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Sister City 2010/05/24CITY OF ANAHEIM SISTER CITY COMMISSION MINUTES May 24, 2010 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Joseph Aihara, Randy Amiri, Elaine Cali, Sandy Day, Russell LaHodny, John D. Nguyen, Carrie Nocella, Kyoko Smith, Henri Soucy, Kimberly Tulleners, COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Conway, Swati Patel STAFF PRESENT: Sjany Larson-Cash, Community Services GUESTS PRESENT: Bill Daly, Member of the Public Sue Soucy, Member of the Public Agenda Posting: A complete copy of the Anaheim Sister City Commission Agenda was posted at 3:00 a.m. on Friday, May 21, at Anaheim City Hall. Public Input: Chairman Nguyen explained that members of the public are invited to address the Anaheim Sister City Commission and will be called upon under Agenda Item No. III. Public Comment. SPECIAL NOTE TO OUR GUESTS AND VISITORS We welcome you to our Commission meeting. If you desire to address the Anaheim Sister City Commission, please do so when called upon under Agenda Item III. Public Comment. I.CALL TO ORDER The meeting of the Anaheim Sister City Commission was called to order at 4:07 p.m. on Monday May th Office, City Hall, 200 S. Anaheim Blvd., 7 Floor, Anaheim, California. II.APPROVAL OF MINUTES Anaheim Sister City Commission May 24, 2010 Page 2 MOTION: Commissioner Nocella offered a Motion, seconded by Commissioner Amiri AND MOTION CARRIED (Vote 10-0, Absent: ) that the Anaheim Sister City Commission does hereby approve the April 26, 2010 Anaheim Sister City Commission minutes. III.PUBLIC COMMENT Bill Daly is interested in the Sister City enterprise and inquired about what is happening with Sister City interest with regards to the Germany and Ireland delegations. It was reported however, that cities in Germany and Ireland are cities that have been previously explored but at this time, there is nothing in the works. Bill also expressed interest in joining the executive committee and any subcommittes that welcome members of the public. IV.TREASURERS REPORT Commissioner Soucy reported that the Anaheim Community Foundation started with the first $10,000.00 that was obtained from ASCA and that so far $6128.00 has been spent for airfare and insurance for the four students and one adult going to Mito. The balance is $3,872.00 and on Friday, May 21, another $5,000.00 check was received from ASCA and will be deposited by June 1. Additionally, all of the required donations of $250.00 from each of the student fundraisers will amount to another $1,000.00 for deposit. As far as additional money coming in, Mito has notified us that in July they will make a substantial gift from the city for the inbound program that may cover the San Diego weekend hotels, admissions and possibly the whole weekend which will be close to $10,000.00. Commissioner Tulleners offered a motion, seconded by Commissioner Day AND MOTION CARRIED (Vote 10-0 Yellis, Conway, Patel) that the Anaheim Sister City Commission does hereby approve the Anaheim Sister City Treasurers report. V.SUBCOMMITTEE UPDATES Commissioner Amiri reported that the subcommittee meeting was held by conference call and that the bylaws were reviewed and approved. It was passed on to Greg Garcia and anybody who has not had the opportunity from the commission, is encouraged to review and make suggestions in order to obtain acceptable bylaws. Additionally, Commissioner Amiri Anaheim Sister City Commission May 24, 2010 Page 3 mentioned that they are still working on a presentation on the the goals and objectives that are accepted. The intention is to update the goals and objectives on a quarterly basis in order to continue to be aware of how the commission is progressing on the goals and objectives that have been set. Commissioner Amiri is also requesting that all members start pursuing and gathering information for a Sister City in Germany. The intention is to follow the process of selecting a Sister City and also to choose three or four cities and then present them to the leaders. Turkey will be considered, as Anaheim currently does a lot of business with Turkey. The commission would like the opportunity to meet with the delegation in Turkey, as the exchange could work very well with Anaheim. Anaheim currently has two Sister Cities and the commission would like to add three more within the next five years. VI.PRESENTATION OF ANAHEIM STUDENTS This year the selection process has been a lot more detailed than prior years. The chosen students are kind, humble, intelligent, very proactive and have a synergy among them. Commissioner Soucy introduced the four students that were selected for the Student Exchange Program and asked that they tell what going to Japan means to them, along with a few words of appreciation. Danielle Vargas I am very interested in Mito and learning about how Anaheim and Mito will build a bridge and I plan to come back and share my experiences with everyone. I appreciate being here Anaheim. Alvina Hinh Personally, I am interested in the culinary field and I am excited to learn and explore the different cuisines in Mito. Also I am very interested in the Japanese demeanor and how everyone is so humble. looking forward to experiencing the differences in how they live in comparison to how we live. Deborah Kwak I am a senior at Oxford Academy. One of the main reasons I am really excited to go to Japan is that in college I hope to study and major in cultural communications. I am very interested in seeing different cultures and how they communicate and how they respect each other. I am just very interested in all sorts of cultures and I have never been to Asia before. Anaheim Sister City Commission May 24, 2010 Page 4 Nhu Nguyen youngest of all these ladies. I would like to thank you for endorsing us on our trip. I am very excited because my teacher, Mr. Aihara, has been talking about it and I love Japan. When I was young I was introduced to a lot of Japanese people and I want to get more in depth with