Redlands council adopts written proclamation policy after months of debate, narrows mayoral gatekeeping

The Redlands City Council on March 18 adopted Resolution No. 8663 to formalize a city policy for proclamations, certificates and awards after an extended public discussion and multiple amendments.

The proposal, introduced by the mayor as a policy to give staff guidance and set a “nexus to the city of Redlands,” drew several hours of public comment and council debate over language that opponents said could restrict recognition of ideas or allow the mayor to block council members’ nominations. Public speakers warned the policy’s phrase “personal ideological beliefs” could be used to reject certain recognitions; one commenter said the wording “can be weaponized to be discriminatory.”

Councilmembers worked through revisions on the council dais. The council adopted two substantive amendments before voting to approve the resolution. The adopted changes: (1) requests for proclamations must be submitted to the city manager’s office (revising a draft provision that had said requests must be made to and recommended by the mayor), and (2) the sponsoring council member will present the recognition on behalf of the council, with the mayor or a designee presenting only if the sponsor is absent. The council also retained language that the mayor signs proclamations on behalf of the city council.

The amended resolution was approved by roll call vote. The council also directed staff to clarify timing requirements and implementation details in the policy. Supporters said codifying the process will help staff administer requests consistently and avoid last‑minute work; critics said parts of the draft were vague and threatened to silence councilmembers and community voices.

Mayor Sacedo framed the proposal as putting longstanding practice into written form and creating clear timelines to help staff prepare proclamations. Opponents from the public and several councilmembers requested clearer definitions for terms such as “nexus to Redlands” and “personal ideological beliefs.” The city attorney confirmed the policy’s language was intended to avoid issuing recognitions based on an individual’s private religious beliefs or personal hobby and not to restrict civic celebrations tied to the city.

Councilmembers voted to adopt the amended resolution after motions and substitute amendments were offered and approved on the record. The final resolution language excludes a paragraph staff identified as a typographical error and includes the two governance amendments noted above. The city clerk recorded the roll‑call vote in the council minutes.

Councilmembers and staff indicated further editorial cleanup would be brought back if needed; the council did not overturn the general intent to create a written policy.