Council to consider new sister city policy

WATSONVILLE >> With a growing number of sister cities since 1986, the city of Watsonville is exploring a new policy to manage this increase in partnerships. That policy will go before the City Council at its Tuesday meeting.

Specifically, the policy will clarify incentives for establishing new partnerships, updating language to mitigate costs for committees overseeing partnerships and allowing the city to use funds to support these affiliations, according to a staff report by City Clerk Irwin Ortiz.

Sister Cities International was a program created at a White House conference on citizen diplomacy in 1956. Then-President Dwight Eisenhower, who had previously been a top-ranking general in World War II, wanted to establish a network of local programs where American cities formed partnerships with international municipalities to promote friendships and positive global relations.

“President Eisenhower envisioned an organization that could be the hub of peace and prosperity by creating bonds between people from different cities around the world,” wrote Ortiz. “By forming these relationships, President Eisenhower reasoned that people of different cultures could celebrate and appreciate their differences and build partnerships that would lessen the chance of new conflicts.”

Watsonville established its first Sister Cities partnership in 1986 with Kawakami-Mura, Japan. It has since added five more: Pinghu, Zhejiang, China in 2006; San Pedro Masahuat, La Paz, El Salvador in 2013; Tangancícuaro, Michoacán, Mexico in 2017; Jocotepec, Jalisco, Mexico and Cavtat, Konavle, Croatia in 2018; and Velas, Sáo Jorge Island, Portugal in 2021.

Given the increasing number of international partnerships, Watsonville is updating its existing policy to provide more flexibility in how the city interacts with its sister municipalities.

“The criteria for Watsonville to participate in sister city relationships is and will continue to be based on promoting peace, understanding, and prosperity through people-to-people relationships, cultural understanding, cultural

exchange, and sharing arts, education, trade, agricultural practices and customs,” wrote Ortiz.

A resolution will go before the council Tuesday.

In other business, the council will consider approving the Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan for 202324, hold a study session with the Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture on the use of pesticides and receive an update on the Library Strategic Plan by Library Director Alicia Martinez.

The council will meet publicly at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday on the top floor of the Watsonville City Council Chambers, 275 Main St. A 4:30 p.m. closed session to discuss legal matters will precede the public meeting.