Attachment C - Sister City Research Responses

City of Boulder/City of Colorado Springs Sister Cities Discussion Wednesday, March 11, 2026 | 10:00 am 1. Who administers the program? In Colorado Springs, the program has always been a Mayoral program that lives within the Mayors Office. With our new administration, the mayor has decided to have the program live within the Mayors Office of Community Affairs and the Economic Development Department with the purpose of being able to create more economic and business attraction opportunities to Colorado Springs. Currently there is one specialist in Economic that oversees the program and Sister Cities relationships and one representative from the Mayors Office of Community Affairs who represents the mayors’ interests in the program. 2. How is it administrated? The Sister Cities program is managed by the City with support from a volunteer committee that oversees exchanges, events, and partnerships with our international counterparts. 3. Who is the authority to grant the relationship? The authority to grant the relationship is through the Executive Branch of our city government (i.e. The Mayor’s Office). 4. What type of review process is there? In Colorado Springs, Sister City relationships are formalized through administrative resolutions that document the partnership without requiring City Council approval. The mayor signs the resolution, and the City Clerk attests the official document. We have started to memorialize our relationships on large anniversaries. That was the case during this current administration when the mayor signed a 30th anniversary recommitment to the city of Bishkek. 5. ⁠Do you disengage sister cities and if so, what does that process look like?

Our last administration decided to disengage with a previous sister city due to international conflicts. The dissolution took place through an administrative

regulation that was signed by the mayor and recorded by the City Clerk as an official document.

Memorialized with a Resolution 6. Do you limit how many sister cities you have? We currently have 7 sister cities and are not currently accepting applications for more sister cities currently. Primarily due to staff capacity and budgetary constraints. 7. Is there any other information you think would be helpful to us in this process? Take advantage of the Sister City membership which has many useful resources for starting programs. Join as many of the roundtable discussions to learn about best practices in other cities.

From: To: Subject: Date: Attachments:

Megan Weiler Richardson, Emily Re: Inquiry Regarding Sister City Program Administration Thursday, March 12, 2026 4:18:49 PM image001.png Outlook-sczocdcb.png Greeley Moriya sister city agreement.pdf

External Sender Notice This email was sent by an external sender. Hi Emily, The Sister City program is administered by the Culture, Parks, and Recreation Department / Cultural Affairs Division. No dedicated staff. We have no municipal code related to the Sister City program. It's usually a Mayor to Mayor agreement. I've attached a copy here for reference. The program historically has been a student exchange between our sister city Moriya, Japan and Greeley; however, there are so many possible opportunities for partnerships with our international friends, as I imagine you may already aware. The program and funding were put on hold during COVID. I have not been successful finding City leadership support to restore the program. There is no City advisory board oversight; however, I will be including it in our revised board consolidation efforts. Also, I informally created a sister city committee made of up supportive community members and past participants int he program. It has helped give visibility to the program and to establish relations with our sister city even though no one is traveling. There is not a policy limiting the number of sister cities - yet we only have one. I came from Austin where there were 7 sister cities. My only advice is to make sure you have the local community to support the efforts and advocate for ongoing City support. Website (we thought we were moving forward this year, but travel costs prevented it): Sister City Student Exchange Program Feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions. If you are able to wrap the responses into a report, I would love a copy to share with our city leadership! Best, Megan

From: To: Cc: Subject: Date: Attachments:

avak.keotahian@lacity.org on behalf of Sister Cities Richardson, Emily Steve Luu; avakkeotahian@gmail.com Re: Inquiry Regarding Sister City Program Administration Friday, March 27, 2026 4:59:50 PM image001.png

