September 29, 2021
Cal Cities News

Last week, city officials gathered for the League of California Cities Annual Conference and Expo. The three-day event attracted nearly 1,900 local leaders, with opportunities to learn, collaborate, celebrate, and share solutions about challenging, city-specific issues. Read more

Voting Delegates adopted proposed bylaws amendments to enhance Cal Cities’ governance. They also sent an online sales tax resolution back to the Revenue and Taxation Policy Committee and adopted a second resolution on railroad property maintenance. Read more

Gov. Gavin Newsom is working his way through the 800 bills on his desk with positive results for cities in the areas of climate change resiliency, Brown Act relief, and short-term rentals. He also signed several housing bills that infringe on local decision-making and could alter existing housing plans. Read more
Message from the Executive Director 
It was great to see so many of you at last week’s League of California Cities Annual Conference and Expo. I hope you left Sacramento energized and inspired with new ideas from workshops, general sessions, keynote speakers, and networking events that will help you lead your communities forward. During the conference, the Cal Cities Board of Directors elected new leadership for the 2021-2022 term. All of our officers and board members make our organization an even stronger voice for the cities we represent, and I’m excited about all we will accomplish together on behalf of California cities moving forward. Read more

The U.S. Department of the Treasury released guidance on the new American Rescue Plan Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, a $10 billion fund for states to use on broadband and digital connectivity initiatives. The Treasury Department also announced that $700 billion from the $1 trillion American Rescue Plan relief has been distributed since the bill was signed in March 2021. Additionally, a National League of Cities report found that infrastructure jobs remain hard to fill. Read more
Education and Events

Friday, Nov. 5, 10:30 a.m. — Overseeing your first public meeting as a municipal attorney can be a daunting experience. You might have read the Brown Act in preparation, but providing legal guidance in real-time in front of the public and media requires alertness to potential pitfalls, political astuteness, and confidence. Join us as we discuss Brown Act basics, offer tips and suggestions through hypotheticals, and provide some suggested best practices. Speakers: Tracy Noonan, City Attorney, City of Thousand Oaks; Noel Doran, Assistant City Attorney, City of Palmdale; Thomas Jex, Burke Williams and Sorensen, LLP; Cara Silver, Jorgenson, Siegel, McClure & Flegel. Register today
Opportunities for Cities

The California Statewide Communities Development Authority (CSCDA) announced the issuance of more than $240 million in tax-exempt Essential Housing Revenue Bonds to acquire Cameo Apartments and Garrison Apartments in the city of Orange. CSCDA partnered with the city and others for the acquisition of the properties and issuance of bonds. Studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units will be restricted for households earning less than 80%, 100%, and 120% of the area median income. Read more

The Office of Grants and Local Services announced a two-month extension for its Outdoor Equity Grants Program and Rural Recreation and Tourism Program. The extension is for counties where the Gov. Gavin Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency due to wildfires, and within those counties, communities that were evacuated due to the wildfires during the application process. Information about both programs is available on the application portal. Please contact Competitive Review Project Officer if your city has not received instructions on how to request an extension. Read more

One-third of California’s TK-12 students perform below grade level, including students in Moreno Valley, Riverside County’s second-largest city. The city recognized the need to support students, parents’ need to work, and the community overall. Realizing this, Moreno Valley collaborated with local school districts to create an expanded afterschool learning program. Read more
More News and Events

The Institute for Local Government (ILG) announced its 2021 Beacon Program Award Winners, which recognize a city or county’s holistic approach to addressing climate change. This year, ILG unveiled the new Leadership and Innovation Awards and is honoring five cities — as well as one county and one special district — in these categories. Additionally, ILG is honoring two cities with the prestigious Beacon Vanguard Award and multiple cities with Spotlight Awards. Read more

Thursday, Oct. 7, 2 p.m. — More than 150,000 Californians are experiencing homelessness. The COVID-19 pandemic encouraged innovation and infused a significant amount of one-time dollars into cities to help address the crisis. But what did local governments learn from this experience? Join the Institute for Local Government, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, and local government colleagues to learn about funding opportunities, strategies, and the lessons learned. Speakers: Megan Hunter, Community Development Director, City of Salinas; Lindsey Slama, Senior Homelessness Policy Specialist, Department of Housing and Community Development; Cheri Todoroff, Interim Director, Homeless Initiative, Los Angeles CountyRegister today

Tuesday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m. — CalRecycle will host a webinar on the new SB 1383 measurement and reporting requirements, including changes to the Recycling and Disposal Reporting System. The first reporting period pursuant to SB 1383 requirements is the 1st quarter of 2022. Participants wishing to send questions before the webinar may do so by emailing SLCP.Organics@calrecycle.ca.gov. Be sure to indicate which webinar your question is for. Register today

