Wednesday, February 9, 2005
(the day after Fat Tuesday).
Although the Police Department is presenting this issue before Council, it is important to
emphasize that this is a community problem, not just a police problem. As such, ending the
violence will require community involvement and support. With this in mind, the recommended
efforts for 2005 involve many different community groups and individuals.
What have we learned since Mardi Gras 2004?
It was clear from the results of Mardi Gras 2004 that the Police Department needed to evaluate
our planning efforts and operational strategies for the future. This was a two-part process. First,
we examined what worked and what did not work during Mardi Gras 2004 and second, we
researched what strategies other agencies had found successful in similar situations.
Immediately after Mardi Gras 2004 a debriefing meeting was held at the police department that
involved representatives from the law enforcement agencies and City departments who were
involved with Mardi Gras 2004. Participants included representatives from the San Luis Obispo
County Sheriffs Department, Cal Poly University Police Department, California Highway
Patrol, California State University "CRU' team, City Fire Department, Finance/Information
Technology, and City Attorney. The group discussed the Mardi Gras 2004 events, specifically
focusing on the February 2151 riot, with a critical eye toward those areas in which we need to
improve. The most significant findings from this debriefing are described in the Operational
Efforts and Plans section of this report.
In addition to the operational debriefing, City staff met with representatives from Cal Poly
University and Associated Students, Inc. in order to provide them information about the weekend
events and to receive input from student representatives and University officials. Police
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Mardi Gras Planning Update Page'3
Department employees also met with various community stakeholders to discuss the events,
including housing owners and managers, business leaders, and various community groups.
Immediately after Mardi Gras 2004, the Police Department applied for and received state funding
from the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) to send a team
of five employees to various municipalities in California that have successfully dealt with large
disturbances. This "Field Study" consisted of visits to three cities: Chico, San Jose, and Newport
Beach. All three cities had dealt with large disturbances similar to San Luis Obispo Mardi Gras
weekend and all had developed successful strategies to mitigate the problems they were having.
The trip to Chico included Council Members Ewan and Mulholland, the CAO, and
representatives from Cal Poly, ASI, and Cuesta College. This visit proved to be the most
beneficial one since the event they have been dealing with — Halloween — closely parallels the
problems we experience during Mardi Gras weekend. Over the past decade, the crowds and
violence in Chico on Halloween had grown to out-of-control proportions, with many of the
attendees coming from out of town. Chico is host to a major University and most of the crowd
members were student-age individuals. The Chico Police Department spent many years
attempting to accommodate the event and the crowds by creating places for the crowds to gather
and adding restrooms and lighting, but the crowds continued to grow, as did the associated
violence and alcohol/drug abuse. Finally, in 2001, the Chico City Council directed the Police
Department to end the Halloween events in Chico. Through a combination of very strong
messaging, significant officer presence (450 officers), and involvement by the University and
community, Chico is close to ending its problems on Halloween.
The following is a summary of the most significant lessons learned from our various meetings
and the field studies:
1. Strong leadership from the City Council is critical to ending the violence and
problems associated with large-scale unwanted gatherings, such as Mardi Gras in San
Luis Obispo.
2. In order to end the violence and problems associated with events such as Halloween
in Chico or Mardi Gras in San Luis Obispo, community members, business owners,
the City, the Police Department, the University/Colleges, and the students must all
cooperate and partner with each other.
3. In particular, extra efforts must be made to connect with the student community in
order to enlist their support and cooperation prior to a problem event like Mardi Gras
weekend.
4. Clear, strong messaging is crucial to discouraging out-of-town parbers from coming
to the event, and to discourage local residents from inviting and hosting them.
5. Messaging must take many forms, including strong messages conveyed to students by
the Presidents of the University and College and information provided by student
leaders to the students about the event.
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6. Public safety must remain the priority and there must be consequences for bad
behavior if we hope to solve the problem. Therefore, operational plans and staffing
must be sufficient to "back up" our enforcement messaging in the safest possible way.
The recommendations set forth in the balance of this report are guided by these fundamental
lessons.
Recommended Overall 2005 Strategy—A Community, Messaging, and Operational Approach
Ending the negative Mardi Gras weekend "tradition" that has evolved in San Luis Obispo over
the last several years will not be easy. Most fundamentally;it will require a total commitment by
the Council, the staff and the community to do so, and to back up this commitment by adopting
and implementing several specific community, messaging, and operational strategies. The
recommended over-arching strategies are follows:
1. That the City Council continues to lead the way in clearly shifting our focus from
somehow "saving" public Mardi Gras celebrations, to ending the Mardi Gras
Weekend phenomenon in San Luis Obispo. As we have learned, "sounding clear
trumpets" in this regard is critical in terms of focusing our efforts and resources,
expressing our requests to the community, and sending messages to those outside the
community.
2. That the City positively engage several community stakeholders in the effort,
including student leaders and other students, residents of the California/Foothill
area, the downtown and other businesses, college officials, and Mardi Gras leaders,
among others. This engagement may include some level of volunteer support over
Mardi Gras weekend.
3. That the messaging and outreach efforts to these groups are based on a spirit of
collaboration and partnership in solving what is a community problem and not only a
City problem.
4. Parallel to these efforts, implement strong messaging and enforcement strategies that
clearly indicate that Mardi Gras Weekend in SLO is over and that rioting, property
damage and other out-of-control behaviors will be stopped with an overwhelming law
enforcement response that will result in significant consequences for those arrested
and prosecuted.
Community Efforts and Plans
It is clear that although enforcement is a key component in preventing a recurrence of the
2004 riot, law enforcement cannot do it alone. The involvement of key community groups
and individuals in helping to end the event is critical. Staff is collaborating with various
stakeholders in order to coordinate our activities and resources. The following are some of
the stakeholders we are already communicating with, or plan to in the upcoming months:
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1. Cal Poly and Cuesta: Although many of the problems that occurred during Mardi
Gras 2004 involved young adults from outside the area, Cal Poly and Cuesta students
were also involved in the riot and other crowd activities. In addition, many of the
visitors who came for the weekend to party did so at the invitation of our local
students, and stayed with them in their homes and apartments. Staff has been
communicating with Cal Poly and Cuesta officials to ask for their help and to solicit
input on how best to connect with students to gain their cooperation in the effort to
end the Mardi Gras weekend problem.
On September 7, 2004, staff met with the Cal Poly President and his staff to discuss
several ways they can assist the City, including messaging and outreach to students.
Based on this meeting, we believe that Cal Poly officials will be strong partners in our
efforts and will do what they legally can to assist the City. On September 15, 2004,
staff will also meet with the Cuesta President and her staff and we expect that the City
will receive similar support from college leaders.