External Sender Notice This email was sent by an external sender. Dear Ms Richardson, While I retired from the City of Los Angeles two years ago, I occasionally am called upon to provide information (on a voluntary basis) due to my long time of public service, and I am happy to allow people to 'tap' into whatever knowledge I may have. My successor with regards to sister city matters is Steve Luu and he is copied on this e-mail. For ease of organization, I will supply my answers beneath each question you have posed in your e-mail (see below): 1. Who administers the program? Each sister city has an appointed volunteer committee to administer programs / activities for their sister city. Over time there was established a "Mayor's Council for Sister Cities" to oversee / coordinate the entire Los Angeles Sister City program for all 25 of our sister cities. That council was comprised of one representative from each sister city and the head of that Council was appoointed by the Mayor. There is still currently such a body, with its head appointed by the Mayor, but it has veered away from the original structure; it no longer has representatives from each sister city and it does not oversee / supervise their operations. Instead that Council is comprised of representatives from our tourism and commerce sectors and they meet to discuss such matters as what cities in the world should they go to to develop commercial relations. Some of out long time sister cities still operate their programs but are not included in the Council I described above. 2. Who has the authority to formally establish a sister city relationship? The Mayor and City Council have joint and exclusive authority to establish a sister city. 3. What review or approval process is used before establishing a new relationship? See document entitled "Sister City Adoption Procedures" on the attached sample package. 4. Do you ever disengage from sister city relationships? If so, what does that process look like? We have never disengaged from any sister city but on two occasions efforts were made: 1. In 1979 it was proposed to disengage from out sister city of Teheran, Iran. But on the advice of the US State Department the City did not disengage but only 'suspended' the relationship and Teheran is still officially a sister city but suspended. 2. More recently some of our City Council members sought to disengage from our Sister City of St. Petersburg, Russia because of that city's enactment of anti-gay oridinances. However that effort did not succeed. IF we were to disengage the process would be for the City Council to adopt a resolution to that effect, with the Mayor's concurrence. And that action would have to be sent to / registered with Sister Cities International, in Washingto, DC. 5. Do you limit the number of sister cities your municipality maintains? We have no limit, but we get many requests, many of which are made from the public to further personal or economic interests, so we try to discourage such requests. Our established

procedures are crafted so as to make sure any sister city relationship is ceated for valid, useful and productive purposes which benefit the City of Los Angeles. 6. Is there any additional information or best practices you would recommend as we review and refine our process? * I would recommend careful scrutiny before adopting any new sister city. Our City does not provide funds for sister city operations in our budget. Each citizens committee for each sister city does its own fundraising to pay for whatever programs they operate. The only thing the City of Los Angeles pays are the City's membership dues to Sister Cities International (about $3,000 per year). On two occasions the city budget provided some funding to the current Mayor's Council for Sister Cities (an incorporated non-profit organization) in order to pay a salary to their secretary / clerk. * Sister Cities were created during the cold war in the 1950's. It may have been motivated by a desire to reach out to other countries as a public relations 'front' in the cold war. It was also a time when communication / travel were much more difficult than today, so one could argue that such a 'people to people' program is no longer needed when we have instant communication and very easy travel world-wide. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have further questions Avak Keotahian Assistant Chief Legislative Analyst (retired) Los Angeles City Council 213-359-8945

REPORT OF THE CHIEF LEGISLATIVE ANALYST

October 11, 2006

TO:

Honorable Members of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee

FROM:

