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MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Mayor Cassidy and City Council Members <br />FROM: Eric Engelbart, Assistant to the City Manager <br />DATE: October 7, 2013 <br />RE: Flag Policies of Other Bay Area Cities <br />At the direction of the City Manager, staff distributed an inquiry to all Alameda County municipalities, as <br />well as several other cities in the Bay Area that are known to have raised the flags of foreign nations in <br />order to determine what, if any, policies or procedures they may have adopted in order to govern such <br />ceremonies. Additional details are provided below. <br />Existing Policy in San Leandro': <br />Per Section 1.7.205 of the San Leandro Administrative Code: "As a general rule, special designation flags <br />(such United Nations flag, flag of a Sister City, Children's Memorial Flag, etc.) will be raised only upon the <br />direction of the Mayor or City Manager. Such flags will only be flown at City Hall, and when raised, shall <br />replace the flag of the City of San Leandro, not the flag of the United States or the flag of the State of <br />California." <br />Summary of Flag Policies, by City: <br />City of Alameda: According to the City's Community Development Coordinator, The City of Alameda has <br />no formally adopted policies regarding the raising of foreign flags, nor has the City Council ever formally <br />authorized a foreign flag raising ceremony. However, for a number of years, the Alameda Sister Cities <br />Association (a private organization) has sponsored an event that took place in front of city hall each <br />October 1st in which the flag of the People's Republic of China was raised alongside the American Flag on <br />two portable flag poles that were erected for the event. This year's event was cancelled due to public <br />protests. <br />City and County of San Francisco: According to the Mayor's Director of Protocol, there is a flag pole <br />outside the second floor balcony of the Mayor's office that is regularly used for the raising of foreign <br />flags by the Mayor or his staff. Although the City has no formally adopted policy on the issue, the <br />unwritten policy of the Mayor's Office has been to authorize the raising of the flag of any nation that has <br />full diplomatic relations with the United States and who also has a consulate in San Francisco. Due to <br />the presence of 72 consulates, the Mayor's Office raises approximately 72 flags per year. In some <br />instances, a formal ceremony will be held when asked by consular officials. On September 25th of this <br />year, the flag of the People's Republic of China was raised at the request of consular staff. According to <br />' Per the City Manager, staff wishes to inform the Council that there also is a provision in Appendix D of the City <br />Council Members Handbook, which states: "The City Council as a group will not adopt a formal position in favor of <br />or in opposition to ballot measures or legislation unless such ballot measure or legislation has a direct benefit on a <br />significant portion of the community of San Leandro or the City of San Leandro." <br />