2. Cal Poly ASI and Cuesta Student Leaders: Staff has been working with the ASI
President and Executive Director (both participated in the Chico visit) to develop
ways we can bring students into the planning efforts for Mardi Gras 2005, and to
arrange information meetings with students prior to the event.
Through the Student Community Liaison Committee, this collaboration with student
leaders—including Cuesta leaders—will continue.
3. Added Student Outreach: Staff plans to conduct outreach with students, particularly
those who reside in the areas adjacent to the Cal Poly campus. Outreach activities
will include door-to-door contact in order to ask for their help in ending the violence
associated with Mardi Gras and to provide residents with information regarding the
2005 weekend.
4. Downtown Bar and Restaurant Owners' Association: Staff has been meeting with
individual bar and restaurant owners who have agreed to assist our efforts by
refraining from having any special Mardi Gras promotions or advertising during
Mardi Gras 2005. We will be meeting with the owners and managers as a group to
expand this request, and to discuss other strategies for the weekend.
5. Downtown Association: Staff will be meeting with the Downtown Association Board
on September 14, 2004 to request their assistance in discouraging Mardi Gras
promotions by businesses in the downtown.
6. Chamber of Commerce: Staff will be meeting with the Chamber of Commerce Board
on September 21, 2004 with the same goal of discouraging Mardi Gras promotions in
town, as well as partnering with us in the goal of ending the Mardi Gras problems in
San Luis Obispo.
7. Mardi Gras of San Luis Obispo: Staff has met with Mardi Gras organizers to discuss
the scheduling of the Fest, as well as the messaging on the Mardi Gras web site.
8. Neighborhood Associations: Staff will be meeting with various neighborhood
associations, including RQN, to discuss the planning for Mardi Gras 2005 and to
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discuss ways to address problems in the neighborhoods during that weekend. Staff
will be requesting the associations' assistance with the distribution of information to
neighborhood residents.
9. Off-Campus Property Owners and Managers: Staff will continue to meet with the
property managers of the multi-unit complexes in order to work together to avoid
problems in and around the complexes. Staff will assist the large complexes in
developing specific security plans for Mardi Gras weekend.
10. Off-sale Alcohol Retailers: The Police Department will be inviting the owners and
managers of the off-sale alcohol retailers to discuss ways we might work
cooperatively in reducing the large-scale abuse of alcohol during Mardi Gras
weekend.
11. Hospital Emergency Room Personnel: Staff will be working with the hospital
emergency room physicians and administrators both in the event planning and in
community messaging. The impact of the Mardi Gras weekend on the emergency
rooms is overwhelming and the risk of injury and alcohol/drug overdoses is very high.
Staff will be collaborating with emergency room personnel to involve them in the
public information campaign to ensure this message is conveyed.
Messaging Efforts and Plans
Having an effective public information campaign before Mardi Gras weekend is critical to
ending the dangerous and destructive Mardi Gras weekend events and to discouraging
individuals from coming to San Luis Obispo to party and cause problems. In order to do this
effectively, a four-part strategy is needed:
1. Develop a media campaign clearly stating that Mardi Gras in SLO is over and asking for
the community's help in ending it.
2. Encourage Cal Poly and Cuesta to send clear messages to their students via email,
notices in the student papers, and other venues.
3. Encourage student leaders to provide outreach and information to the students about the
weekend.
4. Provide information and media campaign links via a City-sponsored and supported web
site.
Staff has the ability to coordinate all of these strategies themselves, except for the media
campaign, which is far beyond our expertise and abilities. The media campaign, which will
include the development of material for newspaper and television production, will require
contracting with a vendor to provide this service.
Contracting with Barnett Cox&Associates
In conformance with the City's purchasing policies, the Police Department is requesting that
Council authorize the CAO to execute a contract with Barnett Cox & Associates (BCA) for an
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amount not to exceed $30,000 to provide media design and information campaign services for
Mardi Gras weekend 2005. BCA is the most appropriate choice for this contact for the following
reasons:
1. In 2002, BCA was selected in a competitive bid process for a three-year contract with
the Police Department to design and coordinate our crime prevention and
neighborhood outreach advertising services. BCA has developed expertise in crafting
law enforcement-related messaging that specifically targets the unique demographics
here in San Luis Obispo. The Police Department has been extremely pleased with
their services and they have formed an excellent working relationship with our staff.
In fact, the amount of the contract was supposed to have increased each year, as
originally specified in the agreement, however, the increases were not realized due to
significant budget constraints. BCA continued to fulfill their contractual obligations
without complaint, even in light of the contract amount reductions.
2. BCA developed the 2004 Mardi Gras information ads for the Police Department as
part of our current crime prevention contract with them. They are familiar with the
problems associated with Mardi Gras here in SLO and have special expertise in
crafting advertisements to address them.
3. For the last two years, BCA has contracted with the City of Chico via a competitive
bid process to provide advertising services for their Halloween event in Chico. The
Chico information campaign proved extremely effective in discouraging partiers from
coming to Chico for Halloween. Staff intends to pattern our local campaign after the
one conducted in Chico. BCA has unique expertise and experience with this specific
information campaign that can be utilized for our Mardi Gras campaign.
4. In order to be effective, the public information campaign must begin immediately, and
BCA is in the best position to do so effectively since they already have material
developed from Mardi Gras 2004 as well as from their work with Chico.
5. Their proposed fees for this work are reasonable and include the cost of purchasing
television and radio time and print advertising as part of the information campaign.
In short, it will be more efficient and effective for the City to build on our current relationship
with BCA - which is based on a competitive selection process - as well as their expertise in this
particular area in both the City as well as another comparable agency.
The Council has already approved $10,000 for a public information campaign for Mardi Gras
2005 as part of the Police Department's budget for the event. After conducting additional
research and considering the extent of what is needed, it became clear that the budgeted funds
would not be enough. The Police Department is not requesting additional funds for the contract
with BCA: we can transfer funds within the Mardi Gras budget to fund the recommended
increase of up to $20,000 in the advertising budget(from $10,000 to$30,000).
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Operational Efforts and Plans
All of the planning for the Mardi Gras 2005 event is being done in an Incident Command System
(ICS) format. This allows for a clear understanding of everyone's roles and responsibilities and
creates a mechanism to plan for both the escalation of the event, .as well as the release of
resources should they not be needed.
The planning involves almost every department in the City, including Police, Fire, Parks and
Recreation, Public Works, Finance/IT, City Attorney, Administration, and Human Resources, in
addition to many other public and community groups. Planning meetings are being held every
two weeks and they will continue until Mardi Gras weekend..
In order to develop operational strategies for Mardi Gras weekend 2005, we first needed to
examine what worked during Mardi Gras 2004 and where we needed to improve. The following
points are the most significant "lessons learned" from Mardi Gras 2004:
1. The best way to prevent a recurrence of the problems is to discourage out-of-town
people from coming to San Luis Obispo for Mardi Gras weekend and to discourage
our residents from hosting these visitors. Messaging to students is critical to this
effort.
