I would like to thank all of you who made the trip to Catalina for the 36th Annual Fall Educational Summit. The intimate setting provided a great opportunity to network and learn. 

Being on the Island offered a unique perspective on the issues we were learning about. The session on water conservation and technology took on a whole new perspective when we learned that Catalina was faced with a 50% reduction in water consumption, for example. 

James Bozajian gave a well-researched presentation on the statewide ballot measures coming before us in November, and the Sheriff updated us all on the Sheriff's Liability Trust Fund. 

If you couldn't make it out to the Island, I invite you to review the presentations here. 

We all honored our good friend and colleague Don Knabe with a tribute dinner on Saturday night. Supervisor Knabe has served Los Angeles County valiantly over the years and he will definitely be missed when he retires later this year. 

I would like to personally thank Senator Allen for visiting us during the conference. It was great to be in his District and have his support for Contract Cities. 

I also want to thank our staff for making this event possible and pulling off a seamless Summit while still settling in from a very large transition. My hat is off to you! 

Looking forward, I invite you all to our October Board of Directors Meeting hosted by the Los Angeles County Fire Department on October 19th. It is always a great time. 

As we continue to move forward through the year I encourage all of you to get more involved with the organization. We are working to harness the power of cities and ensure our collective voice is heard. Please be our partner in this endeavor.