The City of Renton was honored this weekend with a 2015 Outstanding Achievement City Livability Award for its diversity program.

Mayor Denis Law on Saturday received the award as part of the The U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 83rd Annual Meeting in San Francisco. The conference was kicked off with a luncheon speech by President Barak Obama.

This is the 36th year in which cities have competed for the award, which is sponsored by the Conference of Mayors and Waste Management, Inc.

The award recognizes mayoral leadership in developing and implementing programs that improve the quality of life in America’s cities, focusing on the leadership, creativity, and innovation demonstrated by the mayors.

This year’s winning cities were selected by former mayors from a pool of over 200 applicants.

“I am proud to accept the Outstanding Achievement City Livability Award on behalf of Renton,” Law said in a press release. “This award reflects the importance my administration has placed on embracing diversity and building an inclusive city with opportunities for all. Our strategy has focused on community collaboration and developing a creative, effective and results-oriented program to engage and serve our diverse community.”

Alex Oseguera, Waste Management’s Vice President and General Manager, Northern California-Nevada, presented the awards during the annual luncheon in San Francisco.

“It is a privilege for Waste Management to partner with the USCM and honor the Mayors working to enhance their cities’ quality of life, which the City Livability Awards represent,” Oseguera said. “For more than 26 years, Waste Management has sponsored the Awards because as the leading provider of comprehensive waste and environmental solutions for North America, our services are vital to the quality of life of cities and communities across the nation.”

“Our City Livability Awards Program gives us the opportunity to highlight mayoral leadership in making urban areas cleaner, safer, and more livable,” said Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the Conference of Mayors. “We are grateful to Waste Management for its many years of support for the City Livability Awards Program, and for the opportunity to showcase the innovation and commitment of mayors and city governments across the country.”

In addition to the two top awards, which went to Boston, Mass. and Hattiesburg, Miss., Outstanding Achievement Awards were given to five cities with populations of 100,000 or more – Charleston, S.C., Irvine, Calif., Kansas City, Mo., Louisville, Ky., and Philadelphia, Penn. – and five cities with populations of less than 100,000 – Carmel, Ind., Orland Park, Ill., Renton, Rochester Hills, Mich., and Sunrise, Fla.

Honorable Mention citations for cities with populations of 100,000 or more went to Arlington, Texas, Houston, Texas, Memphis, Tenn., and Seattle. Citations for cities with populations of less than 100,000 went to Camuy, Puerto Rico, Davie, Fla., Norwalk, Conn., and Westland, Mich.

-from a press release