City of Anaheim - Anaheim Sister City Commission

About Us

The Anaheim Sister City Commission works to foster relationships between Anaheim and its Sister Cities to promote mutual cross-cultural understanding and exchanges. The Commission will cultivate this environment by serving as a conduit for potential business and educational collaboration, and offering unique experiences internationally.

The Sister City Commission Meeting is open to the public and encourages public attendance. The Commission meets on the 4th Monday of every month at 4:00 PM at Anaheim City Hall, 7th Floor. For more information on the Sister City Commission Meetings, please contact us at (714) 765-5162 or email us at sistercity@anaheim.net. To view the Commission’s calendar of events, please click here.

The Anaheim Sister City Commission envisions a future where Anaheim citizens and their international partners understand, appreciate, and accept the unique characteristics of their Sister Cities' history, culture and goals to achieve global harmony.

The 15-member commission, which is appointed by the Anaheim City Council, is responsible for maintaining relationships with our current Sister Cities and develop new sister city relationships throughout their term. The duties of the Commission are to develop guidelines and programs for Sister City relationships, to further public awareness of other cultures, emphasizing cultural, historical and economic development with Anaheim’s Sister Cities.

Anaheim’s Sister Cities are selected on the basis of common interests that may relate to cultural, educational, or commercial relationships. Where possible, there has been an attempt to match the size of the Sister City with that of Anaheim. Each relationship carries a sense of potential, as future interchanges may lead to greater benefits.

Upcoming Events:

2013 Calendar
The Commission meets on the 4th Monday of every month:
January 28
February 25
March 25
April 22
May 20
June 24
July 22
August 26
September 23
October 28
November 25
December DARK

Corporate Sponsors

Coming Soon. Check back for updates.

Meet the Commission


Sister City Commission Group

Commissioner Ann Gallaugher	Commissioner Anna Piercy	Commissioner Anthony Al-Jamie	Commissioner Brian O'Neal

Commissioner Cynthia Coad	Commissioner Debbie Juliani	Commissioner James Dinwiddie	Commissioner John Nguyen

Commissioner Laurie Leonard	Commissioner Linda Newby	Commissioner Pat Pina	Commissioner Russell Lahodny

Image Gallery

Image Gallery

Mito Exchange Photo Image Gallery

Vitoria-Gasteiz Delegation 2011

Videos

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain Video
Anaheim Mito Exchange Video

News and Announcements

Anaheim Sister City Accomplishments 2012

Kept Commission at full 15 members all year despite career changes and departures by members.
Conducted our first delegation visit to Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain in more than a decade.
Secured a $10,000 grant from Sister Cities International and Kaiser Permanente to help strengthen Anaheim’s relationship with Mito, Japan in the wake of the devastating 2011 earthquake.
Held our first fundraising event that greatly increased public awareness of the Commission.
Hosted a student delegation from Mito, Japan in July with 15 students and chaperones.
Found host families for entire Mito delegation visit in July.
Hosted a group of 23 adults from Mito, Japan, including the mayor and two council members, who visited with Anaheim businesses, a high school and Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
Created a marketing piece/brochure for the Commission to distribute and increase its awareness among the Anaheim community.
Operated wholly within our budget at all times.
Conducted an exploratory trip to China in seek of new sister city relationships
…and much more!

Anaheim Magazine Spring 2012

Anaheim Magazine Winter 2008

Japanese visitors to Anaheim

Anaheim overwhelmed by kindness for Japan

Mito Student Exchange Program

BRING THE MAGIC OF JAPAN INTO YOUR HOME BY BECOMING A HOST FAMILY

The Anaheim Sister City Commission is now accepting applications to host visiting exchange students from our sister city in Mito, Japan. Our Japanese guests will be visiting Anaheim for one week between July 26, 2013 and August 10, 2013 and host families are needed to in order to house our guests during their stay in Anaheim.

To qualify as a Host Family you must agree to all of the following conditions:

Have a suitable household that provides privacy and comfort for the visiting student.
Have a safe household equipped with fire alarms/smoke detectors as prescribed by the California Building & Fire Codes.
Have everyone in the household age 18 and over fingerprinted by the City of Anaheim Police department prior to hosting.
Assume responsibility for costs associated with the student’s visit, including food and entertainment.

To learn more about becoming a host family and to access the application, please click here

Check out our advertisement on page 9 in the spring issue of Anaheim magazine.

Mayor with Kids

The Anaheim Sister City Commission and the City of Anaheim hosted a delegation of Mito students July 27-August 4, 2012. While the students were here they were able to enjoy the rich culture and entertainment that Anaheim and Orange County has to offer. The students started their stay with a tour and baseball game at Angel Stadium. They were given a friendly welcome with a tour of local stops including the Anaheim Fire Department, City Hall, MUZEO and Carnegie Library before hitting GardenWalk for a fun night of bowling at 300 Anaheim . The students were able to spend the day at Bolsa Chica State beach for a day in the sun ending with a bonfire and scenic Southern California sunset. The trip came to a close with a magical visit to Disneyland and a memorable sayonara dinner at the Anaheim Hills Golf Course Club House. To see pictures of the Mito students on their stay in Anaheim click on Image Gallery > 2012 Photos

Since 1984, the City of Anaheim and Mito have enjoyed an annual student exchange program that involves a handful of high school students from Anaheim spending two weeks in Japan each summer. During their time in Mito, Anaheim Student Ambassadors are hosted by local families and get an opportunity to about Japanese culture and lifestyle, as well as visiting local attractions including a trip to Tokyo. The cost of the two-week trip, including airfare, is covered by the Anaheim Sister City Commission; however, students are asked to fundraise at least $500 to support the cost of the trip.

It is an honor to be selected as a Student Ambassador for the City of Anaheim. To be considered as a Student Ambassador, students must meet the following requirements:

Students must be U. S. citizens that live in the City of Anaheim and are in grades 10-12 for the current academic calendar year;
Must have an interest in Japan and the Anaheim-Mito Sister City relationship;
Must Must be available to interview for the program and attend group meetings as indicated in the application.

For more information or questions regarding the student exchange program, please email us at sistercity@anaheim.net

To view photos from previous student exchanges, please click here

Click Here to view a video presentation of our Mito exchange program.

Press Room

Coming Soon. Check back for updates.