2023 CSMFO Annual Conference Magazine

2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2022-2023

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

Will Fuentes, Chair

Jennifer Becker, Co-Vice Chair

Susan Talwar, Co-Vice Chair

Drew Corbett, Senior Advisor

Wing-See Fox, Senior Advisor

Karla Romero, Board Liaison

Kofi Antobam, Member

James Russell-Field, Member

Andre Aberdeen Member

Heidi Schoeppe, Member

Marcus Pimentel, Member

Ernie Reyna, Member

Editorial Design - Derrick Bouchard Creative Direction - David Garrison

Photography by Tim Pryzbola, Jayson Angove, Kailee Vallas, David Garrison & Kory Adams

Rich Lee, President City of San Mateo

Jason Al-Imam, Director City of Newport Beach

Dennis Kauffman, Director City of Roseville

Executive Director - Jean Rousseau

Marcus Pimentel, Past-President County of Santa Cruz

Craig Boyer, Director County of Alameda

Stephanie Reimer, Director Monte Vista Water District

Ernie Reyna, PresidentElect City of Perris

Amber Johnson, Director County Connection

Karla Romero, Director City of Brawley

OUR SUCCESS IS YOUR SUCCESS! THANK YOU TO OUR 600 CLIENTS FOR BEING PART OF OUR JOURNEY.

EMPOWERING DECISIONS TO IMPACT THE FUTURE

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

BY RICH LEE, 2023 CSMFO PRESIDENT

As the 2023 annual conference drew closer, some of the questions I would get asked by many colleagues were:

How are you feeling?

Are you ready?

The answer was a resounding YES. All of the decisions had been made, the budget adopted, the messaging taken care of. Many of our leaders mentioned that conference week was their favorite of the year, and I heartily agree for many reasons. Now that the annual conference is in the rear-view mirror, I can look back and appreciate everything that came to fruition.

Day One – Before the Conference

As a part of the philanthropy initiative, I asked our members to volunteer a few hours to support the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. The turnout was more than I could have hoped for. We had so many members volunteer, we added a morning session. This was the first time that I have ever volunteered at a food bank, and if you’ve never had the chance, I highly recommend it. Beyond the feeling of giving back and supporting a nonprofit that provides basic human needs to those in need, the camaraderie in doing something together as an organization is difficult to convey into words, but it is exactly what I had in mind for the Day of Service. Thank you to our volunteers for thoughtfully and generously giving your time and energy for a great cause. Together we gave 150 hours of our time and prepared 5,500 bags of produce for the Sacramento community!

Later that evening, we held the President’s Dinner at Ella’s Dining Room & Bar. Once we selected the venue a few months into the conference preparation process, I contacted a musician colleague from the Sacramento area to put together a jazz group for the cocktail hour. During my opening remarks, I asked our jazz group to help me out and accompany us while we sang Happy Birthday (in the key of Bb) to Lily Ng and Victor Shin of Bank of the West and Wing-

See Fox of Urban Futures Inc.

In the spirit of the Back to the Capital (i.e. Back to the Future) theme, I introduced each of the Past Presidents that were in attendance and mentioned their favorite CSMFO memory so we could get to know them a little better. The President typically gets to invite a few of their own guests to the

President’s Dinner. The first two people that came to mind were already invited because they were Past Presidents, but I was honored to have them in attendance because they were formative in my CSMFO genealogy. Past President John deRussy (1989) was the first person to recommend that I get involved in CSMFO leadership. Without his guidance, I likely would not have gotten involved, and certainly not be President today. Past President Drew Corbett (2017) got me involved as a chapter chair, which was one of the keys to understanding the organization more and being nominated for the Board. The three of us are also part of a cool piece of CSMFO history, as the City of San Mateo is the first to have three of its Finance Directors serve as CSMFO President.

Also in the spirit of Back to the Future, the President’s Dinner is the only time of year when the past (Past Presidents), present (leadership) and future (future Presidents) are all present at the same time. For that reason, the President’s Dinner was the favorite memory for many of our Past Presidents.

Day Two – First Day of the Conference

One of the pieces of “inside baseball” is that the President doesn’t get to attend many conference sessions, as they spend a fair amount of time at rehearsals for the general sessions. We had an early start each morning, so going to bed at a decent hour was key to bringing my “A” game. After the closing session of the 2022 annual conference, where I got to provide a preview of the 2023 conference, I told CSMFO staff that I didn’t want to use the teleprompters for the following year. I prefer to be accessible, authentic, and genuine, so I set out to be more myself and not rely on a written script. That is one organizational value that I really appreciate about CSMFO – the ability to be myself.

