City Council - Study Session - August 26, 2026 3PM

The Cathedral City City Council held a study session on August 26, 2026, which included a presentation from FIND Food Bank about Hunger Action Month and their food insecurity efforts in the city. The main procurement-related discussion focused on establishing a legislative advocacy policy to streamline the city's response to legislative and grant-related requests. Staff presented three models for managing legislative advocacy: a council-adopted legislative platform with delegated administrative authority, administrative action with subsequent council ratification, and a case-by-case model requiring full council approval for each request. Council members discussed the merits of each model, emphasizing the need for nimbleness in responding to time-sensitive requests while maintaining public oversight and avoiding politically sensitive issues. The consensus leaned toward developing a formal legislative platform that would allow city management to act within defined parameters and bring more controversial or resource-intensive matters to the full council. No specific dollar amounts or contracts were discussed, but the policy would affect future procurement and grant application processes by enabling quicker responses to funding opportunities aligned with city goals. Staff was directed to draft a legislative advocacy policy and platform for future council consideration.