Council updates policy manual; directs staff to agendaize proposal limiting use of city property for immigration enforcement

The Sunnyvale City Council on March 10 approved a package of updates to the council policy manual, including one new policy clarifying how and when the council should take official positions on matters outside the city’s subject‑matter jurisdiction. The changes also remove several policies superseded by city programs and state law.

Tim Kirby, the city manager, told the council the revisions were part of an ongoing effort to streamline and modernize the manual; the ad hoc subcommittee (Mayor Klein, Vice Mayor Melinger, and Council Member Chang) reviewed proposed edits before the meeting.

Public comment on the manual was limited to a single speaker who suggested editorial fixes such as consistent spelling of 'email' and asked whether council members should have city email addresses listed in the document.

Separately, councilmembers introduced a colleagues memo seeking to prohibit use of city properties for civil immigration enforcement and requested the item be put on a near‑term meeting agenda (council asked staff to bring it forward before June 1, citing upcoming large events). The motion to agendaize the memo passed 7–0; no policy was adopted at this meeting, but staff will return with a full agenda item and recommendations.

Why it matters: The policy manual changes codify standard practice and clarify when the council should spend formal time and municipal resources on issues beyond direct local authority. The colleagues memo, if agendaized and later adopted, would change how and whether city property could be used to support immigration‑enforcement activity.

Next steps: Staff will incorporate the manual edits into the published council policy manual and will prepare a full agenda item addressing the colleagues memo on a schedule that allows council consideration prior to large regional events.