2. The department had planned for a large event; we were not adequately prepared for a
riot.
3. There were not enough officers to either prevent a major disturbance or to quickly end
one when it occurred.
4. Our booking facility was not capable of handling the number of arrests that became
necessary throughout the weekend..
5. We needed a better traffic flow and diversion plan in the area of Foothill and
California.
6. We needed better techniques for dealing with large crowds early, before a division is
created between the police and crowd members.
In developing our operational plan for Mardi Gras 2005, we sought to create strategies that
specifically addressed these points, and that incorporated many of the things we learned during
the POST Field Study visits, in an effort to use strategies that have proven successful in other
communities faced with similar challenges. The following is an overview of the main
operational strategies we will utilize during Mardi Gras weekend 2005:
1. Develop and communicate a clear crowd control philosophy and goals to all agencies
and personnel involved. This philosophy will involve keeping the groups of party-
goers moving and not allowing them to form stagnant groups, and to intermingle with
the groups in order to avoid separation between officers and partygoers. This will
prevent an "us vs. them" environment.
Mardi Gras Planning Update Page 9
2. Increase the number of officers working in the affected areas. These officers will be
assigned to foot patrol duties with specific geographical areas and responsibilities.
3. Deploy plainclothes teams of officers for crowd intelligence and video
documentation.
4. Establish a traffic/pedestrian flow and diversion plan that provides for the safety of
pedestrians and motorists in the affected area, and facilitates the free flow of
pedestrian traffic.
5. Institute a number of DUI checkpoints throughout the city in order to remove
dangerous drivers from the roadways early and frequently.
6. Close public and private parking lots in the affected areas in order to discourage
parking by out-of-town party-goers.
7. Enforce all applicable laws and municipal code violations early and often in order to
prevent greater problems as crowds increase, with a specific focus on alcohol and
public nudity violations.
8. Move the booking operation from the Police Department to the San Luis Obispo
County Court holding facility, under the control of the San Luis Obispo County
Sheriffs Department.
9. Establish a mass arrestfbooking procedure that insures proper identification of
arrestees should a major disturbance occur.
10. Locate the Incident Command Center at the Ludwick Center for the entire weekend,
including Fat Tuesday.
11. Create a Field Operation Center in the vicinity of the Foothill/California
neighborhood to be used for field tactical planning, equipment and personnel staging,
and as a centralized arrestee location.
Assistance From Other Law Enforcement Agencies
The Police Department is working with numerous other law enforcement agencies to ensure there
are enough law enforcement resources in the City to prevent a recurrence of the crowd violence
that occurred in 2004, and to be able to effectively deal with large crowd disturbances if they do
occur. In order to accomplish this goal, we believe we will need a total of approximately 300 law
enforcement officers on Friday and Saturday nights of Mardi Gras weekend and approximately
150 officers on Tuesday night (Fat Tuesday). It is clear that we do not have the law enforcement
resources locally to meet this need and therefore we must depend on other law enforcement
agencies to assist us. Although the operation will include officers from several different law
enforcement agencies, the San Luis Obispo Police Department will retain overall command of
the entire operation. We will work closely and jointly with representatives from the other
agencies by utilizing the Incident Command System to clearly define roles and responsibilities
and by having the representatives physically present throughout the operation at the command
center.
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Mardi Gras Planning Update Page 10
The primary partnering agencies are the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the Cal Poly
University Police Department, and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department. Officers
from all of the area law enforcement agencies, including the Santa Maria Police Department and
the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Department, will also be involved, as well as personnel from
the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), Railroad Police, and Department of Justice (DOJ).
These officers will be used for various duties including foot, bicycle, vehicle, horse, and
motorcycle patrol; DUI checkpoints; plain-clothes operations; video documentation; and
booking/transportation duties.
Chief Linden has received a verbal commitment from the CHP for approximately 200 CHP
officers for Mardi Gras 2005. CHP plans to provide the officers and their lodging needs at CHP
expense. The City will be responsible for some costs; including some meals and security
arrangements for CHP vehicles. These costs are already included in the Police Department
budget.
Safety Enhancement Zone
In addition to the strategies outlined above, the Police Department is requesting Council consider
a new strategy being successfully used in the City of Newport Beach called a Safety
Enhancement Zone. Each year, Newport Beach experiences significant problems with alcohol,
noise, and parties along their beach area on July 4. The City enacted an ordinance that created a
Safety Enhancement Zone that encompasses the problem area and is posted as such prior to the
July 4 holiday. When the Safety Enhancement Zone is activated, all fines for Municipal Code
violations are automatically tripled. The Police Department does extensive outreach prior to the
holiday to notify residents of the enhancement and increased fines. This ordinance has proven
very effective in increasing the safety of residents in the area by deterring unlawful behavior
because potential violators know the resulting fines will be tripled in "The Zone."
Staff believes such an ordinance could be very effective in preventing violations during Mardi
Gras weekend in San Luis Obispo, specifically in the area surrounding Foothill and California,
and in the downtown corridor. The ordinance can only apply to violations of the City Municipal
Code and staff would recommend limiting the scope of the ordinance to include the following
violations that frequently occur in these areas during Mardi Gras weekend (including Fat
Tuesday):
Section 9.04.010 -Possession of an open container in public
Section 9.12.050 (A) - Noise Violation
Section 9.20.050 -Urinate/defecate in public
A Safety Enhancement Zone ordinance would not apply to violations of state law, such as public
intoxication and inciting a riot, since the Council does not have the legal authority to increase
fines for these violations. In addition, staff recommends against including the newly enacted
public nudity ordinance since Council just approved this ordinance based on a specific fine
structure and hopefully this will be sufficient to accomplish our limited objectives with this form
of crowd-inciting behavior.
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Mardi Gras Planning Update Page 11
The area around the Safety Enhancement Zones would be posted with signage prior to the
designated time span and an information campaign would be implemented to ensure residents
and visitors are aware of the enhanced fines.
If Council approves the concept of the Safety Enhancement Zones, staff will return with an
appropriate ordinance for consideration.
CONCURRENCES
Given the diversity of views regarding this issue in the community, certainly not everyone will
"concur" with every proposed idea or strategy set forth in this report. However, we hope the
report clearly illustrates that a substantial amount of collaboration has taken place, and will
continue to take place, as we develop and implement our plan for the 2005 Mardi Gras weekend.
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impacts associated with these actions have already been anticipated in the Police
Department's budget for Mardi Gras 2005, as approved by Council.
