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File Number: 21-714 <br />vendors or consultants. Since the details of this program are still under development and were <br />unknown at the time of the development and approval of the current fiscal year budget, no funds <br />were included in the adopted FY 2021-2022 budget and thus would need to be drawn down from <br />unencumbered reserves. <br />Overview of Potential Sister City Visit <br />Per a recommendation from the City Council Rules Committee, the proposed resolution that is <br />included in the agenda packet for this item would also authorize an appropriation of up to <br />$40,000 to off-set the costs of a potential trip by the City Council to Ponta Delgada, Portugal that <br />would be associated with the sesquicentennial programs referenced above. <br />As background, the City of San Leandro has several long-standing Sister City and Friendship <br />City partnerships, including with Ponta Delgada, Portugal. Ponta Delgada is located within the <br />Azores, an island region in the mid-Atlantic. Per the City Council Handbook, Sister City <br />relationships are meant to transcend political or social concerns and lead to ongoing community <br />involvement with the residents of each Sister City. The San Leandro Town Affiliation Committee <br />selected Ponta Delgada as an official Sister City in March 1970. According to available <br />administrative records, cultural exchanges have taken place over the years between the two <br />cities. Examples include: <br />·In 1989, Mayor Dave Karp and a group of San Leandro residents traveled to Ponta <br />Delgada and the President of the Azores visited San Leandro that same year. <br />·In May 2000, Mayor Shelia Young, City Councilmember Gordon Galvan and City Attorney <br />Steve Meyers visited Ponta Delgada; <br />·In August 2001, Mayor Aruda of Ponta Delgada, accompanied by the President of the <br />Ponta Delgada Council, visited San Leandro. A public reception and re-dedication of the <br />Portuguese Immigrant monument at Root Park and other activities were held in their honor; <br />and <br />·In 2008, Mayor Tony Santos traveled to Ponta Delgada for a 5-day visit during the Great <br />Feast of the Holy Spirit. <br />·In 2021, Mayor Cutter and Council Member Pete Ballew participated in a live video <br />conference with the Mayor of Ponta Delgada <br />Analysis <br />The San Leandro City Council Handbook identifies the steps to be taken when a City <br />Councilmember initiates a request to visit a Sister City: <br />1) The request should be submitted in writing to the City Council, including the proposed <br />itinerary, how the travel and expenses will be funded, and other assistance that the City will <br />be asked to provide (i.e. gifts to be presented by the Councilmember); <br />2) The Human Relations Committee will make a recommendation to the City Council, <br />including a recommended budget for the visit. [Since this committee no longer exists, the <br />request was brought to the City Council Rules Committee on October 27th as the most <br />analogous successor committee. A corresponding breakdown of anticipated costs is <br />provided later in this report]; <br />3) The Mayor will send appropriate correspondence to the Sister City. [This <br />correspondence was sent on September 20, 2021 and staff from the City of Ponta <br />Delgada responded on October 11, 2021 with a letter from Mayor Maria José Lemos <br />Duarte; a copy of the letter is attached to this report] <br />Page 2 City of San Leandro Printed on 12/2/2021 <br />222