Sacramento, California – Mayor Pro Tem Eric Guerra is inviting Sacramento residents to City Hall next Thursday, June 25, for a special City Council meeting that could turn a long-running community connection into an official international partnership.
The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside the Sacramento City Hall Council Chambers at 915 I Street. It will serve as both a special council meeting and a Sister City ceremony, with the City of Sacramento and the City of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, expected to finalize an agreement linking the two capital cities.
The effort is being framed as more than a government document. For many families in the Sacramento region, the connection to Michoacán is already personal. Generations of residents have family roots, cultural ties and community bonds that stretch between Northern California and western Mexico. The June 25 meeting is meant to give that relationship a formal civic home.
“Join the City of Sacramento and the City of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico for a special City Council Meeting next Thursday, June 25th to finalize a Sister City agreement between two capital cities that are connected through people and culture,” Guerra said in a social media post promoting the event.
The agreement has moved forward quickly over the past year. On September 16, 2025, the Sacramento City Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2025-0259, a formal Resolution of Intention to establish a sister city relationship with Morelia. That step placed the effort under the guidance of the Sacramento Sister Cities Council and recognized the family and cultural links between Sacramentans and Michoacán.
A second major step came on February 6, 2026, when Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty and Morelia Mayor Alfonso Martínez Alcázar preliminarily signed the agreement during a delegation visit to Morelia. The June 25 vote is expected to be the final public action needed to make the partnership official.
If approved, Morelia will become Sacramento’s 13th sister city and its second sister city in Mexico, after Mexicali.
The proposed partnership is described as a “Capital to Capital” connection, joining Sacramento, the capital of California, with Morelia, the capital of Michoacán. City officials say the agreement could open doors for exchanges in education, culture, business, tourism and civic cooperation.
Priority areas include student and university exchanges, language programs, scholarships and research partnerships. The agreement also points to art, music, festivals and traditions, including Michoacán’s Indigenous heritage and its strong presence in Sacramento’s Latino community.
Economic ties are also part of the plan. The cities are looking at opportunities involving entrepreneurs, business development and innovation. A nonstop Volaris flight between Sacramento International Airport and Morelia is expected to support travel, family connections and future business links.
Tourism is another piece of the relationship. Morelia is known for its Historic Centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, as well as its pink stone colonial architecture, Morelia Cathedral, plazas, culinary traditions and major cultural events. The city is also known as Mexico’s “Sweet Capital,” tied to centuries-old traditions of convent-made candies and sweets.
For Sacramento, the Sister Cities program is designed to build long-term cultural, educational, social and economic relationships with cities around the world. The Morelia agreement would expand that network in a way that directly reflects one of the region’s strongest immigrant and cultural communities.
Residents looking for details can visit the official Sacramento partnership page at cityofsacramento.gov/mayor-council/district-6/Morelia. More information about Sacramento’s Sister Cities program is available at cityofsacramento.gov/clerk/sister-cities. City Council agendas and livestream information, when posted, can be found at sacramento.legistar.com.