Gerry F. Mille~ Chief Legislative Analyst

Assignment No: 06 _ 10 _ 1697 Council File: 05-0831

Adoption of Ischia, Italy as Sister City CLA RECOMMENDATION: APPROVE attached Resolution adopting Ischia, Italy as a sister city; APPOINT Los Angeles-Ischia Sister City Committee members; APPROVE Los Angeles-Ischia Sister City work program; AUTHORIZE Mayor, Council President, or Councilmember, 15th District to execute on behalf of the City any Memoranda of Understanding and other formal agreements in furtherance of the sister city relationship with Ischia. SUMMARY: Motion (Hahn-LaBonge) introduc,ed on April 27, 2005 advises that the City of Ischia, Italy is located on an island in the Bay of Naples with a population of 18,000. Like Los Angeles, Ischia is a great tourist destination. The Port of Ischia in many ways resembles our own Harbor in San Pedro as it is surrounded by Mediterranean-style houses. The Motion further advises that Ischia is renowned for its beaches, thermal springs, historical attractions and luxury hotels built on fantastic sites of stunning natural beauty. The Motion also advises that in addition to its climate, architecture, harbor, beaches and tourism industry, Ischia has one very unique characteristic which it shares with Los Angeles ---- Ischians. Los Angeles has the largest concentration of people of Ischian origin in the United States. The Motion advises that these common attributes as well as a rich historic and cultural heritage, make it appropriate to consider making Ischia, Italy a sister city to Los Angeles. Since the introduction of that Motion, staff of Council District 15 along with representatives of business, civic affairs, the arts, and the local Ischian community have formed a proposed sister city committee (list of members attached) and have developed a proposed program of activities for the proposed sister city relationship (copy of program attached) which includes exchanges in such areas as art and culture, education, and economic development.

In addition to the above activities, positive feed-back on the formation of an Ischia sister city relationship has been received from the Mayor of Ischia. The staff recommendation above is based on the fact that all the major steps for formation of a sister city have either been accomplished or obviated by intervening actions (see attached sister city adoption procedures).

Avak Keotahian Analyst

GFM:AK:ak Attachments: Resolution to Adopt Ischia Proposed Members of Los Angeles-Ischia Sister City Committee Los Angeles-Ischia Sister City Work Program Preliminary Agreement signed by Mayor of Ischia Motion (Hahn-LaBonge) Sister City Adoption Procedures

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the People to People program was established by President Eisenhower of the United States at the White House in 1956 to establish greater friendship and understanding between the peoples of the United States and other nations through the medium of direct personal contacts; and WHEREAS, to implement this program, the cities of the United States were requested to affiliate with cities abroad under the auspices of the Town Affiliation Association of the United States, Inc., now renamed Sister Cities International; and WHEREAS, an affiliation is desired between the City of Los Angeles and Ischia, Italy under the Sister City Program; and WHEREAS, under Council File 103,908, Sup. #1, procedures were adopted for the establishment of a permanent committee composed of outstanding civic and governmental leaders for economic cooperation and cultural exchange between Sister Cities; and WHEREAS, the City of Los Angeles, through its Mayor and City Council does recognize and endorse this program with the hope that it will lead to lasting friendship between the people of the City of Los Angeles and the City of Ischia; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: 1.

That the Mayor and Council, on behalf of the people of Los Angeles officially adopt Ischia, Italy as a Sister City for the purpose of creating goodwill and understanding between the people of our two great nations;

2.

That a Los Angeles/Ischia Sister City Committee be established to carry out this program in accordance with established procedures;

3.

That a copy of this resolution be sent to the City of Ischia, Italy and to Sister Cities International, Inc.

PRESENTED BY:

-------------------------

SECONDED BY:

-------------------------

PROPOSED MEMBERS OF THE LOS ANGELES • ISCHIA SISTER CITY COMMITTEE

Carmella Funicello, Chair Mary Di Leva Libby Cigliano Ana Benucci Maria Letizia Chaparro John Fer Carmela Castagnola Agostino Castagnola Rebecca Trani Joseph and Dottie Good Roseanna Cracchiolo Irene Mendoza City Representation The Honorable Janice Hahn, Councilwoman, 15th District Michael Molina, Chief of Staff, Office of Councilwoman Janice Hahn

- -

Los Angeles - Ischia Sister City Work Program October 1, 2006

It is the committee's goal to make the Sister City relationship between Los Angeles and Ischia as productive as possible. This means developing programming that ensures full and fruitful exchange in the areas of art and culture, education, sports, trade and professional and technical expertise. Over the first three years of the relationship the committee has established a series of benchmarks and goals that will further the mutual cooperation and understanding of our two cities.

