SDLF TRANSPARENCY CHALLENGE: DISTRICT SPOTLIGHT
District Spotlight
THE SPECIAL DISTRICT LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION RECOGNIZES
Ventura Port District
The Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF) recognizes Ventura Port District (District) as one of the ten 2021 SDLF Transparency Challenge winners! Ventura Port District Clerk Jessica Rauch shares her insight about the process and the benefits of this transparency recognition.
Share your experience completing the Transparency Challenge. (What did you learn about your district? How difficult was the application process?) My experience completing the Transparency Challenge was educational. I did not know what an authorizing statute/ enabling act was; now I do! It was also interesting to learn what the SDLF sees as a requirement for posting on the website, i.e., Municipal Service Review and Sphere of Influence studies from LAFCo.
in the practices and expectations associated with transparency as well as demonstrate their capacity to be transparent in their course of business.
Now that you have earned your SDLF Transparency Certificate, how will you use the recognition to highlight your district’s accomplishment to your customers, constituents, and/or other stakeholders? The District strives to provide transparent, ethical, engaged, accountable, and effective governance through its website, notifications to stakeholders, Ventura Port District Board (Board) meeting packets and Board meetings. At its January 5 regular meeting, the Board accepted the Transparency certificate on behalf of the Ventura Port District, which included a report that described the process.
As the Clerk and person completing this challenge, I was glad for the check list. I believe all these documents and information are important to have on our website for stakeholder access and I was happy to include the items we did not have and update our policies and procedure to reflect what we needed to complete this challenge.
Further, the District, its Commissioners, and staff seek to formalize on-going efforts to strengthen communication, collaboration, and transparency with stakeholders, business partners, and civic leaders through its Public and Civic Engagement Plan that was approved by the Board in July 2021 and consistent with the following long-term goals and 5-year objectives:
Why was completing the challenge important to your district?
Long-Term Goals:
Transparency for government agencies is the fundamental principle behind the Brown Act. It is essential that agencies provide public access to meetings and information. Further, there is a difference between meeting the minimum standards of an obligation and providing exceptional customer service – something that is important to our District. Therefore, it is imperative that agencies and their employees are well educated 12
Goal 5: Relationships • Build respectful, productive, and mutually beneficial business relationships with our tenants, public agencies, elected officials, and the community.
Goal 6: Public Service • Provide exceptional public service and transparency at all levels within the organization through effective leadership, California Special Districts • July-August 2022
