WANT MORE DETAILS
ON BILLS?
Visit the League of
California Cities
website at
www.cacities.org/
billsearch.
League Sponsors Web-Hosted Conference Call on Cash Flow Financing Program
Can Small Cities Be Cool? Find Out on April 11!
California Civic Leadership Institute Nomination Approaches - Nominations Due by March 2
Find a Bill, Legislators, Leg Committee – or Ask League Leg Staff
???????????????????????? ??????????????
??????????????????????? ???????????????
February 23, 2007 Issue #8-2007
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
The issue of sex offender community re-entry has been a long-standing
concern throughout the United States. To work towards developing collabora-
tive solutions on housing and placement for sex offenders, California’s local
and state leaders are gathering for the California Summit for Safe Communi-
ties on March 19, at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento.
For more, see Page 4.
SEX OFFENDER RE-ENTRY: WORKING TOWARD
A STATE AND LOCAL SOLUTION
California Summit for Safe Communities Set for March 19
On Tuesday, Feb. 20, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders
announced their appointments to the Public Employee Post-Employment Ben-
efits Commission. For more, see Page 4.
APPOINTMENTS TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEE POST-EMPLOYMENT
BENEFITS COMMISSION MADE
If your city has been doing outstanding work in any of the 11 categories
listed below, consider applying for a 2007 Helen Putnam Award. It’s an oppor-
tunity to thank your employees and collaborators, gain the appreciation of your
residents and feel proud of outstanding contributions made to better your city.
For more, see Page 5.
CALL FOR ENTRIES: HELEN PUTNAM AWARDS - CELEBRATING
EXCELLENCE IN CITY GOVERNMENTVisit the League’s Official Website--www.cacities.org PAGE 2 - PRIORITY FOCUS
February 23, 2007 - Issue #8
The League of California Cities, together with
the California State Association of Counties
(CSAC) and California Communities, is co-
sponsoring a web-hosted conference call for city
and county officials on the cash flow financing
program. The call will take place on Thursday,
March 1, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
This year’s tax and revenue anticipation notes
(TRANs) program includes new features that long-
time participants and prospective new participants
will want to know about. Cities and counties that
wish to participate in the 2007 financing program
may enroll online beginning on Feb. 26, at
www.cscda.qwikdox.com.
The 2007 Cash Flow Financing Program
offers:
• Large and Small Borrowers – The
program accommodates all cash flow borrowing
sizes. Cash flow borrowings have ranged from a
high of $235 million to as little as $100,000.
• Time Savings – Accessing the capital
markets has never been easier. Participants
estimate that the program takes about 25 percent
of the time compared to a stand-alone TRANs
issuance.
• Excellent Pricing – Our underwriting
team lead by Lehman Brothers, with Bank of
America, Citigroup, and E.J. De La Rosa will
deliver excellent interest rate pricing as demon-
strated in recent years. The program also offers a
competitively bid investment contract as an
investment alternative to participating cities.
• Maturity Options – The program offers
12 and 13 month maturities. These maturity
options enable cities to maximize the benefits of a
cash flow financing.
To view the presentation on the Internet, visit
https://www.callinfo.com/
prt?host=globalcrossing&an=8663654406&ac=3624137
For audio access, call (866) 365-4406. The
access code for this call is 3624137#
If you have questions, please contact:
• RBC Capital Markets: Catherine Bando,
(213) 362-4137, Catherine.bando@rbccm.com
• California Communities: James Hamill,
(800) 635-3993, ext. 216,
jhamill@cacommunities.org
• League of California Cities: Dan
Harrison, (916) 658-8267, dharrison@cacities.org
LEAGUE SPONSORS WEB-HOSTED CONFERENCE CALL
ON CASH FLOW FINANCING PROGRAM
The League wants to stay in touch!
Just because you are leaving your position
with the city doesn’t mean you stop caring
about or wanting to be involved in city
issues. Keep abreast of developments
affecting cities and the League by becom-
ing part of the League’s alumni group.
Members will receive periodic updates on
city issues and League activities. This is
the League’s way of saying “thank you” for
your public service—there is no fee for this
service.
To join, go to www.cacities.org/alumni
or send your contact information to
dharrison@cacities.org.
