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Sister City 2010/11/22CITY OF ANAHEIM SISTER CITYCOMMISSION MINUTES November 22,2010 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:Joseph Aihara, Sandy Day, James Dinwiddie, LisaGin, RussellLaHodny,JohnD. Nguyen, BrianO'Neal,SwatiPatel,Anna Piercy, CarolynYellis, Virginia Zlaket COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:Elaine Cali, Carrie Nocella, KyokoSmith STAFF PRESENT:Greg Garcia, City Manager’s Office Sjany Larson-Cash, Community Services Maggie Solorio, City Manager’s Office GUESTSPRESENT:Kim Tulleners Agenda Posting:Acomplete copy of the Anaheim Sister City Commission Agenda was posted at 3:00 p.m.onNovember 19, 2010 at Anaheim City Hall. Public Input:Chairman Nguyenexplained thatmembers of the public are invited to address the Anaheim Sister City Commissionand will be called upon under Agenda Item No.III. Public Comment. I. CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Anaheim Sister City Commission was called to order at4:04p.m. on Monday, November 22,2010 at the Anaheim City Manager’s th Office, City Hall, 200 S. Anaheim Blvd., 7Floor, Anaheim, California. II.APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Commissioner Zlaket offered a Motion, seconded by Commissioner Aihara AND MOTION CARRIED (Vote: 8-0,Abstained: Patel; Absent: Cali, Nocella, O’Neal, Smith, Yellis and one vacant seat) that the Anaheim Sister City Commission does herebyapprovethe minutes from the October 25, 2010 Sister City Commission meetingas presented. III.PUBLIC COMMENT None. Anaheim Sister City Commission November 22, 2010 Page 2 IV.TREASURER’S REPORT There was no new information to reportin that there had been no activity since the last meeting. The current balance is $8,704.71. V. APPOINTMENT OF NEW TREASURER MOTION: Commissioner Day offered a Motion, seconded by Commissioner Yellis AND MOTION CARRIED (Vote: 11-0, Absent: Cali, Nocella, Smith, and one vacant seat) that the Anaheim Sister City Commission does hereby appoint Commissioner Patel as the Treasurer for the Anaheim Sister City Commission. CommissionerPiercy asked if there is any chance that the City would grant any amount of money for the Commission or does the Commission actuallyhave to do fundraisingand also questioned if ASCA fundraised. Greg Garcia responded ASCA tried to fundraise, but they were not very successful. They received most of their revenue from requiring membership dues. When the Sister City Commission was established by the City Council it was understood that the Commission would not receive any money from the general fund, rather they would participate in their own fundraising efforts. However, we have Council change over, new people coming and going and there might be other thoughts about that. If theCommission can show success and a viable work plan, Greg sees no reason why the Commission can’t submit a request to Council for a certain amount to do the Exchange Program or another program. Commissioner Day added that fundraising is part of the vision for the Executive Ad Hoc Subcommittee. Once the website is fully developed, Commissioner Day envisions major fundraising and sponsorships. It’s going to be a very attractive organization for people to want to be involved with. Chairman Nguyen clarified that as a Commission they are first tasked with the responsibility of fundraising and if they are not successful, then they can ask for the City’s assistance. In his perspective, he thinks the City has been very generous to provide three great staff members. Commissioner Day stated she feels very optimistic that before the next group of students arrive in the summer, that they will have money in place. Anaheim Sister City Commission November 22, 2010 Page 3 GregGarcia stated the money that Mito gives to the City on an annual basis for their Student Exchange Program comes out to about $10,000. When Mito provided that for the past association, that was pretty much all they had to go on. Chairman Nguyen indicated he was involved in the Association for about seven years. He agreed Mito’s donation was about 80% of their revenue.Like any good business,if you just have one vendor that you are relying on,then you are in trouble. This Commission needs to diversify. Getting the business stakeholders to be involved is very important. VI.RECAP OF DELEGATION VISIT Chairman Nguyen reported that the Mito Delegation thoroughly enjoyed the visit to Anaheim. He had a conversation with Mr. Wang and Mr. Wang relayed that the Delegation felt they were treated very well. They felt part of the community and government with the access that they were