We kicked off the opening general session with the National Anthem, featuring musicians that were primarily from the Sacramento-area. Most of the musicians were associated with my alma mater, CSU Hayward, and I have known most of them for over 25 years. In fact, one of the musicians, Cathleen Torres, I have known since I was five years old. We went to the same elementary, junior high, high school, undergrad, and graduate school. It was an honor to have them start the annual conference off on the right foot with a live performance of the National Anthem, a tradition that began in 2011 with Past President Scott Johnson, and one that I hope continues in the future.

When I was looking for featured speakers that I felt would resonate with our members and whose themes aligned with the main conference initiatives, Brett Culp rose to the top. His invitation to find the heroic spirit in us all inspired me and many of our members. Even though he didn’t know it, I share something in common with Sanah, one of his film subjects whose story he shared during his presentation – we both have alopecia. Many of the life experiences that she has gone through were similar to my own. Her resilience in the face of adversity and the ability to find beauty in others gives me hope for humanity and the next generation.

On Wednesday evening, we hosted our out-of-state guests, including Dan Legard, President of the Washington Finance Officers Association (WFOA), and Michael Solorza, CMTA President, and a handful of CSMFO leaders that were their conference liaisons at Top Golf in Roseville. I am certainly no golfer. In fact, I have only been to a driving range once before, and that was over 20 years ago. I was so comically bad my first time that the real golfers were laughing at my numerous swing-and-misses. I’m happy to say that I didn’t have as many of those this time around and managed to get a few decent swings in. WFOA President Dan Legard took home bragging rights with the longest drive of the night at 200+ yards!

Day Three – Halfway there!

During the Thursday morning general session, we honored our Volunteer of the Year, Lily Ng from Bank of the West, a long-time ardent CSMFO supporter and tennis/pickleball event coordinator extraordinaire. I’ll defer the majority of the narrative for this award, which will be in another conference magazine article, to 2022 President Scott Catlett since he presented the award.

I had the honor and pleasure of presenting the Distinguished Service Award to Past President Margaret Moggia. Once I was elected as President-Elect, this was one of the first things that I knew I wanted to do. She personifies public service and altruism by putting service over self through her dedication to our organization, including serving as a mentor, serving as Chair of the Finance Committee, among other committee work too numerous to list. This is on top of her work with CMTA and GFOA; a true exemplary industry leader that we are fortunate to have in our organization.

We also welcomed Dr. Chris Thornberg to share his insights on the current economy, the disparity between the economic narrative and reality, including the historic federal stimulus, inflation, and housing. During the rehearsal for the Thursday morning general session the day before, there was one formality that I didn’t practice – shaking Dr. Thornberg’s hand. Fortunately, he reminded me after I walked off stage and ran back on with a sheepish grin and made things right.

As the annual conference was taking shape, I had a preview of the potential breakout sessions via the Program Committee, which I have been a part of since my time on the Board. While there were three sessions that listed me as a practitioner, upon the advice of Past Presidents much wiser than I, I selected a session that partnered me with Don Maruska to talk about everyday decisions that finance officers can make to have a meaningful impact on climate change, which was in alignment with the “going green” conference initiative. I really appreciate Don’s approach in addressing climate change and sharing how we can each have deep conversations with colleagues to effectuate change.

After the last breakout session of the day, we got ready to let our hair down (well…okay you all got ready to let your hair down) and headed over to Punch Bowl Social for some foosball, arcade games, bowling, billiards, karaoke, and dancing. I was really impressed with the 80’s outfits, especially all of the neon! I saw one member who dressed up as Marty McFly, including the puffy orange vest and the suspenders. CSMFO knows how to party – we were the largest group that Punch Bowl Social Sacramento has ever had!

Day Four – Wrapping up

Friday came quickly, as it always does during the annual conference. During the closing general session, we recognized the top chapters and individuals from the Wellness Challenge:

Top Three Chapters (average hours)

Sacramento Valley – 76.59

Central Valley – 70.00

Peninsula – 65.55

Top Ten Individuals (total hours)

Laura Nomura – 161.50

Laura Labanieh – 154.98

Tori Roberts – 135.97

Tim Seufert – 129.00

Karley Toffey – 122.35

Rich Lee – 110.98

Ernie Reyna – 109.50

Victor Shin – 109.05

Kerry Breen – 101.50

Jason Al-Imam – 100.00

With CSMFO’s considerable contribution and matching contribution as well as support from participants friends, colleagues, and family, we generated over $40,000 in support for our three selected nonprofit organizations, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, Sacramento Loaves & Fishes, and My Sister’s House.

