Stockton Municipal Code Art. 2 Use of City and Council Letterhead

1. "City letterhead" and/or "City resources" (i.e., staff support, postage, etc.), may only be used to communicate the official policy, position, or actions of the City or City Council, not individual Councilmember positions or opinions. City letterhead means letterhead which include the official City logo, the location and contact information for City Hall, contains the heading "Office of the City Council" and a listing of the current Councilmembers (Exhibit 1). Notwithstanding the above, the City Council is allowed to communicate using City letterhead for official City business with a copy to the City Council. No Councilmember may use the City letterhead for the purpose of press release, news release, or communications with the media.

2. City letterhead shall not be altered by a Councilmember. City letterhead shall include the following, and shall be maintained by the City Manager:

A) City Logo

B) "Office of the City Council"

C) The address/location of the governing body – City Hall

D) Names of the elected members of the Stockton City Council

3. Councilmembers may use "Council letterhead" (Exhibit 2) for any purpose including, but not limited to, responding to inquires or communicating their personal opinions, support for, or responses to constituents, other non-constituent individuals, or organizations. Council letterhead contains the heading "Office of Councilmember [xxx], District [#]" or any letterhead created for a Councilmember which identifies the Councilmember as a City representative. When a Councilmember utilizes Council letterhead as described in this policy, the Councilmember shall include the following disclaimer:

"This communication does not reflect the policies or opinion of the City of Stockton or the Stockton City Council."

4. Council letterhead shall not be altered by a Councilmember. Council letterhead shall include the following, and shall be maintained by the City Manager:

A) City Logo

B) "Office of Councilmember [xxx], District [#]"

C) The address/location of the governing body – City Hall

Mayor, Councilmembers, City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk:

1. Monitor and enforce the intention of the policy as outlined.

Stockton City Council Policy Chapter 4.08 Council Censure

Stockton City Charter, Article III, Powers of the City

Stockton City Charter, Article XI-A, Public Information Office

Government Code, Section 54950, the Ralph M Brown Act

Citywide policies and procedures, Chapter 13 – Communication

Exhibit 1 – SAMPLE City Letterhead

Exhibit 2 – SAMPLE Council Letterhead

The examples provided in Section 2.06.090 Responsibilities, Section 2.06.110 Relevant Authority, and Section 2.06.120 Related Administrative Directive in this Article are intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive.

Draft Prepared April 2024, pending Council approval in June 2024

6/18/2024 - Article 2 Adopted by Resolution No. 2024-06-1204

5/13/2025 - Amended by Resolution No. 2025-05-13-1206