given. Chairman Nguyen gave special recognition to the Chairs and the City staff for their assistance in the coordination. Commissioner Lahodny stated the Delegationarrived on Thursday, Veteran’s Day. Several Commissioners were present at the hotel to greet them. On Thursday night,they all met at Disney’s California Adventure and took a tour of the Tortilla Factory. There were 32 people in theDelegationand it was a challenge trying to move them all through the Park, but Commissioner Nocella kindlyset aside a VIP area for them for the World of Color. They watched the show andthey really enjoyed themselves. The next morning, Commissioner Day metthem at the hotel at 9:00 a.m. She took them from the hotel to City Hall for a presentation at the Council Chambers. Greg gave them an update on the things happening in the City including the ARTIC Station and the High Speed Rail. After that, they dida tour of the Friendship Plaza in front of City Hall. From there,they went to a local business, Cyber Learning Center for a tour. Cyber Learning Center is a very high tech company. They manufacture dental products and other things. Within this facilitythey have a manufacturing siteand a learning center where they educate doctors in the oral field how to use their products. By chance, one or two of the people in the Delegationhad a relative or some other connection to a dentist back in Mito, so they took all of Cyber Learning Center’s materials to give to the dentists in Mito. Anaheim Sister City Commission November 22, 2010 Page 4 The luncheon at the Diamond Clubat the Angel Stadiumfollowed the tour. They had over 60 people there. They had an interpreter at eachtable.They had a tour of the stadium and a tour of the convention center. At the Convention Center Arena they watched a basketball tournament that was going on at the time. From there since it was getting late, they decided to skip the trip to the Muzeo and went to dinner. Following the dinner, 19 members of the Delegation went to the Anaheim Duck’s Hockey game and met Mayor Pringle. Overall their stay in Anaheim was great. Chairman Nguyen thanked everyone who made the time to come out and spend time withthe Mito Delegation. VII.APPOINTMENT OF AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR -CULTURAL & GOVERNMENT EXCHANGE Chairman Nguyen explained that the Cultural and Government Exchange Ad Hoc Subcommittee is responsible for the Inbound/Outbound Student Exchange Program. Former Commissioner Soucy provided a manual for the Outbound Student Exchange Program for the new Chair to look at and work with and indicated Mr. Soucy would be creating a manual for the Inbound Program. MOTION: Commissioner Day offered a Motion, seconded by Commissioner Yellis AND MOTION CARRIED (Vote: 11-0, Absent: Cali, Nocella, Smith, and one vacant seat) that the Anaheim Sister City Commission does hereby appoint Commissioner Zlaket to Chair the Cultural & Government Exchange Ad Hoc Subcommittee. VIII. STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM PROVISIONS/CRITERIA Commissioner Piercy gave an update of the discussions that took place at the Cultural and Government Ad Hoc Subcommittee meeting on October 25 with regards to the amount of money the outbound students should fundraise to go to Japan. The amount was left open with the agreement that former Commissioner Soucy would send out a survey to the students who have previously participated in the Student Exchange Outbound Program asking them what they felt would be an acceptable amount. The majority of students surveyed agreed they would be willing to fundraise more than $250.00. So the Subcommittee agreed the amount should be raised to $500.00. The Commission will assistin ways to fundraisethat money if students are really interested and they arewilling to put the effort. Anaheim Sister City Commission November 22, 2010 Page 5 Commissioner Dayexpressed concernthat there may be some families that the child will not even apply for the programif they think that number is out of reach. Commissioner Piercy clarified that the application does not tell the student they have to do it, the way it’s stated is “to be able to participate in fundraising activities to fundraise at least $500.00 to help subsidize their travel and stipend expenses.” So the Commission is not telling them they have to go out and fundraise it, the Commission is telling them they have to be able to participate. Chairman Nguyen stated the goal here is to decide the amount of money the students need to fundraise and he would also recommend that a statement be added that would indicate that scholarships would be