ALTERNATIVES
There are several obvious alternatives to the staff recommendation, such as:
1. Decline to endorse the overall 2005 strategy for ending the dangerous and destructive
"Mardi Gras Weekend" phenomenon. This alternative is not recommended, as the
2005 overall strategy has been developed after considerable study of our experiences
in San Luis Obispo, in addition to strategies that have been successfully implemented
in other communities under circumstances similar to those that have occurred here.
2. Decline to authorize the contract with Barnett Cox & Associates and require staff to
seek competitive bids for the work. This alternative is not recommended. For the
reasons articulated in the report, staff believes there is strong justification for a
contract with Barnett Cox & Associates. It is critical this work begin as soon as the
contract is executed and a competitive bid process would delay the work and risk
diminishing the effectiveness of the public information campaign.
3. Decline to conceptually support the creation of Safety Enhancement Zones in the
areas of Foothill and California Blvds., and the Downtown. This alternative is not
recommended. The City of Newport Beach has found that the Safety Enhancement
Zone works very effectively as a deterrent to the commission of certain Municipal
Code violations by tripling fines when the "Zone" is in effect and staff believes it
would be equally effective here in San Luis Obispo.
The Council may also wish to alter parts of the recommended overall strategy, and staff certainly
welcomes added input. Our foremost request, however, is that Council remains firm and clear in
its commitment to bring an end to experiences like the 2004 Mardi Gras weekend. With such
leadership and support, we believe we can accomplish the task sooner rather than later.
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RED FILE
MEETING AGENDA
4
® 17 September 2004 z/b Y ITEM # _
San Luis Obispo To: Mayor Romero and City CouncHmembers
Downtown
Association from: 'torah Cash, Administrator,5LO Downtown Association
PO. Box 1402 Re: Mardi Gras 2005 Strategy
San Luis Obispo
California 93406 As you may have noted from Downtown Association Board of Directors' minutes
from its September meeting (forwarded earlier), the Board unanimously voted to
Phone.805541•0286 support staff's recommendation to discourage Mardi Gras celebrations in the City..
,FAX.-805-781-2647
www.downtownsio.com While there are some businesses who directly benefit from Mardi Gras activities
(Costume Capers, Law's Hobby Center, Big Sky Cafe [Mardi Gras private party
celebration]) it is felt the City is reliant on community assistance to promote its
message and end the danger and destruction resultant from the past years' Mardi
Gras events. Therefore,the Downtown Association supports these efforts and
will encourage businesses to refrain from promoting Mardi Gras in its window
displays, advertising or events.
Ili COUNICIL ! CDD DIR
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SLO Downtown Association
Board of Directors
14 September 2004
City Council Hearing Room
Minutes
Present
Brad Bilsten
Tom Swem
Ellen Henry
Howard Carroll
Bob Seeley
Alex Gough
Tunny Ortah
Patty Carpenter
Kathi Main
Frank Merson
Brandon Downing, ex officio
Deborah Cash, staff
Kristin Ansari, staff
Christine Mulholland
Betsy Kiser
Patricia Wilmore
Call to order 7:36 AM by Bilsten.
No public comment at this time.
Motion to approve minutes by Main, 2"d by Henry, PAIR
Add Alex Gough to last month's minutes.
Board member appointment(to replace Michael White)
Motion to appoint Tunny Ortali by Swem, 2"d by Main, PAIF. Ortali also chairs TNP.
Mardi Gras Update: Deborah Linden, Ken Hampian
Main goal: our support, going to Council on Sept. 21, agenda report available tomorrow,
Some specific ideas to Downtown: starting to contact DT businesses, esp. bar owners to
get help and cooperation to NOT do any promotions for MG '05, strategy is to shut MG
down, stop attractions, discourage people from coming from out of town, don't want to
attract people coming for entire weekend, some bars have agreed already, continuing
outreach; wants DA to help with messaging: MG in SLO is over, don't invite friends to
come here
Have visited other communities: Newport Beach has an enhanced zone where fines are
increased; are looking at having two separate zones in SLO during MG only, Foothill
area and DT, alcohol,noise,public urination violations (focusing on). (This will be in
staff report for Council meeting).
C",
MG krewe: regular parade is cancelled, Ball and Fest will still occur, Fest is two weeks
prior(Gumbo Fest), website will be up but password protect schedule of events.
Swem: zone time frame? Linden: 24 hour date sensitive for select violations probably
Thurs—Wed to encompass Fat Tuesday.
Swem: enforcement? Linden: for Sat, Sun nights of MG will have over 300 officers,
want enough officers to (1)prevent what happened last year and (2) if there is a
disturbance, to have enough officers on hand; goal is to not let groups become a mass
Hampian: expensive operation to put an end to MG, in addition to property damage,
violence, this funding prevents something bad hopefully
The "City" isn't going to be solving this problem itself, the community will need to talk
up, contribute to end this event
MG will have private events, possibly spontaneous sidewalk parades, any help DA can
give is appreciated
Linden: San Jose has a similar problem right in their DT, could shift in SLO as well
Seeley: how to handle outoftowners? Linden: (1) keep them from coming in first place
just to party, strong messaging to university community, getting CP and Cuesta as
partners and(2) a multi year effort, won't shut down in one year, unattractive in '05 so
folks won't come back in `06
Linden: would like to have DA send message in addition to halting its own activities
(aka Mardi Gras Prevue Night);
Carroll: is it illegal for group to gather Linden: no, problem is orderliness
Carroll: sometimes with group, many officers create a problem where there is no
problem
Linden: has to do with tone, presence, small foot and bike teams
If not a disturbance, tone is one of cooperation; once crowd sparks, it's too late
Swem: Cal Poly's part? Linden: had productive meeting with Baker and staff, they are
on board as partners in messaging to students, getting word out
Merson: ABC involvement? Linden: yes, agents' presence is increased
Bilsten: feel instigating people who "want" riot, this may scare away average student,
but there are those who see it as a challenge.
Hampian: hired seismic retrofit liaison person: Claire Clark, probably start first of
October
Hampian: Not use theme of MG, window decorations,newsletter articles or however
most effective
Main: letter supportive of what Council is doing, Merson supportive of efforts to send a
message;
Swem: motion to support City's MG strategy, 2 dby Ortali, PAIF.
**Cash will send letter(email to Betsy) today.
Monterey St.Plaza
Mike Draze: Deputy Director of Community Development
Draze: item is not an action item, Monterey St. Plaza
Concept: to make a place for pedestrians to gather, already events in Courthouse plaze
Team designed surface treatment, removed curbs, useful to people
Options: close to traffic, partial closures, no closures;no decision on that yet, will need
traffic studies, concept isn't reliant on any one traffic decision
Council tentatively asked for further study, are going to advisory bodies to get comments
from each; will be going to ARC and PC before Council and at that point may start
budgeting for item but at this time has no funding; could be expensive
Visual anchor
Ortali: biggest issue is traffic flow
Carroll: French curve could be confusing to traffic
Bilsten: likes idea but thinks there's other, more important project
Main: City needs to focus less on north end of town, needs more balance
Mulholland: item is major City goal, since City is going into major City goal, these kinds
of comments could change goals for next two years,
Carroll: keep coming back to concept plan, implementing piecemeal parts of plan will
result in congestion, also development of area north of Santa Rosa
(No Board action taken on this item).
