This section covers the roles and responsibilities of the Mayor, Vice-Mayor, Councilmembers, meeting chair and former Councilmembers.

This section covers policies, processes, and interactions during ceremonial events, correspondence signatures, endorsement of candidates, intergovernmental relations, legislative process, non-agenda items, public announcements in Council meetings, public hearing protocol, and travel expenses.

This section describes the behaviors on how they interact with each other given that they are chosen to serve in public office in order to preserve and protect the present and future of the community. This includes: how formal titles should be used in public hearings; practice civility and decorum in discussions and debate; honor the role of the chair in maintaining order; avoid personal comments that could offend other Councilmembers; demonstrate effective problem-solving approaches; continue to respect behaviors in private encounters, being aware of insecurity of written notes, voice mail messages, e-mails, and even private conversation that can have a public presence.

This section describes that governing of a city relies on cooperative efforts of elected officials who set policy and City staff who implement and administer Council policies. Therefore, every effort should be made to be cooperative and show mutual respect for the contribution made by each individual for the good of the community. It includes: treat all staff as professional; limit contact to specific City staff; not disrupt City staff from their jobs; never publicly criticize an individual employee; not getting involved in administrative functions; check with City staff on correspondence before taking action; not attend meetings with City staff unless requested by staff; limit requests for staff support; and not solicit political support from staff.

This section discusses making the public feel welcome is an important part of the democratic process. No signs of partiality, prejudice or disrespect should be evident on the part of the Councilmembers toward an individual participating in a public forum. Every effort should be made to be fair and impartial in listening to public testimony. It includes: be welcoming to speakers and treat them with care and gentleness; be fair and equitable in allocating public hearing time to individual speakers; give the appearance of active listening; ask for clarification but avoid debate and argument with the public; no public attacks of any kind under any circumstances; and follow parliamentary procedure in conducting public meetings. In an official setting, Councilmembers should make no promises on behalf of the Council, make no personal comments about other Councilmembers, and remember that despite its impressive population figures, Sunnyvale is a small town at heart.

This section talks about what image Council should project when interacting with other agencies. It includes: be clear about representing the City or personal interests; and correspondence should always be equally clear about representation.

Citizens who serve on the boards and commissions become more involved in government and serve as advisors to the City Council. They are a valuable resource to the City’s leadership and should be treated with appreciation and respect. This section includes: if attending a board or commission meeting, be careful to only express personal opinions; limit contact with board and commission members to questions or clarification; remember that board and commissions serve the community, not individual Councilmembers; be respectful of diverse opinion; keep political support away from public forums; and, inappropriate behavior by a board or commission member can lead to removal.

Councilmembers are frequently contacted by the media for background and quotes. This section includes: the best advice for dealing with the media is to never go "off the record"; the Mayor is the official representative on City positions; choose words carefully and cautiously.

This section covers how to deal with inappropriate behavior or violation of the Code of Ethics or Code of Conduct. It includes public disruption, inappropriate staff behavior, and Councilmembers’ behavior and conduct.

This includes examples of what proper conduct is and proper conduct is not.

This section provides a list of questions an individual can use as self-monitoring tool to ensure the appropriateness of his/her conduct.

This is a quick reference of definitions of terms used throughout the Code of Conduct.