Leaving City Office? Retiring?PRIORITY FOCUS - PAGE 3 Visit the League’s Official Website--www.cacities.org
February 23, 2007 - Issue #8
Do you represent, or work for a small city and
are looking for ways to attract other people to enjoy
what your city has to offer? If so, consider attend-
ing “Can Small Cities Be Cool?” - an interactive
virtual podium seminar on April 11.
“Cool Cities” has increasingly become a
buzzword among community and economic
development practitioners. The pursuit of the
creative class, and the opportunity to reverse the
brain drain that has plagued communities, is a hot
topic. After examining nearly 250 best practice
communities in 10 states, a series of actionable
approaches were identified to enhance a small
town’s viability as a place where people of all ages
want to live, work and play.
Presented by Dave Ivan, associate state
program leader, Community & Economic Develop-
ment Programs, Michigan State University Exten-
sion, East Lansing, Mich., this fast-paced virtual
tour presentation of successful initiatives in other
small cities and towns outlines the research
findings and provides strategies to assist in build-
ing community vitality.
Registration costs $89 per listening site, which
includes access via phone and the Web portal
URL to view the program. In addition, one set of
handout materials containing content, resources
and instructions for permission to duplicate for
unlimited participant attendance at your listening
site.
The seminar will be conducted via phone and
the Internet from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST.
For more information and to register, go to
www.cacities.org/events and scroll down to April
11 for links to online registration and registration
forms.
CAN SMALL CITIES BE COOL?
FIND OUT ON APRIL 11!
The League of California Cities is accepting
nominations for participants in the 2007 California
Civic Leadership Institute (CCLI). Interested city
officials must be nominated by a colleague or
League Regional Public Affairs Manager no later
than March 2. Nomination forms may be found at
www.cacities.org/ccli.
Presented by the League Partners Program,
CCLI is designed to educate small groups of city
officials on the pressing infrastructure issues
facing cities across the state, including housing,
energy and transportation, and the history and
importance of local government in California. The
program’s goal is to help cultivate future legisla-
tors to have a better understanding of these
issues and develop lasting bonds among our
state’s rising leaders.
This year’s program agenda is ideal for those
already within leadership roles at the League, or
for anyone interested in becoming a statewide
advocate of local government.
Any mayor, council member or professional
city staff may nominate a current city official to
participate in CCLI. Nominations may also come
from any of the League’s constituency groups, or
from the League Partners Program.
Nominations must successfully convey the
governance skills and accomplishments of the
nominee, and should highlight any and all contri-
butions toward League goals and/or the League’s
mission of protecting local control. Nominations
should be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on
Friday, March 2, to Robb Korinke at
rkorinke@cacities.org, or by fax at (916) 658-
8240.
For further information or questions, please
contact Robb Korinke at (916) 658-8258.
CALIFORNIA CIVIC LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE NOMINATION APPROACHES
Nominations Due by March 2Visit the League’s Official Website--www.cacities.org PAGE 4 - PRIORITY FOCUS
February 23, 2007 - Issue #8
The summit is the result of a recommendation
from the Governor’s High Risk Sex Offender and
Sexually Violent Predator (HRSO/SVP) Task
Force. The League’s participation in the summit is
integral to the process. On December 1, 2006,
the task force recommended that the Governor,
League of California Cities, and the California State
Association of Counties (CSAC) should sponsor a
statewide summit to specifically address the
placement and housing of sex offenders.
The League encourages mayors, council
members, city managers, city attorneys, and city
planners to attend this event. (Police chiefs will
also attend the summit, with the California Police
Chiefs Association designating who will represent
their organization.)
For more information and to register, see
“California Summit for Safe Communities” at
www.cce.csus.edu/conferences/current.htm. The
link for the conference should be active shortly.
There is limited seating for the summit, so
please make sure to register as soon as possible.
The registration cost for the summit is $75, which
includes the receipt of an informational binder,
breakfast, and lunch.
If you have any questions regarding the Califor-
nia Summit for Safe Communities, please contact
League Legislative Analyst Leticia Farris at
lfarris@cacities.org.
SEX OFFENDER from page 1 ?????? ????
Visit (and bookmark!) the League’s
Legislative Resources page
(www.cacities.org/legresources). You’ll find
a roster and contact information for the
League’s legislative staff; the online Bill
Search program, background materials on
lobbying your legislators, and more.