available. Commissioner Piercy indicated she had on her notes “to fundraisefrom $250.00 to $500.00 to help subsidizethe trip.” Commissioner Aihara indicated he feels the trip has always been a great deal and too much of a great dealfor that matter. If the student really wants to go, despite their financial challenges at home, they should be able to comeup with very creative ideasto fundraisethe money. Greg Garcia stated he understands where the Commission is coming from and he agreed that if they want a committed child or someone who is committed to this they need to pay something. Regarding the $500.00 threshold, maybe there’s something between $250 and $500 because if you double it to $500, you are only raising an extra $1,000.00. He felt that ifit is just about making sure they are committed to it,thata $300 or $350 amountwould be appropriate. Commissioner Piercy noted that at the ad hoc subcommittee meetingit was discussed that the kids do not pay for airfare and that some of these kids are buying tennis shoes at $250.00. Commissioner Day stated she knows there are some kids that have means, but she does not think that everybody is in that situation and she knows that people are going through difficulties. Therearepeople that are loosing their jobs. Commissioner Piercy indicated that if they cannot fundraisethat much money, then they are not going to want to go anyway if they are not going to have some money in their pocket. Anaheim Sister City Commission November 22, 2010 Page 6 Commissioner Day stated this brings up another point. They are going to need to fundraise$500.00, then they are going to spend another $100.00 on a passport and they will need to take another $400.00 to $500.00 minimum on their tripto spend there. It does add up. She is concerned that there may be youngsters that won’t apply when they see the numbers. Commissioner Yellis said this is a once in a lifetime trip for them and at this cost, it’s really a bargain. Even at $1,000.00 it would be a bargain. She feels asking the students to fundraise$500.00 is reasonable. Commissioner Piercy stated they are talking about a $5,000.00 cost per kid to go on a trip.She stated if you are not comfortable with $500.00 then raise it to $400.00. Commissioner Day stated what she would like to see the child’svolunteer hours. Commissioner Piercy indicated that after interviewing some of the kids some of them just want to go. All they want is a free trip. Commissioner Zlaket stated aslong as the Commission has the understanding that if there is somebody that really deserves to take this tripand they qualify for it, but they don’t have the $500.00, the Commission will help them. MOTION: Commissioner Zlaket offered a Motion, seconded by Commissioner Yellis AND MOTION CARRIED (Vote: 10-1, Commissioner Day voted No; Commissioners Cali, Nocella, Smithwere absent; and, there was one vacant seat) that the Anaheim Sister City Commission does hereby modifythe Student Exchange ProgramProvision that relates to the amount of money that a student shall fundraise to support the cost of the trip by increasing the amount to $500.00. IX.AD HOC SUBCOMMITTE UPDATES Chairman Nguyen asked for Ad Hoc Subcommittee updates. Commissioner Day reported that the Executive Ad Hoc Subcommittee is on a 5- year plan. One of the objectives is to add three new sister cities within 5 years and the goal was to have the first one by the end of 2010. She indicated they are not that far away, they have been inconversation with two German cities, Stuttgart and Augsberg. There is also a new German city,Meppen that has become available. Commissioner Day sent the contact in Meppen an email because Anaheim is very much aligned with a lot of their goals. The only Anaheim Sister City Commission November 22, 2010 Page 7 outstanding item is that Meppen is looking for a sister city with a population that is smaller that Anaheim’s. She feels that after they exchange conversations with them they can explore that. So Meppen is a third City that has been added to the list. Anaheim is now officially advertising with the Sister Cities International (SCI) website which is going to open up a lot of doors and make Anaheim available for anybody that is a member of SCI. Right now Meppen is the only German city posted on the SCIwebsite that is looking for an American Sister City. There are lots of cities that are looking for relationships, but this is the onlyGerman cityon the SCI website. Commissioner Day stated that besides the Sister City Objective, they have additional goals accompanied by a performance system. The majorthings that neededto be completed for 2010 were with respect to