the culture, the heritage and the society. I am very excited for this opportunity how it goes. Christina Maguire, Chaperone/Special Education Teacher at Cypress High This is an incredible honor. Thank you all very much. The girls are smart and intelligent, and together very quickly. I hope to enjoy it and bring back a lot of experiences to share about how the Japanese live their lives. VII.MITO DELEGATION VISIT/COORDINATION Commissioner Soucy reported that the latest information received from Mr. Wang, the General Manager of the Mito City International Association, was that they are conducting interviews for the Mito students and a teacher. As soon as Mr. Wang receives the final information on the students he will let everybody know. Our commission is looking for the best host families and currently there are host families for three students. Commissioner Soucy encouraged everyone that wants to host, or knows of somebody that wants to be a host family, to please notify the commission as soon as possible. They will have to complete an application, be fingerprinted, and home interviews will be conducted. Commissioner Soucy also mentioned that the Downtown Community Center has been reserved for the banquet on August 6. There will also be a VIP Tour of Anaheim, a behind the scenes tour, and a weekend in San Diego. th Additionally, there is a 6 grade class at Sunkist Elementary School that will be sponsoring the Pen Pal Program from Anaheim. Mito will also be th identifying a 6 grade class to start a Pen Pal Program. Eventually more schools will be added to the program. The Commission will have their first Assistant English teacher from Anaheim that will be flying to Mito on June 3. The first Monday in June, there will be the First Annual Dinner and this will allow the Board Members to see the students before they leave. It will allow the students Anaheim Sister City Commission May 24, 2010 Page 5 and the chaperones to say some words of thanks to the Board, and to tell them what going to Japan means to them. At the August 23 commission meeting, the students will be presenting their whole two week experience together to the commission and at that point questions can be asked. Each student will do a PowerPoint presentation on food, architecture, education, school activities, etc. On the dates of November 11 through November 14, Mr. Wang will arrive at LAX. There will be a cultural day and a business day. They normally bring 30-35 people. They are bringing a business delegation and some city council members. Commissioner Soucy will be getting a detailed list of everybody that will be attending and their working titles. When the Mito students are here, there will be a Sayonara dinner. Most of the Anaheim Council members usually attend. At the dinner, our students will entertain by playing musical instruments, dancing the waltz, etc. VIII.COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Greg Garcia brought up the question of our commission wanting to dedicate any time to talking with our chamber and business leaders to see what kind of relationship we can form with Spain that would be similar to the Pen Pal program or student exchange programs. Spain is anxious to get started, and they are waiting for us to approach them and give them the framework to do some of these programs. Greg Garcia reported that the Sister City website is in progress and that there will be a progress report on when it will be launched. Commissioner Day commented that she heard (after the fact), that Angels Baseball had a Japan day. Greg Garcia agreed that it was a missed opportunity and then discussed about how to get the word out to be notified about opportunities in our community and region that the commission can take part in. Commissioner Garcia has also encouraged our PIO to work with the commission to let us know about opportunities. To raise awareness of the program, he suggested that a press release be sent out to let people know that our students are going to Mito, Japan and that the Mito students are coming here. Anaheim Sister City Commission May 24, 2010 Page 6 Chairman Nguyen stated that there was a special ceremony in Fullerton to renew their Sister City relationship and he thinks it would be appropriate for us to do the same. Additionally, he suggested the idea of getting Angels player, Hideki Matsui to visit, would be a wow" factor. Bill Daly suggested that the students take a picture with Mr. Matsui and have it displayed in Mito in the room with Anaheim artifacts. Commissioner Nocella requested to agendize the logo item. She will bring a recommended logo that her team is working on. Chairman Nguyen inquired if anyone has heard anything from council about the Anaheim Ballet holding an International Dance Festival. Commissioner Soucy reported that mpany so they could not find a representative to attend. An Anaheim representative found a dancer that was from Mito, and currently they are waiting for a response about who the dancer is and what kind of sponsorship might be available. If that pans out, then we would proceed to find a host family for the dancer. Commissioner Day stated that although supportive of arts related non- profit groups and events in our city on a personal level, Commissioner Day is opposed to this Commission being directly or indirectly involved with any fundraising efforts on their behalf. Moreover, this Commission should not be utilized as a liaison for such efforts as it could potentially injure our relationships with our current Sister City partners. IX.ADJOURNMENT Chairman Nguyen announced that he will miss the next meeting, as he will be on vacation and he appointed Commissioner Nocella to chair the next meeting. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:04 p.m. to June 28, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. at the City of Anaheim, City Please note: Due to scheduling conflicts, the June Sister City Commission meeting was rescheduled from June 28 to June 21 at 4:00 p.m., at the City