Year One (2006-2007) The initial success of this relationship will build upon three important factors: (1) publicity; (2) cultural exchanges; and (3) fund-raising. Publicity. By publicizing the Sister City relationship we seek to inspire additional leaders, volunteers and sponsors to engage and assist us in our efforts to develop our program goals. There already exists an excellent outreach among Italian-Americans in San Pedro. Our publicity efforts will go beyond the harbor area to spread the word among the Italian community throughout Los Angeles. This will happen through mass outreach of the events to be planned. We will also contact local media to help in publicizing events. Lastly, we will work closely with the Consulate, through the active support of the Italian Consul General, to facilitate this outreach effort. Cultural Exchanges. In November, we plan a series of events in conjunction with the visit of lschian dignitaries to Los Angeles. The cultural highlight of this event will be a musical concert to be held at the Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro. This concert will feature La Ghironda, a musical group of Italian mandolin players presenting the music of Italy. Other cultural exchanges planned in Year One are a Student Exchange program in the summer and an artists exhibit featuring the art of Ischia. Fund raising. The aforementioned concert will serve as the one major fund raising event for Year One, where we anticipate to raise several thousands of dollars to support our Sister City programs.

Year Two (2007-2008) Program Development We will continue and expand the student summer exchange program by raising funds to send three (3) students to Ischia, and receive three (3) lschian students for a four week summer experience. We will once again host a cultural event highlighting the music and art of Ischia. We will sponsor an October Columbus Day Parade and a June Festa San Pietro. We will implement a series of classes and workshops for anyone interested in learning the Italian language and studying the history, art and culture of Italy. We will participate in all Los Angeles Sister City events. Year Three (2008 - 2009) Program Development · It is our goal in year three to further develop, improve and expand the programs established and supported by the Sister City Committee in the previous year. Other initiatives include the following: We will coordinate a musical exchange program, financing an Italian musical group to visit Ischia, and financing an lschian musical group to perform in Los Angeles. We will begin a program of economic development, attracting the sale and distribution of lschian goods (tile, wine, ceramics) locally.

Sister City Adoption Procedures Sister Cities are established by City Council resolution. The programs for each sister city are run by volunteer citizens committees whose appointments are confirmed by the City Council. The City's sister city adoption procedures were established by a Council Resolution (Timberlake-Gibson) adopted on October 1, 1964 (C.F. 103,908 Sup.1). There is no City ordinance, code or Charter provision regarding sister cities. The procedures set forth in the Resolution were based on recommendations of the Town Affiliation Association (now, Sister Cities International), an organization which helps to coordinate the establishment of sister city relationships. The procedures are summarized below: 1. The Mayor, City Council or other group or agency proposes creation of sister city relationship with a particular city. 2. The proposal is considered by the City Council's Intergovernmental Relations Committee. 3. The Intergovernmental Relations Committee asks the Council to approve the establishment of a steering committee (for each city) whose job it will be to study the proposal and recommend whether or not to adopt a particular city. 4. When the Council authorizes establishment of a steering committee the Mayor and Councilmembers suggest names of persons for appointment to the steering committee. 5. The Intergovernmental Relations Committee, based on these suggestions, recommends a panel of members for the steering committee. 6. The City Council approves these recommendations and establishes the steering committee. 7. The steering committee reviews the relationships between Los Angeles and the potential sister city. The Town Affiliation Association and the U.S. Information Agency are consulted with for review, advice and to avoid possible duplication in cases where a sister city relationship already exists with another American city. 8. The steering committee reports its findings and recommendations to the Intergovernmental Relations Committee. 9. A permanent sister city committee is established in the city wishing to be adopted by Los Angeles (Mayor's letter, 8-1-83). 10. Official acknowledgment is received from the Mayor or governing body of the prospective sister city agreeing to a sister city relationship with Los Angeles. (City Clerk's letter, 7-18-83, C.F. 83-1187) 11. The Intergovernmental Relations Committee recommends adoption of the sister city. 12. The Council adopts a resolution formally agreeing to the sister city relationship and a permanent committee is established in Los Angeles for the sister city. The permanent committee is established in the same manner as the steering committee. The permanent committee develops programs and projects of mutual benefit for Los Angeles and the sister city.