FIND A BILL, LEGISLATORS,
LEG COMMITTEE – OR ASK
LEAGUE LEG STAFF
APPOINTMENTS from page 1 ???? ?????
The commission consists of 12 members, six
appointed by the Governor, three appointed by the
Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Nunez and three
appointed by the Senate President pro Tem Don
Perata.
The following are the Governor’s appointments
(name, political party):
• Gerald Parsky, Republican (chair)
• Matthew Barger, Republican
• Paul Cappitelli, Republican
• John Cogan, Republican
• Connie Conway, Republican
• Curt Pringle, Republican
The legislative appointments are (name,
political party):
• Ronald Cottingham, Republican
• Teresa Ghilarducci, Ph.D., Democrat
• Jim Hard, Democrat
• Leonard Lee Lipps, Democrat
• Dave Low, Democrat
• Robert Walton
The purpose of the Public Employee Post-
Employment Benefits Commission, created by
executive order S-25-06, is to propose a plan or
plans for addressing unfunded post-employment
benefits. The commission will deliver a report on
January 1, 2008 to the Governor and the Legisla-
ture that identifies the full amount of post-employ-
ment health care and dental benefits for which
California governments are liable and which remain
unfunded.
The commission will also evaluate and compare
various approaches for addressing governments’
unfunded retirement health care and pension
obligations; consider the advantages to the state
from post-employment benefits, such as providing
retiree health care; and propose a plan to address
governments’ unfunded retirement health care and
pension obligations.
For a copy of the Governor’s official press
release, containing background information on the
appointees, visit www.gov.ca.gov/news-room and
click on “Press Releases.”PRIORITY FOCUS - PAGE 5 Visit the League’s Official Website--www.cacities.org
February 23, 2007 - Issue #8
HP AWARDS from page 1 ? ? ??????????
The Helen Putnam awards recognize the
excellence of California cities as demonstrated by
beneficial innovations, resourceful efficiencies,
improved public service, and overall enhanced
public trust and support.
Categories for the 2007 Helen Putnam Awards
are:
1. Effective Advocacy, Intergovernmental
Relations and Regional Cooperation
2. Housing Programs and Innovations
3. Enhancing Public Trust, Ethics and
Community Involvement
4. Community Services and Economic
Development
5. Planning and Environmental Quality
6. Internal Administration
7. Public Safety
8. Public Works, Infrastructure and
Transportation
9. Ruth Vreeland Award for Engaging Youth in
City Government
10. League Partners Award for Excellence
11. *NEW* Health & Wellness Programs
To qualify, simply demonstrate that your city
offered a program or service that has proven
measurable and successful within a minimum of
one year of actual implementation.
The submission deadline is April 12. For your
convenience, applications and more information is
also available at www.cacities.org/helenputnam.
Restore and protect local control for cities
through education and advocacy to enhance
the quality of life for all Californians.
Our Mission
1
March 2, 2007
Issue #9-2007
LEAGUE-SPONSORED BILL PACKAGE INTRODUCED
With the legislative session in high gear and approximately 3,000 bills introduced, the League of
California Cities will be active on a number of items in 2007. Of particular note to League
members, however, are six League-sponsored bills. For more, see Page 2.
•••• ••• ••• •• •••• ••• ••• •• •••• ••• ••• ••
CALIFORNIA SUMMIT FOR SAFE COMMUNITIES SET FOR MARCH 19
Registration Information Now Available!
As reported in last week’s edition of Priority Focus, the California Summit for Safe Communities is
set for March 19 at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento. Registration and further information is
now available online at www.cce.csus.edu/summit. For more, see Page 2.
•••• ••• ••• •• •••• ••• ••• •• •••• ••• ••• ••
OPEB COMMISSION SETS FIRST MEETING
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Commission has set its
first meeting, which will take place on Friday, March 9. The meeting will be held at the State
Capitol in Room 4203. This session will serve as the Commission’s “organizational” meeting to
explore future agenda items and hearing schedules. For more, see Page 3.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Page 4: HCD Hosts Workshops and Stakeholder Meetings for Housing Bond-Funded Programs
NLC 2007 Congressional City Conference: Events Scheduled for the League, California Delegates
Page 5: California Communities Considering Clean Renewable Energy Bond Pool Program
March Edition of Focus on Housing Released
Page 6: Find a Bill, Legislator, Leg Committee, or Ask League Leg Staff
2
League-Sponsored Bill Package Continued from Page 1…
A brief summary of these bills is below. Cities are encouraged to review them and send letters of
support to the author. Copies of the League’s support letters and sample letters for cities are
available by looking up the bills at www.cacities.org/billsearch.