Two Year Council Goal Setting/Advisory Body Input
Bill Statler: 05-07 Budget, a lot of long term policies-more than most cities; need to
program for next two years allocating resources for those projects
ID highest priority
Community forum January 12
Goal setting workshop January 29
From advisory bodies' portfolios: from our perspective what are important issues, then
overarching community issues—what's important to the communities
Advisory body recommendations were reflected in current budget for the most part.
Ask for draft goals from each ad body,
November 1: due date
council mcmoRAnbum
Faty of san Luis otils o. aaimnismation oe autment
DATE: September 14, 2004 RECEIVED
TO: City Council $Fp 1 4 2004
FROM: Ken Hampian, CAO SLO CITY CLERK
41
SUBJECT: Mardi Gras Messaging and the Perception Challenge Facing Us
Today's Cal Poly Week Of Welcome (WOW) event was focused on making club information
available to new students. To promote today's theme, WOW organizers labeled the event "Fat
Tuesday" and passed out Mardi Gras beads to the many students involved in the WOW program.
While no malice was intended in using this theme (and Cal Poly officials were unaware of the
promotional plan), it does illustrate the kind of challenge we will face in changing the perception
that Mardi Gras is a major event celebrated publicly in San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly officials will
follow-up to avoid a similar theme in the future.
Also today, the attached flyer was provided to staff by a council member for Council and staffs'
information.
TCDD Dln RED FILE
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I -
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NOVO Restaurant 7205 Higuera, Downtown SLO
(5:15-1O:OOPM THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2004
PROCESSION
MEET for the procession: 6:15 PRI at Mitchell Park(Corner of Santa Rosa&Pismo,SLO).
START: 6:20 PM. Parade up Santa Rosa left on Higuera headed by Trumpeter Geoff Land and his
Dixieland Jazz Cats through Farmer's Market to NOVO Restaurant (almost to the comer of Broad). We
are parading through Farmers Market as a way of telling our community that Mardi Gras lives on!i And
we have a built-in audience!! (Said like Groucho Marx).
Attire should include Mardi Gras Finery to any frivolity with bead throwing optional. What a way to kick
off MG pre-season!!
Dixieland Jazz Band will wrap up live music on the'Oak Tree Patio'dance floor where DJ Mo from Krewe
GALA will play Zydeco, Blues, nostalgic songs and more during dinner!!
BUFFET:
EAT a fabulous meal: 7:00-8:00 PM Full Cajun Buffet by Robin Covey,on the big patio. Tickets will
be pre-sold by Krewe Kaptains after Sept. 10"for 020.00 each,or for 025.00 at the buffet line the night
of. A percentage of proceeds will go to the AIDS Support Network(ASN).
No-Host bar featuring beer,wine,water,sodas and traditional Mardi Gras drinks... To order tickets Call:
541-2183
CORONATION:
GREET the Royals: 8:00 PM Under the Oak Tree lit by starlight with MC Joe Empey,who will have
you rolling with laughter!
Current Royals King Allen &Queen Amanda will speak of their fun filled yet challenging year.Well
donetf
New Royals will be crowned,deliver their acceptance and then dance to the DJ Tunes in"mirthful
merriment"till 10:00 ish...
a
_� �� ,�_I _—_ __ _ i i
council memoizanbum
Fc--it-yof San LUIS OBISPO, admmistuation oe autment
DATE: September 15, 2004 RECEIVED
TO: City CouncilSEP 115 2004
FROM: Ken Hampian, CAO(, C, SLO CITY CLERK
SUBJECT: Added Mardi Gras Procession Info
The attached email was provided by Council Member Settle and is evidently circulating via
email throughout the community, forwarding the September 30`h procession invitation. While
the City has never objected to private Mardi Gras celebrations, staging such a public procession
through Farmer's Market (when all the students are back in town) complete with bead throwing,
etc., cannot be helpful to the community effort necessary to end our large, dangerous and
expensive Mardi Gras weekend problem.
RED FILE
g� MEETING AGENDA
tclo-UNCII TCDDCADIR ®ATETEM
�ACA0IN DIR 0 2- IRE CHIEF
,ATTORNEY ,DPW 01
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❑ D PT HEAD TREC 0 1
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- -
Redfile Mardi Gras Proressioa Email
Inbox Message List Page 1 of 1
[_ This UVindow j
Message is not flagged. [Flag for Follow Up]
Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2004 9:07:33-0700
From: <slocollector@charternet>
t Add to Address Book I Block Address I Report as Spam I
To: <tomBSLO@charter.net, <sayitok@aol.com>, <kathsettle@excite.com>,
<mrsderfericks@charter.net
Subject: [Fwd:MARDI GRAS PROCESSION,]
> From: "sherry kennedy"<kennedy.sherry@woddnet.att.net>
> Dater 2004/09/12 Sun AM 01:07:46 PDT
>To: <kennedy.sherryi@worldnetattnet
>Subject: MARDI GRAS PROCESSION,
>As you know,the SLO Mardi Gras community decided to have a moratorium on the annual Parade in
response to the Cal Poly riot the night before our Parade this year.
>Mardi Gras will never die. It can't It won't.
>So,we will continue all of the other festivities, some of which are public, like the Coronation.
>Mardi Gras Krewe's will have first opportunity to purchase tickets, but you are welcome to call me @ 489-5133
if you would like one.Tickets are limited and cost$5.00 more @ the door.
>You are also welcome to join us in the procession to the Coronation or cheer us on as we walk through
Farmer's Market on September 30th.to the Coronation.
> Laissez les bons temps rouler!
