220104 RE_ Community Forum Informational Presentation UpdateFrom:Peter Grant
To:Frances Marquez
Subject:RE: Community Forum Informational Presentation Update
Date:Tuesday, January 4, 2022 7:19:26 PM
Council Member Marquez,
The requests/concerns from your email are addressed individually below. As always, I am available
to discuss your evident frustration with the City Council’s CVRA challenge process and while there
may not be a resolution, I am a good listener.
I would appreciate seeing a copy of her final draft today or tomorrow.
We are happy to provide the City Council latest narrative presentation draft when it is complete. We
are a meeting with Communications LAB Wednesday afternoon and expect the next draft will be
available sometime after that. Exactly when the draft will be ready is not yet know. We need to
review changes from the 12/27 meeting, incorporate city attorney input, and debrief the call you
made to Ms. Barrios today. Regarding that call, the City Council was clear that proposed changes to
the narrative presentation were due to the City Manager by January 3 at 5pm. It is important the
city’s professional staff participate in interactions with contractors to help facilitate Council
Member’s objectives, keep everyone informed and prepared, and provide opportunities for
engagement and learning. Unless authorized by the City Council or City Manager, Council Members
should not independently engage with city contractors.
I do not think it is fair to have to make final changes with a motion, second and approval by a
majority of the city council. This does not make it a democratic and deliberative process for the
member in the minority.
As you are aware, the City Council determined it would review and approve the community forum
narrative presentation. The City Council approves business items through a motion, second, and
majority vote. This process is established by state law and the city charter and is not something city
management determines or can change.
As a former research associate I know there is always time to refine a presentation.
As the City Council discussed with Communications LAB, after the January 10 City Council meeting
Communications LAB has to turn the narrative presentation into the explainer video that will be
shown at the community forums. This involves scripting the video, recording the video, and editing
the video before first community forum on January 19. There are only five business days between
the City Council meeting and the first community forum in which to accomplish these tasks. A City
Council decision to extend the deadline for input would require a special City Council meeting and
raise concerns that the city is likely to incur additional costs and/or compromise the quality of the
community forum presentation.
Since the community did not see the presentation last week and the audio of the meeting has not
been made to the public I think Arianna should make the presentation.
If the City Council would prefer to have Communications LAB re-represent the draft narrative
presentation at the January 10 meeting, we are prepared to do that. The webinar audio is on the
website and the City Clerk’s office is uploading the presentation. Public participation on the 12/27
webinar was similar to regularly scheduled City Council meetings. Beyond your email, the city is
unaware of concerns about access to the special meeting the City Council called to help plan the
community forums.
Peter Grant
City Manager
City of Cypress
Office 714-229-6680
Cellular 714-335-1685
pgrant@cypressca.org
From: Frances Marquez <fmarquez@cypressca.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:34
To: Peter Grant <pgrant@cypressca.org>
Cc: Fred Galante <fgalante@awattorneys.com>
Subject: Re: Community Forum Informational Presentation Update
Peter,
Good morning! I would appreciate seeing a copy of her final draft today or tomorrow. I do not
think it is fair to have to make final changes with a motion, second and approval by a majority
of the city council. This does not make it a democratic and deliberative process for the
member in the minority. As a former research associate I know there is always time to refine a
presentation. Since the community did not see the presentation last week and the audio of the
meeting has not been made to the public I think Arianna should make the presentation.
Sincerely,
Frances
On Jan 3, 2022, at 5:55 PM, Peter Grant <pgrant@cypressca.org> wrote:
Mayor and Council (via bcc),
No input or comments to the Communications LAB presentation were received by the
City Council’s deadline of 5pm this afternoon.
Monday’s meeting will be the final opportunity to adjust the presentation and any
changes will need to be directed with a motion, second and approval by a majority of
the City Council. The production schedule does not provide time for any research,
refinement or special meetings past Monday night.
Arianna will attend the meeting, but a re-presentation of the presentation is not
planned as the City Council heard and discussed it in detail on December 27. A copy of
the presentation will be included with the agenda report.
Pete
Peter Grant
City Manager
City of Cypress
Office 714-229-6680
Cellular 714-335-1685
pgrant@cypressca.org
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