• SB 286 (Dutton). Local Street and Road Transportation Funds.
This measure contains a League-drafted formula for the accelerated distribution of $2
billon in local street and road funds (contained in Proposition 1B) to cities and counties.
• SB 934 (Lowenthal). Housing and Infrastructure Zones.
SB 934 would establish a new financial tool to assist local governments seeking to
develop high-density developments in infill areas through the use of tax increment
financing.
• AB 1256 (Caballero). Density Bonus Law.
This bill would reward communities that have adopted local inclusionary housing
requirements by reliving them from the conflicting and confusing requirements of the
Density Bonus Law.
• AB 1254 (Caballero). Property Tax Reward. Affordable Housing.
AB 1254 would reward local governments that approve affordable housing units operated
by non-profit entities through a reduction of their required ERAF payments.
• SB 266 (Steinberg). Motor Vehicles. Speed Contests. Forfeiture.
This bill is co-sponsored by the League of California Cities and the city of Elk Grove. It
would strengthen the ability of local governments to impose penalties to those engaging
in speed contests.
• AB 411 (Emmerson)/SB 709 (Dutton). Over-Concentration of Residential Care
Facilities.
AB 411/SB 709 would require the Department of Social Services to solicit and consider
local land use information prior to the siting of a facility in a single-family neighborhood.
The League's legislative staff is currently reviewing all of the other introduced bills and will
provide updated information on those of interest to cities in future issues of Priority Focus.
_____________________________________________________________________________
California Summit Continued from Page 1…
The summit is the result of a recommendation from the Governor's High Risk Sex Offender and
Sexually Violent Predator (HRSO/SVP) Task Force. On December 1, 2006, the task force
recommended that the Governor, League of California Cities, and the California State Association
of Counties (CSAC) should sponsor a statewide summit to specifically address the placement
and housing of sex offenders. 3
The League encourages mayors, council members, city managers, city attorneys, and city
planners to attend this event. (Police chiefs will also attend the summit, with the California Police
Chiefs Association designating who will represent their organization.)
There is limited seating for the summit, so please make sure to register as soon as possible. The
registration cost for the summit is $75, which includes the receipt of an informational binder,
breakfast, and lunch.
If you have any questions regarding the California Summit for Safe Communities, please contact
League Legislative Analyst Leticia Farris at lfarris@cacities.org.
_____________________________________________________________________________
OPEB Continued from Page 1…
The Commission intends to reach out to a broad range of stakeholders and other experts to
gather information about the financial condition of public post-employment benefits in California.
The Commission wants to hear from employers, employees and employee organizations,
actuaries, investment houses, rating agencies, taxpayer groups and others to get a
comprehensive look at the issue.
The Commission plans to hold hearings throughout the state to help facilitate input. A schedule
for the hearings is being currently being developed. As soon as the schedule is available, the
League s will forward the information to cities who may want to have officials attend.
The Commission’s goal is two-fold - assess the current financial condition of state and local
government retirement systems and other post-employment benefits as accurately as possible,
and second, to make recommendations to address any problems that are identified in its research
efforts.
The League, the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), the Regional Council of Rural
Counties (RCRC), the State Association for County Retirement Systems (SACRS) and special
districts are forming a technical working group to both help our memberships follow this issue and
to provide input to the Commission in its deliberations.
The chair of the Commission is Gerald Parsky. Mr. Parsky currently serves as chair of the Aurora
Capital Group, a Los Angeles-based investment firm. He has been a senior partner with the Los
Angeles law firm of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher.
He is also a member of the California Board of Regents. In a meeting with local government
organizations earlier this week, Parsky explained his intent to work together on the issue of post-
employment benefits.
"The Governor and legislative leaders have given us an important charge - determining how to
address one of the most significant budget issues that California will face in the coming years,"
Parsky said. "I look forward to sitting down with my fellow commissioners next week to begin the
important work of building a bipartisan consensus on this issue."
The primary staff person to the Commission is Anne Sheehan, deputy director of the State
Department of Finance. She will have other assistance from within the Department of Finance,
the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the State Teachers
Retirement System.
