October 30, 2009 Issue #42-2009 IN THIS ISSUE: Page 4: State Park Reductions to Begin Nov. 1 Page 5: Rural Cities Should Register Now for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Workshops ILG Launches New California Climate Action Network Web site JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE REVIEWS REFORM PROPOSALS TO IMPROVE STATE POLICY AND BUDGET DEVELOPMENT Reform proposals aimed at creating efficiency, transparency and accountability in the Legislature dominated the first of five joint hearings of the Assembly and Senate Select Committees on Improving State Government. For more, see Page 2. REGISTRATION OPEN FOR UPCOMING LEAGUE EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCES The League offers various conferences for professional development throughout the year. Following is a list of upcoming conferences and training events to help you plan your expenses and get the most value for your dollar. For more, see Page2. LEAGUE FIRE CHIEFS TO HOST CONFERENCE IN MONTEREY, DEC. 2-4 The League s Fire Chiefs Department will host their annual Fire Chiefs Leadership Seminar in Monterey, Dec. 2 4. This educational conference offers both seasoned and new fire chiefs important information on managing their departments when faced with tough questions on staffing, leadership, and limited budgets. For more, see Page 4.
Reform Continued from Page 1 Assembly Member Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) and Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) chaired the all-day hearing. Held on Thursday, Oct. 22, the hearing featured testimony from current state executive officers, former legislative leaders, academics, and proponents of the reform measures headed to the November 2010 ballot. The majority of the hearing was spent discussing many of the governance and fiscal reform proposals that have been considered by members of previous legislative sessions, past and current ballot propositions, and at the Cities Counties Schools Partnership s Local Government Summit of State Governance and Fiscal Reform. These proposals included: Changing the annual budget process to a biennial system, with forecasts extending up to five years, to promote better fiscal planning; Changing term limits so members can serve 12 years in either the Senate or Assembly. The goal is to reduce turn-over, non-stop campaigning, and bring back legislative policy expertise. Avoid asking voters to make all the tough policy or budget decisions with ballot measures and instead make the decisions at the legislative level to create accountability; Correlate voting threshold requirements with longevity of the proposal: the annual budget should only require a majority vote while constitutional changes should require a supermajority vote to pass; Blocking legislation from moving forward until a budget is adopted to ensure funding decisions are made before programs are enacted or continued; and More restrictive limits on the number of bills that legislative members can introduce to ensure only priority issues are being addressed and foster collaboration between members to achieve common goals. Bill Hauck, former chair of the early 1990 s California Constitution Revision Commission and former chief of staff to Gov. Pete Wilson and Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, expressed a sense of urgency for action. Any changes to the state government need to be done during the crisis, not afterwards, Hauck said. Many of the proposals that his Commission recommended were not considered because of legislative leader s delay in reviewing the proposals. Testimony related to budget making decisions stressed the importance of oversight and performance-based decision making. Mac Taylor, legislative analyst, spoke in favor of creating oversight committees by issue areas to institutionalize area-expertise and long-term planning. Many of these proposals, as noted by both witnesses and committee members, can be accomplished with a rule change in either of the legislative houses and do not require a ballot initiative to be taken to the voters. Future hearings will take place in various locations throughout the state during the remainder of 2009. The full agenda and framing background paper from the Oct. 22 hearing is available on the Assembly Judiciary Web site at www.assembly.ca.gov under Hearing Reports. The agenda and background has also been posted on the League s Web site at www.cacities.org/resource_files/28389.strengthening the Legislative Branch-DJ10.26.09.doc. Conferences Continued from Page 1 Dec. 2 4: 2009 Municipal Finance Institute, Monterey Conference Center Hotels are almost full register now to ensure availability. This conference will cover current and long-term fiscal management issues facing cities including: Municipal finances, past, present, and future; 2
Updates on state fiscal and legislative matters; and Updates on various statewide fiscal reform efforts and initiatives from League Executive Director Chris McKenzie. This program is in compliance with the Continuing Education guidelines specified in the California Board of Accountancy Regulations. Dec. 2 4: 2009 City Clerk s New Law & Leadership Conference, Monterey Hotels are almost full register now to ensure availability. Registration and housing deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10. This program is designed to provide critical information for deputy, assistant and city clerks with their various responsibilities and will include: New law and election updates; Technology savvy skills; Survival skills in a down economy; and FPPC and Voting Rights Act updates. This program meets the accreditation programming standards for 6.89 CMC/MMC/Recertification Points. Jan. 20 22: 2010 Mayors and Council Members Academy, Sacramento A must attend for newly elected officials, this conference gives critical information to newly elected city officials. Topics will include: Legal powers; Financial responsibilities; Media training; Planning and land use; Relationships between council and managers; Running successful council meetings; and AB 1234 ethics. Registration for this event will be available online soon. The registration window is short for this conference so sign up before it s too late. Feb. 3 5: 2010 City Managers Department Conference, Carlsbad Please book your hotel immediately after you register. The registration and housing deadline is Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. This program is designed specifically for California city managers. Topics will include: Re-tooling the role of local government; Climate protection success stories implementation through regional coordination; Issues in civic engagement from budget to climate change; SB 375 implementation sustainable community strategies; Managing layoffs with dignity and respect; Labor relations, communications and problem solving in crisis; Provocative budget strategies for the new normal; Regional pension reform efforts in California; and City survival in post-stimulus. Reduced rates are available for MMANC and MMASC members. To register online please visit the League s Web site at www.cacities.org/events and click the online registration link to the right of the event. Attendees will first need to register for the conference before any hotel reservations can be made. 3
