Dear CCCA Friends,
Happy New Year and I hope everyone had a great holiday season.
I am proud to say the Association is off to a great start in 2018! We kicked off the new year with our annual Sacramento Legislative Tour. CCCA brought nearly 100 local elected officials and city staff from across California to the State Capitol to discuss issues important to the Association. Connecting with state lawmakers early in the new year is paramount--it allows Contract Cities to raise critical attention to the issues impacting our communities at the local level. Cities are at the forefront of current events when it comes to water, infrastructure, transportation, and public safety. Our Association has advocated to ensure we have the necessary tools to address these issues, balance our budgets, and provide the services our communities deserve.
During Monday's session, CCCA members met with 51 lawmakers and their staff. We discussed our 2018 legislative priorities, meeting with members including Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Public Safety. We had a lighthearted conversation with Jones-Sawyer regarding AB 1250. He assured our delegation that cities will be left out of the bill's current language. In previous versions, AB 1250 would have limited a city's ability to contract services--a key issue that would have harmed the contract city model. Last year, CCCA members advocated extensively to successfully remove cities from the bill.
On Tuesday, CCCA members were joined by lawmakers during the Capitol Briefing Sessions to discuss their priorities for 2018, including Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon and Republican Leader Brian Dahle. Both leaders spoke to the issue of protecting local control and ensuring cities have the necessary tools to succeed. Following the morning session, CCCA members attended a luncheon with Attorney General Xavier Becerra and senior leaders from the California Highway Patrol regarding the state's roll-out of recreational marijuana. We concluded Tuesday with a Legislative Reception for state lawmakers. Guests attending included State Treasurer John Chiang, Senator Steve Bradford, Senator Scott Wiener, and more.
Without a doubt, our presence and experiences brought needed attention to our legislative priorities. While our cities face unique challenges at home, we share a common goal to defend our communities and protect local control. As we approach the first of many legislative deadlines for 2018, CCCA will continue to monitor the progress of new bills and inform members when action is needed. I want to give a special thanks to Lindsey Horvath, our Legislative Committee Chair, for leading the Association on another successful Legislative Tour. Finally, thank you all for continuing to support Contract Cities and our mission. I hope to see everyone at the next CCCA event.
Sincerely,
Mike Davitt
President
P.S. If you would like to see photos from the Sacramento Legislative Tour, visit our Flickr acccount!
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SAVE THE DATE!
MAY 17-20, 2018
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The CCCA Legislative Committee is proud to present our 2018 Legislative Priorities. This is our widest-ranging platform ever, encompassing issues such as housing, water infrastructure, transportation, public safety, pension reform, and community choice aggregation.
A full list of our priorities and positions can be found here.
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