_____________________________________________________________________________
4
HCD Hosts Workshops and Stakeholder Meetings for
Housing Bond-Funded Programs
The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is hosting a slate of
stakeholder meetings and workshops on the funding that is available through Proposition 1C, the
housing bond measure passed in November 2006.
City officials are encouraged to attend some of these meetings, to have a say in how these funds
are distributed.
Of particular note is the Transit-Oriented Development Program, which provides funding for
housing and related infrastructure near transit stations. Six stakeholder meetings are planned for
this program, which will ultimately distribute $95 million. The locations and times of these
meetings are as follows:
• March 6 – 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. – Rancho Cordova
• March 9 – 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Oakland
• March 12 – 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – San Diego
• March 13 – 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Los Angeles
• March 14 – 10 a.m. to noon – Riverside
• March 20 – 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Modesto
Workshops and meetings have also been planned for all other bond-funded programs, including
rental programs, homeownership programs and farmworker housing. Click here for a complete
list of programs, including the dates, times, and specific locations of each meeting.
_____________________________________________________________________________
NLC 2007 Congressional City Conference: Events Scheduled
for the League, California Delegates
The National League of Cities (NLC) 2007 Congressional City Conference is just over a week
away, beginning on March 10, and running through March 14 in Washington D.C. The League of
California Cities has a variety of important events scheduled during the conference, including a
reception on March 12.
California City officials that are attending the NLC conference should mark their calendars for the
following activities:
• Monday, March 12 – League of California Cities Reception. This event will take place
from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Lincoln East, Washington Hilton – Concourse Level.
• Tuesday, March 13 – Capitol Hill Reception for California Delegation and
Membership. A reception for California city officials and the California Congressional
Delegation will be held at the Longworth Cafeteria from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Meeting with Sen. Barbara Boxer. The time is yet to be determined and the location
will be announced during the League’s reception on March 12.
• Wednesday, March 14 – Roundtable Discussion with California Congressional
Delegation – Issue: Homeland Security. This hour-long discussion will begin at 10
a.m. in Room HC-5 at the Capitol.
5
If you have any questions, please contact Genevieve Morelos at gmorelos@cacities.org or (916)
658-8254.
_____________________________________________________________________________
California Communities Considering Clean Renewable Energy Bond Pool Program
California Communities, the joint powers authority sponsored by the League of California Cities
and the California State Association of Counties, is considering establishing a statewide bond
financing program to assist successful Clean Renewable Energy Bond (CREB) applicants to
acquire financing.
The CREB program was established by federal legislation in 2005 to facilitate the development of
environmentally friendly power generating facilities by authorizing $800 million of bonds to bear
federal income tax credits instead of interest. Two hundred thirty-one California public agencies
were granted CREB allocations in the $1 million to $2 million range.
A California Communities bond pool program would provide the following:
• CREB bonds could be issued on behalf of numerous CREB recipients by California
Communities in a single issue.
• A pooled program would lower the overall transaction costs to each participant.
• Uniform program documents and consistent disclosure would be uniquely tailored to the
CREBs program.
If you have received a CREBs allocation and are interested in a pooled program through
California Communities, please email Terrence Murphy at tmurphy@cacommunities.org or James
Hamill at jhamill@cacommunities.org no later than March 12.
If enough interest is expressed by cities and counties for a California Communities program, the
interested parties will be notified and a program will be established.
____________________________________________________________________________
March Edition of Focus on Housing Released
The March issue of Focus on Housing, the League of California Cities’ monthly electronic
newsletter that covers affordable housing issues was published on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
This month, feature articles include two pieces on manufactured housing and its use in affordable
housing developments, housing news from around California, and much more! To read the
current issue, visit www.imakenews.com/focusonhousing.
Do you have an affordable housing success story or and affordable housing issue you would like
to write about? If so, we want to hear about it! Contact League Communications Specialist Brian
Heaton at bheaton@cacities.org about how you can contribute to Focus on Housing.
____________________________________________________________________________
6
Find a Bill, Legislators, Leg Committee – or Ask League Leg Staff
Visit (and bookmark!) the League’s Legislative Resources page, (www.cacities.org/legresources).
You’ll find a roster and contact information for the League’s legislative staff; the online Bill Search
program, background materials on lobbying your legislators, and more.
_____________________________________________________________________________