For questions regarding registration contact Kerri Lofte, League conference registrar, at klofte@cacities.org or (916) 658-8291. Fire Chiefs Continued from Page 1 The League Fire Chiefs Department is different from California s many fire service associations because it represents those chiefs who are organized by city affiliation through the League s member cities. The Fire Chiefs Department acts as an advisory subunit and provides staff with important insight on legislative and regulatory proposals impacting the fire service in California as it relates to cities. Special guest speakers from CalFIRE, California Emergency Management Agency, and State Fire Marshal s office will give perspective on how the state will pursue future collaboration with local agencies. In addition, legal and legislative experts will share what new laws are in play that will change the way fire departments and cities carry out their work of protecting lives and property. The deadline for conference and hotel registration closes Nov. 10 so you are encouraged to act now to guarantee your spot at this once-a-year educational and networking event. Online registration is available at www.cacities.org/events. State Park Reductions to Begin Nov. 1 Earlier this week, the California Department of Parks and Recreation announced its finalized service reduction plans. While some service reductions began earlier this fall, these final changes are scheduled to begin Nov. 1. The more noticeable changes will include reductions in park hours, reduced trash services and closure of some campgrounds and campground services. For additional details on changes to your local state parks, please visit the California State Parks Foundation Web site at www.calparks.org/takeaction/service-reduction.htm. The service reductions at state parks are part of the $14.2 million, one-time budget savings plan that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced in late September to keep state parks open with the least disruption to visitors. Please contact your state district office for more information about your local state parks. A list of district offices can be found on the California State Parks Web site at www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24248. Rural Cities Should Register Now for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Workshops On Nov. 3 in Napa, the Regional Council of Rural Counties (RCRC) will be hosting the second of two workshops for rural counties and any cities within those counties on Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG). The EECBG program is being offered through the California Energy Commission (CEC) and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The purpose of this workshop is to inform city and county officials of the amounts that are available for projects, the type of projects that are eligible for these funds and the application process, and other procedures that must be followed to access and use these funds. Workshop Details Tuesday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m. 1 p.m. Napa County Board of Supervisors Chambers 4
County Administration Building, Third Floor 1195 Third Street Napa, CA The workshops will be presented by staff from CEC, private energy contractors and invited participation by the local utility. EECBGs are reserved for small cities and counties in California. More information on EECBG can be found at www.energy.ca.gov/recovery/blockgrant.html. To register for the workshop, please contact RCRC staff Mark Lowder (mlowder@rcrcnet.org) or Mary Pitto (mpitto@rcrcnet.org) at (916) 447-4806. ILG Launches New California Climate Action Network Web site The Institute for Local Government s (ILG) California Climate Action Network (CCAN) recently launched a new Web site, www.ca-ilg.org/climatechange, to provide local officials with better access to climate action resources and tools, improved education and information exchange, and recognition of local leadership and achievement. Key features of the new Web site include: Climate Leadership Stories highlighting examples of city and county leadership in the areas of green building, commercial recycling, land use and community design, efficient transportation, and civic engagement. www.ca-ilg.org/climateexamples An updated version of CCAN s Best Practices Framework with information on reducing greenhouse gas emissions plus information and links to local agency activities in each of the ten climate leadership areas. www.ca-ilg.org/climatepractices Whitepapers on topics such as Financing Local Sustainability Efforts, public opinion and climate change, and The Co-Benefits of Sustainability Strategies. www.cailg.org/climatewhitepapers Discussion Forums share experiences and learning from others. ILG welcomes suggestions for discussion forum topics. www.ca-ilg.org/climatediscussions The San Francisco Bay Area Climate Action Portal which was developed with the San Francisco Bay Area Air Quality Management District serves as a first effort to provide regionally focused resources. www.ca-ilg.org/sfbayclimate Opportunities for you to share your agency's climate action stories.www.cailg.org/node/1923 Helpful tips on using many of the Web site s features. (www.ca-ilg.org/web sitetips) Visit the ILG Web site, www.ca-ilg.org, to find more useful resources. ILG encourages users to submit comments on the new Web site because they are committed to making the site as useful to local officials as possible. For questions or suggestions, contact Yvonne Hunter, program director for the California Climate Action Network at yhunter@ca-ilg.org. 5