>Sherry
Attachment04 CoronaSon announcementcloc(27 K13) [Download]
http://e6.email.excite.com/msg__Tead.php?m=O&s--1&d=1&mid=4882&pr--I&ArdSl=l 1342a... 9/13/04
CYDNEY HOLCOMB 805 594 03SS 09/21/04 09:25pm P. 001
r
E
RECEIVED
S21 2004
_P
Ah i. SLO CITY CLERK
Residents for Quality Neighborhoods
RED FILE P.O. Box 12604.. San Luis Obispo, CA 93406
- ME ING AGENDAIDh _
D.'TEf ' ITEM # rCouNCIL TCDD DIR
i1CA0 FIN DIR
ACAO (Z FIRE CHIEF
DATE: September 21, 2004 ATTORNEY 2-PW DIR
JCLERK/ORIG -@'POLICE CHF
❑ DFPT HEAD $RREC DIR
TO: San Luis Obispo City Council � TIL DIR
S' � FIR DIS;
VIA: Fax to: 781-7109 /
RE: Meeting Date: September 21, 2004 - Item Number: Bus. 4
SUBJECT: MARDI GRAS WEEKEND 2005 PLANNING UPDATE AND RECOMMENDED
STRATEGY
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council,
RQN has reviewed the agenda report in the above-entitled matter and has concerns with
the following items:
OPERATIONAL EFFORTS AND PLANS
We are concerned that the parking strategy proposed in the Agenda Report at page 4.9,
item number 6, will create additional parking and control problems in adjacent
neighborhoods. If "out-of-towners" find they are unable to utilize public or private parking
lots in the affected areas, they will park wherever they can find space, i.e., in residential
neighborhoods. This is not simply a matter of inconvenience for residents of those
neighborhoods. The noise associated with loud car stereos, car doors slamming, loud
conversations, and car alarms is annoying on arrival and even more so on departure. Sound
travels further at night, so loud conversations, slamming doors, revving engines and
booming stereos can impact residents at an even greater distance from the source than it
does during the day.
SAFETY ENHANCEMENT ZONE
Although we support Chief Linden's efforts in regard to crowd control and dispersal, we also
have serious reservations about the two proposed .Safety Enhancement Zones described on
pages 4-10 and 4-11. We believe that designating only these two areas as Safety
Enhancement Zones would have the unintended consequence of pushing partiers further into
residential neighborhoods, either to planned parties in houses or apartments or to throngs of
people looking for something to do. This could increase the risk of vandalism to residences
and vehicles (such as occurred during previous Mardi Gras weekends), the proliferation of
litter (to include broken beer bottles), and the use of private lawns and plantings as
bathroom facilities.
c; CVDNEV HOLCOMB _ -905 594 0365 09/21/04 03:2Spm P. 002'
September 21, 2004
RQN — Mardi Gras Planning Update Page 2
We are in favor of tripling the fines for: 1) the possession of an open container in public; 2)
noise violations; and, 3) urinating and defecating in public. We agree that the increased
fines will hit wrongdoers where it really hurts - in the pocketbook. However, we
recommend designating the entire. city as a Safety Enhancement Zone instead of limiting
that designation to only two areas of town. After all, why should it be less expensive to
urinate on property off Patricia Drive or Coral Street or Santa Barbara Street or elsewhere in
the city than to urinate on property in the downtown corridor or in the vicinity of Foothill
and California Boulevards?
In conclusion, public health and safety is your council's top priority, and there must be
consequences for bad behavior - not only in the vicinity of California/Foothill and downtown,
but throughout our city.
Therefore, the RQN Board recommends that the Council take the following action:
1. Do not endorse operational strategy#6, the closing of public and private parking
lots. This will not discourage people from coming here; it will just push parking into
the neighborhoods along residential streets.
2. Designate.the City of San Luis Obispo as a Safety Enhancement Zone, thus allowing
triple fines to be instituted throughout the city for the violations specified. If this
appears to have a positive effect on the exuberance of party-goers, consider tripling
these fines all year long instead of just limiting it to the Mardi Gras season.
Respectfully submitted, y
4dneymb
Chairperson, RQN
Ken Hampian -Mardi Gras Page 1
From: Sandra Rowley<macsar99 @ yahoo.com>
To: Christine Mulholland <cMulholland@SLOcity.org>, Dave Romero --
<dRomero@SLOcity.org>, Ken Schwartz<kScnwartz@SLOcity.org>, Alan Settle<aSettle@SLOcity.org>,
John Ewan <jEwan @ SLOcity.org>, Ken Hampian <kHampian @ SLOcity.org>, Deb Linden
<dlinden @ slocity.org>
Date: 9/21/04 5:02PM
Subject: Mardi Gras
Dear Mr. Mayor and Councilmembers,
Thank you for your continued support with regard to the role that Mardi
Gras activities play in fostering bad behaviors by the youth of this
area and those who come here for a good time at Mardi Gras.
First of all Mardi Gras organizers should be chastized for their
planned processions, for continuing any of the public events and,
certainly, for their web site: This latest planned event, a
procession, is clearly designed to drum up support from the college
crowd, including incomming freshmen, in preparation for Mardi Gras
merriment.
For the most part I strongly support Chief.Linden in her at to
prepare the city for next year's influx of revellers. However,there
are two items discussed in the staff report which may make Mardi Gras
even less bearable for city residents..
1. Closing public and private parking lots in affected areas.
2. Tripling fines in only two areas of the city.
Our young people aren't stupid. If fines are tripled in two specific
areas, they will behave better in those areas and then go elsewhere to
reeelly party.. Approving this concept-without having it apply to the
whole city-can only make it rougher on residential neighborhoods.
The same idea applies to parking. Having public and private lots
closed won't make revellers go home, it will just make them drive
around until they find a place to park . . . and residential
neighborhoods nearby is the obvious choice of where to park.
These two strategies may help disperse crowds, but it seems they would
force crowds into neighborhoods where they are harder to control.
Thank you for your consideration of these remarks.
Sandra Rowley
San Luis Obispo
Do you Yahoo!?
New and Improved Yahoo! Mail- Send 10MB messages!
httpJ/promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
CC: Robert Bryn <rbryn@slocity.org>
Richard Schmidt V544-4247 M9/20/4 (D9:35AM D112
RED FILE RECEIVED
MI G �,f'AGENDA
RICHARD SCHMIDT DAT ITEM 4L LFA 2004
112ro d Set, San i O spo, CA 93405 (805) 544-4247
Se tember 20, 2004 ouNCIL ;?CDD oIR
p j'�;-CAC 'FIN DIR
Ir;?ACA O CR FIRE CHIEF
City Council Z ATTORNEY "7PW DIR
City of San Luis Obispo /0 CLERK/ORIG O'POLICE CHF Item 4: Mardi Gras
C7.DEPT HEA09 ZREEC DIR
. KUTIL DIR
Dear Council Members: 1 ji in nip,
While it is good that the city is making an effort to eliminate the Mardi Gras nuisance to
our city, the staff plan is predictably myopic.
Once again, the city administration can think only in terms of its business-centric view of
the city, and neglects the peace, safety and welfare of the city's neighborhoods, where
the people who pay their salaries live and have to put up with Mardi Gras problems
every bit as serious as those downtown.
In our neighborhood, problems continue pretty much as usual, and the police aren't
responsive because they're all downtown or at other designated "hot spots."
It's time the city beganrop tecting neighborhoods from Mardi Gras with the same vigor it
protects the commercial district. We personally sustain several thousands of dollars
dame each year to our vehicles from casual drunken vandalism the police
department isn't even interested in trying to deal with. This raises your insurance rates
as well as ours.