the Inbound/Outbound Student Exchange, and the Delegation Visits from Mito and Spain.Those major items were accomplished according to the timeline. The final goal for 2010 was to secure a SisterCity and she is hoping that by December she will have feedback from Stuttgart,Augsberg and/or Meppen. The other thing to consider is that the Commission needs the Mayor’s approval before consideration of a Sister Citygets scheduled on the Council agenda because he may have different ideas and input. X.NEW AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS Chairman Nguyen indicated that a list of the current Ad Hoc Subcommittees was distributed at the meeting and asked the Commissioners to look at the list in order for them to determine which Ad Hoc Subcommitteethey would like to serve on. The Commissioners may serve on more than one Subcommittee and be involved as much as possible. Commissioners can serve on the same Subcommittee or change over to a different Subcommittee. The list will be updated and distributed at the next commission meeting. XI.BYLAWS UPDATE Greg Garcia noted that the Commission is now referring to the subcommittees as ad hoc subcommittees and will periodically reorganize, just like they didat this meeting. He clarified that thead hoc subcommittees will not be subject to the Brown Act. Greg added that the ad hoc subcommittees will be constantly changing according to the issues at hand. The bylaws will be modifiedas well to reflect this change. Anaheim Sister City Commission November 22, 2010 Page 8 thth XII.VITORIA-GASTEIZ VISIT (Dec. 6–Dec. 9) Greg Garcia announced that Eduardo Garcia, a representative from Anaheim’s Sister City,Vitoria-Gasteiz will be visiting Anaheim onthe weekof December 6. Eduardo has been to Anaheim many times, he’s a businessman who works at what would be the equivalent of the Chamber of Commerce and he provided Greg with a list of things he wants to talk about. Among those is green energy and sustainability. Eduardo also mentioned that Vitoria-Gasteiz won the award for Green Capital City of Europe in October 2010 which is very impressive. Greg showed the Commission the application video that Vitoria-Gasteiz submitted for this award. The video shows a lot of great shots of the city.Eduardo also mentioned to Greg that the basketball team in Victoria-Gasteiz is the European Champion. th and will be Eduardo Garcia will be arriving onthe evening of December 6 th available December 7 and 8for meetings. Eduardo will be attending the Council Transition on December 7. He is also going to meet with Mayor Elect Tait on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Greg would like to have an opportunity for the Commission members to meet him on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Greg will be forwarding Eduardo’s itineraryto the Commission and settingup a time when the Commission can meet him. XIII.SISTER CITY INTERNATIONAL UPDATE Chairman Nguyen announced there will be a conference on January 22, 2011 put on by the Regional Board ofSo Calthat will take place in Huntington Beach. The conference is extremely informative and the cost is $60.00 per person. ChairmanNguyen highly encouraged all the Ad Hoc Subcommittee Chairs to attend this meeting to network and learn what other cities are doing. The topics that will be covered include fundraising, budgeting, working with community partners, grantsand endowments. The Sister Cities International 2011Annual Conference will take place in Arlington, Virginia, March 3-5.As an organization, SCIwill be having certain lobbying responsibilities, so the Commission would have the opportunity to meet senators and other elected officials. There will also be workshops at no additional cost. XIV.2011 MEETING DATES & TIMES After some discussion it was agreed that the meeting in January would begin at 4:30p.m. Anaheim Sister City Commission November 22, 2010 Page 9 MOTION: Commissioner Yellis offered a Motion, seconded by Commissioner O'NealAND MOTION CARRIED (Vote: 10-0, Commissioners Cali, Nocella, Smith, and Zlaket were absent; and, there was one vacant seat) that the Anaheim Sister City Commission does hereby change the starting time of the January24, 2011meetingto 4:30 p.m. XV.COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Greg Garcia noted that Commissioner Nocella sent him the Sister City Commission logo and passed around a printed copy. It looks very professional and it was very well done. It will go up on the Sister City Website. XVI.ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:37 p.m. to Monday, January 24, 2010at 4:30 p.m. at the City of Anaheim, City Manager’s Office.