REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Eric G. Parra, Interim City Manager
VIA: Ashley Wysocki, Director of Community & Library Services
PREPARED BY: Chris Cole, Acting Deputy Director of Community & Library Services
Subject:
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Reaffirmation of Huntington Beach’s Sister City Covenant with Anjo, Japan
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Statement of Issue:
Since 1982, the City of Huntington Beach, through the work of the Sister City Association of Huntington Beach, has enjoyed and celebrated great respect and mutual understanding between the peoples of Huntington Beach and Anjo, Japan. The two cities have symbolically acknowledged the formal Sister City relationship through a Sister City Covenant. The Covenant is now over twenty years old and would benefit from reaffirmation.
Financial Impact:
Not applicable.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
Approve and authorize the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempore to execute a Reaffirmation of the Sister City Covenant with Anjo, Japan.
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Alternative Action(s):
Do not approve the recommended action, and direct staff accordingly.
Analysis:
On June 7, 1982, the City Council voted unanimously to “sanction and officially recognize” the Sister City Association of Huntington Beach (SCAHB), so as to implement programs to benefit student exchange opportunities between various countries. This action included the adoption of the SCAHB bylaws and to appoint Council liaisons to the organization. Today, the Council liaisons include Mayor Pro Tem Van Der Mark and Council Member McKeon, with staff support from the Community and Library Services Department.
The mission of the SCAHB is to enhance life experiences of students and citizens through cultural exchange and interface with various countries through education and advocacy aimed to empower and meet the needs of a diverse population to understand our changing world. Due to the collaborative efforts between the City and SCAHB, the City of Huntington Beach and Anjo Japan have enjoyed a mutually beneficial cultural exchange program for more than 40 years.
One of the ways the two cities symbolically acknowledge their support of the Sister City relationship is to sign and display a covenant in their respective government offices. The current covenant was signed over 20 years ago in 2002 and would benefit from a reaffirmation on this ongoing Sister City partnership. The language of the covenant reads as follows:
Upon the celebration of the forty-first Anniversary of the Sister City relationship between the City of Huntington Beach, in the State of California, United States of America and the City of Anjo, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, we reaffirm our commitment toward a lasting and fruitful relationship. We agree to continue to deepen friendship and mutual understanding through educational, cultural, administrative, and organizational exchanges.
We shall continue to promote the welfare of citizens of both cities, holding the firm belief that our efforts will strengthen the ties between Japan and the United States of America, and contribute toward the creation of peace and prosperity in the world.
On this day, November 21, 2023, we hereby reconfirm the covenant originally entered in 1982.
If the City Council approves the Reaffirmation of the Sister City Covenant, City staff will work with the SCAHB on fully executing the document with all the necessary signatures.
Environmental Status:
Pursuant to SEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5), administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment do not constitute a project.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Non Applicable - Administrative Item
Attachment(s):
1. Reaffirmation of Covenant 2023 - English