To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: ELEANOR MANZANO, CITY CLERK
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DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING NOMINATION FORMS RELATING TO THE CODE OF FAIR CAMPAIGN PRACTICES IN CONSIDERATION OF ADDING THE PLEDGE OF POSITIVE CAMPAIGNING
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The California Elections Code (Division 20, Chapter 5) requires that the "Code of Fair Campaign Practices" be given to each candidate for elective office. The Elections Code also states that endorsing this pledge to essentially run a fair political campaign is voluntary and cannot be required by law.
The City Council is asked to consider the "Pledge of Positive Campaigning" to be included as a voluntary supplementary candidate declaration that assures citizens that he/she will run a positive political campaign, as well, which includes direction to the candidate's staff/supporters to do the same.
BACKGROUND
The City Council, by unanimous referral from the last election, requested that the City Clerk's Office prepare for discussion and future consideration the inclusion of the "Pledge of Positive Campaigning" ("pledge") document as part of the elective office nomination documents packet.
Currently, the "Code of Fair Campaign Practices" is compulsory for inclusion in nomination packets. The pledge can be included, but cannot replace this document.
The pledge is a copyrighted document created by Gerard Francis Lameiro, Ph.D., in 2014 (source: https://greatnewsforamerican.com). The document cannot be altered and requires notarization; however, full permission of its use, as written, including the Copyright language is granted by the author. (attached)
The City Clerk's Office conducted a poll of other California cities and queried with our elections consultant with multi-city experience and found no other cities that have adopted the pledge as part of the nominations/candidate materials.
This item has been brought forward now that we are in preparation for the March 2, 2021 Gene...
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