December 1, 2021
Cal Cities News

More than 700 new laws are coming to California next year, many with positive effects for cities. The League of California Cities 2021 Legislative Report has detailed information about the most significant new laws that will impact cities, as well as links and summaries to other bills and a review of the 2021 legislative cycle. Read more

The city of Riverside is preparing to open several game-changing projects, such as an affordable housing “village” in the downtown area. Accompanying this are sustained and significant investments in the physical and mental health of Riverside’s unhoused residents. Read more

The California Department of Technology has announced the locations of the initial construction and deployment of a statewide open-access middle mile network, the final leg needed to provide internet service. This is an an important step to closing the digital divide and can serve as a test for larger deployment. Read more

The Internal Revenue Service has issued new guidance about the taxable status of payments to employers and employees made from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, which was established under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Additionally, the National League of Cities (NLC) released a new ARPA-related resource for city leaders that centralizes all the information and recommendations that NLC has released on the Recovery Funds grants over the last several months. Read more
Education and Events

With the holidays fast approaching and concerns from national and public health officials about a potential surge in COVID-19 cases this winter, Cal Cities has adopted the following protocols to keep Cal Cities staff, members, and partners healthy and safe. These meeting and event requirements will be in place through the end of January 2022. Read more

Monday, Dec. 6, 11:30 a.m. California has one of the most ambitious electric vehicle charging station permitting environments. This process will be made more challenging with the enactment of new regulations which require cities to adopt an expedited permitting procedures for electric vehicle charging stations. During this webinar, learn best practices from state and local leaders, what available resources exist, and have your questions answered by state and industry experts. This webinar will provide a comprehensive start-to-finish list to aid cities in complying with the newly enacted regulations. Register today

Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1:30 p.m. Join the League of California Cities, Culture Cannabis Club, and fellow elected officials for a presentation that will dispel myths about the current state of cannabis in California. Learn about how cannabis can help fill in gaps made by recent business shutdowns, such as replacing lost tax revenue, providing jobs, filling vacant commercial space, and improving security. Best practices for how to make your city’s cannabis approval experience productive and successful will be discussed. Register today

Tuesday, Dec. 14, 3:00 p.m. — Committing to self-care has always been a challenge, even before the pandemic, which has dramatically altered our thinking about mental health, both as individuals and leaders. We must build on the lessons learned during the last two years and acknowledge the long-term, community, and system-level stressors caused by COVID-19. Join the League of California Cities and American Psychological Association Chief Executive Officer Dr. Arthur Evans for a conversation about how psychological science can help leaders work through continued uncertainty and other major societal issues, like the long-lasting effects of COVID-19. Register today

Wednesday, Feb. 2-4 — The City Managers Conference provides city managers and assistant city managers with essential information to help them better lead their cities. This years’ conference covers a wide range of topics that will enhance the professional capabilities of city managers and prepare them for a variety of situations — with ample opportunities for peer-to-peer sharing and learning. During the conference, city managers can learn how to work more effectively with city council members, find new programs for unhoused residents, and discover how to create a more diverse workforce. Register today
Opportunities for Cities

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the opening of the 2021 Emergency Coastal Resilience Fund, which supports projects that increase the resilience of coastal communities impacted by wildfires in 2020 and 2021. Approximately $24 million in grants will be awarded to create and restore natural systems that help protect coastal communities from the impacts of coastal storms, floods, sea-level rise, inundation, coastal erosion, wildfires and associated landslides/debris flows, and enable communities to recover more quickly from these events, while also improving habitats for fish and wildlife species. A webinar will be held on Dec. 7. Full proposals are due Feb. 3. Read more

The Board of State and Community Corrections is accepting proposals for the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program. More than $209 million in funding is available to improve public health and safety by supporting effective violence reduction initiatives in communities that are disproportionately impacted by violence, particularly group-member homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults. Eligible applicants include cities that are disproportionately impacted by violence and the community-based organizations that serve them. Learn more during a webinar on Dec. 17. Proposals must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Feb. 11. Read more

The National Civic League is accepting applications for the 2022 All-America City awards until March 1, 2022. This year's theme is “Housing as a Platform for Early School Success and Equitable Learning Recovery." The award program will focus on robust efforts that seek measurable improvement around one or more of the following areas of focus: digital equity; relational supports; afterschool, summer, and out-of-school learning opportunities; transforming non-school places and spaces into learning-rich environments; promoting school readiness, regular attendance, and summer learning; parents succeeding as essential partners, and parents succeeding in their own journey. Cities that submit a letter of intent by Jan. 10 can receive $100 off of their application fee. Read more

