CC - Item 5I - Adding "Family Court Awareness Month" Proclamation to the Approved List of ProclamationsROSEMEAD CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYORANDAND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: BEN KIM, CITY MANAGER`^'f
DATE: NOVEMBER 14, 2023
SUBJECT: ADDING FAMILY COURT AWARENESS MONTH PROCLAMATION
TO THE APPROVED LIST OF PROCLAMATIONS
SUMMARY
On October 23, 2023, The Mayor and City Clerk received a request via email from Ms. Elaine
Farrell from Family Court Awareness Month Committee requesting a proclamation declaring the
month of November 2023, as Family Court Awareness Month in the City of Rosemead. Since
the request came after the last meeting of October and only one meeting in November is
scheduled due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Mayor Ly asked that the proclamation request and
presentation be placed in the same meeting.
DISCUSSION
By proclaiming the month of November as Family Court Awareness, and the recent passage of
(SB 331 -Rubio): Keeping Children Safe From Family Violence, the proclamation provides
awareness in recognizing the importance of a family court system that prioritizes child safety and
acts in the best interest of children.
The effort organized by Tina Swithin of One Mom's Battle and Sandra Ross of California
Protective Parents Association, was joined by The National Family Violence Law Center, The
Court Said USA, Piqui's Justice, Kayden's Korner Foundation, Kyra Franchetti Foundation,
Florida Protective Parents Association, and The Pollack Group LLC. All of these organizations
are determined to bring awareness to the conservatively estimated 58,000 children a year who
are ordered into unsupervised contact with abusive parents, where hundreds of children were
murdered.
Proclamations are ceremonial documents to honor an individual or organization, celebrate or
create awareness or commemorate a particular day, month, or year. Proclamations are designated
by a specific event and date. On June 14, 2021, the City Council approved a new procedure to
issue any future proclamations:
AGENDA ITEM 5.I
City Council Meeting
November 14, 2023
Page 2 of 2
Proclamations on the list of Approved Proclamations will be automatically agendized
under Presentations without City Council discussion.
New proclamation requests not
agendized for discussion and City
will be agendized and presented
approved list of proclamations.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
listed on the approved list of proclamations will be
Council direction. If approved, the new proclamation
at the next City Council meeting and added to the
That the City Council approve adding the Family Court Awareness Proclamation to the list of
Approved Proclamations.
FISCAL IMPACT
None
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
This item has been noticed through the regular agenda notification process.
Prepared by:
Ericka Hernandez, City Clerk
Attachment A: Family Court Awareness Month Proclamation
Attachment A
Proclamation
Declaring the Month of November 2023
as "Family Court Awareness Month"
WHEREAS, the mission of the Family Court Awareness Month Committee (FCAMC) is to increase
awareness on the importance of a family court system that prioritizes child safety and
acts in the best interest of children, and;
WHEREAS, the mission at the FCAMC is fueled by the desire to create awareness and change in the
family court system for the conservatively estimated, 58,000 children a year ordered
into unsupervised contact with abusive parents, while honoring the hundreds of
children who have been reported as murdered during visitation with a dangerous
parent, and;
WHEREAS, the mission of the FCAMC is to increase awareness on the importance of empirically -
based education and training on domestic violence and child abuse, including
emotional, psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, as well as childhood trauma,
coercive control, and post separation abuse for judges and all professionals working on
cases within the family court system, and;
WHEREAS, the mission of the FCAMC is to increase awareness on the importance of using
scientifically valid, evidence -based, treatment programs and services that are proven in
terms of safety, effectiveness, and therapeutic value, and;
WHEREAS, the mission at the FCAMC is to educate judges and other family court professionals on
evidence -based, peer-reviewed research. Such research is a critical component to
making decisions that are truly in the best interest of children. This research includes
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study (co -principal investigator: Vincent
Felitti, Kaiser Permanente -CDC); Child Custody Evaluators' Beliefs About Domestic
Abuse Allegations (principal investigator: Daniel Saunders, University of Michigan,
sponsored by the National Institute of Justice); and Child Custody Outcomes in Cases
Involving Parental Alienation and Abuse Allegations (principal investigator: Joan S.
Meier, GW Law School, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice), and;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE FT RESOLVED, that the Rosemead City Council does hereby proclaim the
month of November 2023, as:
in the City of Rosemead to support the family court system acting in the best interests of
children.