Nov. 17-19 — The National League of Cities 2021 City Summit will be virtual this year. The conference provides tools, strategies, and workshops for city officials to enact change in their communities, as well as opportunities to connect with peers, thought leaders, and local innovators. Conference dates have shifted slightly to limit virtual meeting time on the weekend. Pre-conference events will be held Nov. 12, 15, and 17. Early bird registration ends Sept. 30, but registration will remain open through Nov. 19.  Read more
Cal Cities in the News
 
The League of California Cities honored the city with the Helen Putnam Award in the category of “Excellence in Enhancing Public Trust, Ethics and Community Involvement.” In 2019 the Block Captain Program worked with the City, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department to help develop the Rolling Hills Community Wildfire Protection Plan...The entire Palos Verdes Peninsula is designated a “Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone” by the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Read more

Opponents said the measures would override local control over planning and zoning. The League of California Cities said it was “deeply disappointed” in Newsom’s decision, calling it a “top-down mandate that disregards local voices and decision-making.” It said cities are already working on the issue themselves, planning for more than two million new units by the end of 2022. Read more  
Windsor recognized by state nonprofit for solar projectNorth Bay Business Journal and the Press Democrat, Sept. 26 

The 2021 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence was given to the town Thursday by the nonprofit League of California Cities at a league conference in Sacramento being attended by city leaders from around the state...The floating solar array has generated more than 2 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy since it went online in October or more than $210,000 worth of electricity. Read more

The League of California Cities honored Modesto for its efforts at the Tuolumne River and Dry Creek regional parks...The river park runs along about seven miles of the Tuolumne between Mitchell and Carpenter roads. Dry Creek is a tributary with roughly four miles for hiking, bicycling and other recreation. The parks have been plagued by illegal dumping, overgrown vegetation and other problems.  Read more
State sea-level rise laws advance as urgency surges, Los Angeles Daily News, Daily Breeze, and two others, Sept. 24 

That bill, SB 1, formally adds rising seas to the list of issues to be addressed by the California Coastal Commission. It also creates a new entity to coordinate sea-adaptation efforts across multiple agencies, and it establishes a mechanism to provide up to $100 million a year in grants for local and regional governments to prepare for higher waters... the cities of Carlsbad, Santa Barbara and Alameda backed it, as did the League of California Cities and the San Diego Association of Governments. Read more

Assemblywoman Cecilia Augiar-Curry is one of three legislators who have been recognized with the Distinguished Legislative Leadership Award by the League of California Cities...“It is a great thrill to be recognized by Cal Cities for our efforts of the past several years in pursuit of internet for all. In partnership with Sen. Gonzalez, and two dozen of our colleague co-authors of AB 14 and SB 4, we have highlighted the critical need to modernize our state’s broadband policy and programs,” Aguiar-Curry said in the statement. Read more

With fires, like the Caldor Fire and Dixie Fires, taking weeks and months to contain, the issue of resources and fatigue will seemingly last well into the future. Local governments provide nearly three-quarters of the mutual aid in California. That is something FOX40 heard multiple times, including from Metropolitan Fire of Sacramento. Fire chiefs said they are stretched thin and want resources to go directly to them. “Now in a fight for our lives here in the West. This is our normal now, and I expect next year will be anywhere near as bad and the year after that,” said one fire official. Read more 
In one week, Newsom signed three major housing bills. Here's what they meanKQEDCalMatters, Chico Enterprise Record, Santa Cruz Sentinel, and 12 others, Sept. 20 

Less than a week has passed since the recall election and Gov. Gavin Newsom already has signed some of the biggest housing bills in years, including a measure that allows more than one house to be built on the single-family lots that comprise the vast majority of California’s developable land...The League of California Cities urged Newsom to veto these bills, calling them a “top-down mandate that disregards local voices and decision-making.” After the bill signing was announced, the League said it would “explore all options to ensure local governments have the necessary tools and resources to plan for the types of housing actually needed in their communities.” Read more

AB 361 maintained wide bipartisan support as many local agencies have had success with remote meetings throughout the pandemic...Sponsored by the California Special District’s Association, the bill’s coalition of support from local government included the California State Association of Counties and the League of California Cities. Given such broad support, the bill passed 66-4 in the Assembly and 28-7 in the Senate. The Governor has signed AB 361 and it takes effect immediately as an urgency statute. Read more
California Enacts 2 Laws to Slice Through Local Zoning RulesAssociated Press, KTLA-TVSan Francisco ChronicleCBS SacramentoThe Press Democrat, and 63 others, Sept. 17 

...241 cities joined by the League of California Cities said in a letter to Newsom, though they acknowledged that affordability and homelessness “are among the most critical issues facing California cities.” The new law “undermines the ability of local governments to responsibly plan for the types of housing that communities need, circumvents the local government review process, and silences community voices,” said Cal Cities executive director Carolyn Coleman, noting that there are no provisions requiring that the new housing be affordable. Read more 
Dec. 8-10 (Registration open!)

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