On any given day you’ll most likely find a story chronicling how communities of color have been hit hardest by the pandemic, and how economic recovery in these same communities is occurring at a much slower rate. The facts make it very clear that the pandemic accelerated and exacerbated many of the already-existing inequities in our communities. Read more

While Hayward had an anti-discrimination action plan in place since the 1990s, city officials realized five years ago that it was in dire need of updating. Hayward city leaders took immediate action to reassure the community that the city was in fact an ally. Read more
More News and Events

Thursday, Dec. 2, 11:00 a.m. — The California Public Employees' Retirement System is offering a webinar about its recent decision to keep the discount rate, the long-term interest rate used to fund future pension benefits, at 6.8%. During the review, staff will address any questions and explore the impacts to employers, members, and the system as a whole, including contribution rates going out multiple years. This webinar is open to all stakeholders. Register today

Two Mondays, Dec. 6 and 13, 5:00 p.m. — The post-pandemic recovery will require local leaders to address significant challenges and make difficult decisions about how best to allocate scarce resources and prioritize local initiatives. Local agencies cannot effectively address such challenges without a strong foundation of good government — trust, accountability, responsiveness, and transparency. Now is the ideal time to ensure that your agency’s foundation is solid. The Institute for Local Government’s new, interactive “Level Up Your Leadership” training helps elected and appointed city officials master the art of public service by equipping them with practical tools and strategies to govern more effectively and better engage with their professional peers and the community. Register today

Thursday, Dec. 9, 11 a.m. — In the wake of COVID-19, cities have pivoted to online and hybrid forums for public engagement. While this has led to increased participation, a central question remains: How can these methods help agencies build trust and develop equitable, sustainable public participation that meets their strategic goals? Join the Institute for Local Government and other city officials for an interactive webinar about strategic and outcome-driven public participation processes that can lead to better engagement results and hear from other local leaders about their engagement journeys. Register today

The California Strategic Growth Council revealed the recipients of the BOOST Program, a statewide program that helps cities advance their climate action, resilience, and equity objectives. The program is administered through a partnership between the California Strategic Growth Council, the Institute for Local Government, Climate Resolve, California Coalition for Rural Housing, and Farallon Strategies. This technical assistance program supports under-resourced communities by building capacity, optimizing existing resources, strengthening community partnerships, and transforming their approach to climate activities. Read more 
Cal Cities in the News
The Sacramento Bee, Mercury News, Fresno Bee, and 10 others, Nov. 29

California cannabis industry advocates oppose the local control provision, with some asking Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature to get rid of it. But Elisa Arcidiacono of the League of California Cities said that local control “was a central promise in Proposition 64.” “In fact, to win additional support for the measure, the authors amended the original language to include the explicit right of cities and counties to ban marijuana-related businesses entirely if they chose to. So, if a city or county refuses to license cannabis companies in their jurisdiction, this is entirely in line with what voters approved when they legalized adult-use cannabis in 2016." Read more
California housing crisis drifts toward political war, CalMatters, Orange County Register, East Bay Times, Riverside Press-Enterprise, and 12 others, Nov. 28

Citing a stubborn shortage of housing that drives up housing prices and rents, the state has been pressing local governments, particularly cities, to encourage construction through zoning and pro-development policies. Attorney General Rob Bonta, armed with new authority, has stepped up the pressure by creating a new 12-member Department of Justice task force...Bonta’s announcement drew sharp criticism from the League of California Cities. Carolyn Coleman said, “Cities do not build homes, and for years have endured whiplash from the state’s scattershot approach to passing housing laws that are often in direct conflict with each other and counterproductive to our shared goals to increase housing supply.” Read more
As California prepares to raise marijuana tax, a cannabis entrepreneur calls for tax revolt, The Sacramento Bee, San Luis Obispo Tribune, and four others, Nov. 23

That proposal is likely to face an uphill battle with the League of California Cities, which has argued that the guarantee of local decision-making regarding cannabis was a key part of Proposition 64. “In fact, to win additional support for the measure, the authors amended the original language to include the explicit right of cities and counties to ban marijuana-related businesses entirely if they chose to. So, if a city or county refuses to license cannabis companies in their jurisdiction, this is entirely in line with what voters approved when they legalized adult-use cannabis in 2016,” said League representative Elisa Arcidiacono in a statement. Read more