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ATTY/RESO.0009/CC RESO REAFFIRMING CITY CIVIL LIBERTIES <br />REV: 03-30-26 VR <br />Page 2 of 3 <br />participating in civic life, and reporting crime without fear strengthens community trust and <br />public safety; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Redwood City believes it is important to <br />reaffirm that Redwood City is committed to being a welcoming community where all <br />people are treated with dignity, respect, and fairness under the law; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, Redwood City’s organizational values—Collaboration, Excellence, <br />Inclusion, Innovation, Integrity, and Service—guide the work of all City employees, from <br />Libraries, Parks and Recreation to the Fire and Police Departments, and reflect the City’s <br />commitment to celebrating diversity, promoting justice, and improving quality of life for all; <br />and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, public service is a public trust that demands honesty, integrity, and a <br />steadfast commitment to ethics, fairness, and respect for civil liberties in both the <br />establishment of public policies and the bias-free delivery of public services to all <br />members of the community, regardless of their immigration status; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the City of Redwood City carries out its responsibilities in accordance <br />with the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of California, and <br />all applicable federal and state laws; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the preamble to the U.S. Constitution begins with, “We the People of <br />the United States,” emphasizing that the government derives its power from the people, <br />and the American values of liberty and justice for all have remained the foundation and <br />center of our nation’s identity for 250 years, as Thomas Jefferson famously said, “The <br />price of freedom is eternal vigilance,” and President Theodore Roosevelt said, “The <br />welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us;” <br />and President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared, “If the fires of freedom and civil liberties <br />burn low in other lands they must be made brighter in our own;” and President Abraham <br />Lincoln reminded us, “The cause of civil liberty must not be surrendered at the end of one, <br />or even one hundred defeats;” and President Ronald Reagan said, “Peace, freedom, and <br />justice are not things that were won for us two hundred years ago or forty years ago; they <br />must be won again and again by each successive generation;” and President Barack <br />Obama stated, “Because for all our differences, we are one people, stronger together <br />than we could ever be alone. That’s always been our story. We are big and vast and <br />diverse; a nation of people with different backgrounds and beliefs, different experiences <br />and stories, but bound by our shared ideal that no matter who you are or what you look <br />like, how you started off, or how and who you love, America is a place where you can <br />write your own destiny;” <br /> <br />NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of <br />Redwood City reaffirms its commitment to civil liberties, due process of law, and equal <br />justice as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the <br />State of California. <br />