Several years ago I wrote a letter to the council describing my unwilling Mardi Gras
participation as a resident going about his daily business. Here is part of that letter:
"I thought I could "avoid" Mardi Gras by going to San Franciso and returning after 10
p.m., hours after the parade was over. But when I got off the freeway at Broad Street,
there were huge mobs of people milling on the sidewalks and in the streets --this in a
single family neighborhood some distance from downtown! The mobs got thicker as
we traversed Lincoln to Chorro, and under the freeway to the location from which the
group of us travelers had carpooled. At Peach and Chorro, with hundreds of party
people milling in the intersection, some idiot ran a stop sign, struck a vehicle
northbound on Chorro broadside, and sent it hurtling towards us in the opposite lane.
Fortunately it skidded to a stop a few feet before impact with us. Shaken, we
continued to Peach and Broad, where our cars were parked.
"Reversing my tracks, I headed home. At Chorro and Peach, the drivers in the
accident were trying to sort things out among themselves, to the taunts of the mob,
because no police were to be found. There were mobs all the way out Chorro and
Mardi Gras, Page 1
Richard Schmidt '®'5444247 OW9/20/4 m9:35AM p2/2
Broad towards Foothill -- roving bands of non-neighborhood residents partying (read
"boozing") in the streets of a single family neighborhood. I live a.mile from downtown,
and it was like this around home till well after midnight. There was continuous
whopping and hollering from the roving drinkers, and it was impossible to get any
sleep. We awoke next morning to streets and yards strewn with litter, broken bottles,
beer cans, canned vodka martinis, barf, etc., and public street trees smashed to
smithereens and residents vehicles seriously vandalized. None of this peripheral
Mardi Gras trouble was acknowledged by the city. With the media and city hall's
preoccupation with what goes on downtown, the city's neighborhood problems get
shoved into the trashcan of official concern."
I've append this to refresh your memory as to the extent of the problems OUTSIDE of
downtown. Note also that the issues I describe ARE ENTIRELY OFF THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT'S RADAR SINCE THEY DON'T HAVE A PRESENCE IN THE
NEIGHBORHOODS, cannot respond to neighborhood problems (like the traffic accident.
as well as other incidents) because of planned preoccupation elsewhere, and therefore
these issues don't even show up in police reports,
I have the following-Uggestions for your dealing with this item:
1. If there is to be a Safety Enhancement Zone, it should be the entire city of San Luis
Obispo, not hand-picked spots. Remember, the only reason the police think these are
the hot spots is because they aren't elsewhere to see what goes on!
2. The $30,000 on propaganda by Barnett & Cox is a waste of money.
3. Use the $30,000 that.would have been spent on PR and advertising propaganda
instead to provide POLICING OF NEIGHBORHOODS BY POLICE OFFICERS (not the
"trained" children who currently provide patrol) on Mardi Gras weekend and all other
weekends, and for instituting programs aimed at prosecuting and eliminating the sort of
vicious vandalism neighborhoods like ours sustain day-in and day-out.
Thank yoy.
Richard Schmidt
Mardi Gras, Page 2
RED FILE RECEIVED
ImENbaison RepoRt M� ING AGENDA
cry of san tws oaispo -E— _ITEM-#. SFP�1 U-2fi�4-- _
-(tQafiOfV-
1 SLO CITY CLERK
DATE: September 20, 2004
TO: Fellow Members of the City Council
l'CC'J,,JCIL .,2-CDD D!
Mayor David Romero n
i/CP,O -0'FIN DIR
FROM: !/ACAC 2-FIRE CHIEF
I2`ATTORNEY 12'Pw D I R
SUBJECT: League Activities IeE CLERK/ORIG -2'50LICE CHF
0 QFPT HEADS 7,� C DIR
f✓lFytaxtp -rP)(3 -u !L D H
UC-CSU Relations with Host California Cities _ J
Fourteen cities in California are severely impacted by having a state university within or adjacent to its
borders. Priority issues are:
a. Cost sharing of infrastructure
b. Land use
c. Transportation
d. Housing
e. Student conduct
Within the general framework of the League of California Cities, an ad hoc organization has been
formed to deal with these issues.
In order to initiate a dialogue and commence working on mutually acceptable solutions, a meeting was
held in the Chancellor's Office on September 17`h with Chancellor Charles Reek and Executive Vice
Chancellor Richard West, representing the University system, and League of California Cities
President Mayor Ron Loveridge.(Riverside), Mayor Tom Bates (Berkeley) and Mayor Dave Romero
(San Luis Obispo) and some senior staff representing the fourteen cities. The meeting lasted an hour
and was quite amicable. The City representatives explained their concerns and presented the
university representatives with documentation regarding San Luis Obispo's primary concern—
inappropriate student conduct. University representatives indicated they would review the written
information and would set a follow-up meeting at a mutually agreeable date. I anticipate a series of
meetings to resolve issues and set mutually agreeable statewide policies and state legislation which
would allow us all to better deal with unacceptable student behavior.
General Assembly Resolutions—2004
As the SLO delegate, I voted in favor of adopting the two resolutions presented for Assembly action.
Both passed by unanimous vote.
Resolution 1 amended bylaws of the League of California Cities.
Resolution 2 related to encouraging healthier lifestyles for children, adults and seniors throughout
California.
The resolutions and a summary of the changes are attached.
2004 ANNUAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS
1. RESOLUTION AMENDING BYLAWS OF THE LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES
Source: Board of Directors
Referred to: Administrative Services Policy Committee
(Note:Adoption of amendments of the League bylaws requires a two-thirds vote of the General
Assembly.)
WHEREAS, the League of California Cities is a nonprofit mutual benefit corporation
under California law and, as such, is governed by corporate bylaws; and
. WHEREAS, the League's Board of Directors periodically reviews the League's bylaws for
issues of clarity, practicality, compliance with current laws, and responsiveness to membership
interests; and
WHEREAS, the League's Board convened a Bylaws Committee to perform such a review
in 2004; and
WHEREAS, the Bylaws Committee's recommendations and request for input were
included on the June Administrative Services policy committee agenda; and
WHEREAS, the League's Board of Directors considered the Bylaws Committee
recommendations along with feedback from members of the Administrative Services Committee
at the Board's July meeting; and
WHEREAS, the League's Board offers the attached amendments for the membership's
consideration; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, by the General Assembly of the League of California Cities assembled in
Annual Conference in Long Beach, September 19, 2004, that the League's members approve
the attached amendments to the League's bylaws by the requisite two-thirds vote of those
voting.
»»»»»
A summary of proposed bylaws changes begins on page 7 of this packet. A redline version of the bylaws
and proposed changes are contained in the August 13, 2004 packet and additional copies are available
for the General Assembly in a separate white packet.
5
2. RESOLUTION RELATING TO ENCOURAGING HEALTHIER LIFESTYLES FOR
CHILDREN, ADULTS, AND SENIORS IN CITIES THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA.
Source: Community Services Policy Committee
Referred to: Community Services Policy Committee
WHEREAS, obesity affects more than one-quarter of all adults and one in five children in
the United States; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that the United States spends billions of dollars on health
care, yet the rates for obesity continue to grow; and
WHEREAS, besides diet, some of the major contributors to obesity include a decrease in
physical activity caused, in part, by fewer parks and sidewalks in our cities, perceptions and
reality of unsafe streets, a lack of public transportation, and communities designed to require
more driving which discourages walking; and
WHEREAS, exercise activities of all types are needed to maintain and improve our health
and to prevent diseases such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, asthma, and low bone density; and
WHEREAS, the welfare of our cities depends on the health and happiness of our
residents; and
WHEREAS,cities are encouraged to promote policies that engage their citizens in more
activities that are healthy, and to consider community design that makes more parks available for
citizens and encourages walking as opposed to relying only on cars; and
WHEREAS, schools also are encouraged to play a role by eliminating the sale of low-
nutrient foods and beverages on school campuses, increasing the availability of healthy foods
and beverages, and promoting physical activity on school property; and
WHEREAS, one example of a free program that cities can utilize is "50 Plus Fitness"
program, where a city can appoint a recreation staff member, or a volunteer, to conduct a
program to help those citizens who are over the age of 50; and
WHEREAS, the Cities, Counties & Schools (CCS) Partnership, of which the League is a
member, is encouraging local government to adopt and promote policies and programs that
address the issue of obesity; and
WHEREAS, city officials and staff have demonstrated their support for healthier
lifestyles in their communities by participating in a morning Run/Walk during the League of
California Cities Annual Conference on September 19, 2004; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, by the General Assembly of the League of California Cities assembled in
Annual Conference in Long Beach, September 19, 2004, that the League encourage cities to
embrace policies that facilitate activities that promote healthier lifestyles, including healthy diet
and nutrition, and adopt city design and planning principles that enable citizens to undertake
exercise with the goal of achieving a more active and healthy community..
»»»»
00000
6
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED BYLAWS CHANGES -2004
Membership Termination. Article III, section 2 is proposed to be amended to conform with
state law requirements for notice and an opportunity to be heard before one's membership is
terminated.
Special Meeting Issues. The changes to Article V, section 4 propose allowing faxed notice of
special membership meetings and publicizing the meeting in an official publication of the League
(as opposed to "the" official publication). The proposed changes to the headings in Article Vl,
sections 4 and 5 also clarify that the resolutions procedures described in those sections apply
only to resolutions considered at the Annual Conference.
The proposed revised bylaws also have,new procedures for special meetings—a topic on which
the bylaws presently provide little guidance. The goal is to strike a balance between notice and
nimbleness:
? Meeting Called by Membership. Any request for a special meeting must specify
general nature of the business to be transacted and the text of any proposed .
resolution(s). The number of cities required to request a meeting is proposed to
be changed to comply with state law. The requirement is the 5 percent of the
membership may request a special meeting (24 cities instead of 40 as the bylaws
presently_require). See Proposed Amendments, art. V, §2.
? Notice to Members. The notice must describe nature of meeting and, if the
meeting is requested by cities, text of proposed resolution(s). See Proposed
Amendments, art. V, § 4(b).
? Germane-ness. All resolutions must be germane to the meeting purpose
specified in the special meeting notice. See Proposed Amendments, art. VI, §
6(a).
? Opportunity for Member Review. All resolutions to be proposed during the
General Assembly(by anyone) must be available for membership review by
electronic (for example, by posting on the League's website) or other means at
least 24 hours prior to the beginning of the special meeting. See Proposed
Amendments, art. VI, § 6(b).
? Parlimentarian Review. The Parliamentarian reviews proposed resolutions for
form and substance and reports to General Assembly. See Proposed
Amendments, art. VI, § 6(c).
Nominating Committee Process. A proposed amendment to Article VII, section
5(a) moves up creation of the nominating committee to the first board meeting of the
year. A proposed amendment to Article VII, section 5(b) adds a department
representative to the nominating committee and specifies that two nominating
committee members will be at-large directors. The proposed amendments also
7
1
specify that the nominating committee shall be comprised of League Board members.
See Proposed Amendments, art. VII, § 5(b) ("The nominating committee hall be
comprised of aide eleven Board members."). Another proposed amendment to Article
VII, section 5(e) specifies that candidates for officers and at-large positions may not
serve on nominating committee.
Board Composition. Article VII, section 2(f) gives the eight largest cities in California seats on
the League Board. The change to Article VII, section 6(d) proposed by the bylaws committee
would address vacancies in the large city seats created by the large city's representative
becoming an officer ora member of the League Board by virtue of serving on the National
League of Cities Board of Directors. The proposed amendments treat large cities the same as
any other entity with a representative on the League Board by giving them the option of
appointing a new representative for the League Board.
Division and Department Officers.
• Officer Identity. Article IX, section 7(a) and Article X, section 2(a) are proposed to be
amended to be consistent as to the identity of division and department officers.
• Officer Terms. Article IX, section 7(c) and Article X, section 2(c) are proposed to be
amended to be consistent as to the terms of division and department officers.
• Vacancy Procedures. Article IX, section 7(d) and Article X, section 2(d) are proposed to
be amended to be consistent as to the procedures when there is a vacancy in a division
and department officer position and to clarify that the individual filling the vacancy fills out
the term of his or her predecessor.
Quorum. The language in article XI, section 1(b) has been amended to specify how a quorum
is calculated at General Assembly meetings. State law suggests that organizations like the
League have a quorum of a third of the membership, but allows an organization to set a different
quorum in its bylaws. See Cal. Corp. Code § 7512.
Litigation Authority. Section 8 is proposed to be added to Article XV to expressly authorize the
League to initiate or respond to litigation on cities' collective behalf when the League Board
determines such litigation is necessary to protect cities' shared vital interests.
8
liiiiiiilllllllllllll1101°�9��I RECEIVED
council memo SEP 2 G 2004
Lei of san Luis owspo, office of the city couqql - -$LO CITY-C-L-ERK
DATE: September 20, 2004
TO: Council KOP
FROM: John Ewan
SUBJECT: Communication Item: City Co-Sponsorship of Central Coast Greenbuild
Conference &Expo
I recommend that the City consider the same participation in this event, scheduled for February
2005, as we did last year. I felt it was a very good and worthwhile conference.
Attachment: Council Agenda Report
RED FILE
MEETING AGENDA
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Housing Trust Fund Memo