My hope is that we have shown that through small acts (like the Wellness Challenge and a Day of Service), CSMFO can change the world, and that this serves as a model not only for future CSMFO annual conferences, but for other professional organizations.

I also had the distinct honor of recognizing Past President Jesse Takahashi for his retirement after 27 years of service to the cities of Cupertino, Campbell, and Mountain View with a proclamation from CSMFO, a tradition that I’d like to keep for our Past Presidents for their contributions to the industry, profession, and organization.

We welcomed Colette Carlson as our final keynote speaker of the conference that helped us to navigate the numerous challenges of everyday life, being present, and the importance

of recognizing others for their work. Her message was the perfect complement to the other keynote speakers and conveyed the themes that I wanted to resonate with members.

I reiterate my invitation to consider partnering with nonprofit organizations that are providing basic human needs to your communities and provide job opportunities and experience for their clients. Local government can do this by promoting entrylevel positions across all disciplines, especially to these types of nonprofit organizations to provide their clients with a means to support themselves and their families and a path towards the sacred calling of public service, while concurrently addressing the significant recruitment and retention challenges that we are all experiencing.

And lastly, thank you all sincerely for the opportunity to serve this wonderful organization. Serving as your CSMFO President for 2023 and for the annual conference is the highlight of my career to date. I am honored and privileged to be a part of CSMFO. Thank you also to CSMFO/M&AMS staff, our leadership, moderators, speakers, and exhibitors for collectively making this past conference a wonderful experience for all.

Rich Lee has served local municipalities all throughout the San Francisco Peninsula over the past 17 years, including South San Francisco, Los Altos Hills, Millbrae, Foster City, and since January 2019, as the Finance Director for the City of San Mateo.

Rich was elected as President-Elect of CSMFO in October 2021. He has also served in other leadership roles, including Board Member, Chapter Chair, and Vice Chair of the Career Development Committee. In 2019, he was appointed to GFOA’s Ethics Committee.

Rich is also an active freelance bass trombonist and has performed with several artists, including Barbra Streisand, Peter Cetera, Gladys Knight, Bernadette Peters, and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. He has also performed and recorded several albums with local jazz big bands

During the pandemic, Rich developed audio and video engineering skills and received two awards from Music In Place, a non-profit organization providing support to San Francisco Bay Area musicians to continue creating music while sheltering in place. His various isolation music projects are available on YouTube.

By ErniE rEyna, PrEsidEnt-ElEct

President Elect Message

CSMFO puts together one of the best conferences you are most likely to attend. In addition to the value-added content each session presents to everyone, it’s an opportunity to reunite with members you only see once a year and meet new friends. This year’s conference theme was “Back to the Capital” and appropriate on so many levels as the last time CSMFO was in Sacramento was in 2017.

The annual conference kicks off on Tuesday morning with pre-conference sessions throughout the day. In addition, there are other fun activities such as the golf and pickleball tournaments, and new this year was an opportunity to give back by volunteering your time at a local food bank.

It takes many volunteers to make the conference run. One example is the Program Committee, where all of the proposed sessions are vetted and approved for placement at the annual conference each year. I had the opportunity to serve on the committee and got a firsthand look at just how each session is reviewed and selected. Sessions can be based on a magnitude of factors such as content, timeliness and relevance; covering many topic areas from technical accounting, leadership, to information technology. I truly appreciate and value all the hard work each volunteer does for each of the sessions.

Many members may wonder how the conference is organized. As President-Elect, it is my responsibility to develop a Host Committee comprised of dedicated members who can help me organize the best possible conference.

And believe me, the 2024 conference will be magical and one of the best conferences ever. In fact, the 2024 conference theme is “May the Magic of Finance be with You.”, incorporating the elements of Disney including Star Wars!

I take my role of President-Elect very seriously and consider it a privilege to serve the members and create the best possible experience a CSMFO membership can give you. I believe the CSMFO members provide a diverse and broad range of experience to draw from. Without your input, CSMFO would not be where it is today. I look forward to seeing and connecting with you over this coming year and in Disneyland for the 2024 conference.

PERSPECTIVE OF FIRST-TIME ATTENDEES

BY KOFI ANTOBAM

The 2023 CSMFO Conference like every other CSMFO conference was an opportunity for over 300 first-time attendees to get out of their office, travel, network, make new friends, learn, and “surprise”…have some much needed fun. Going somewhere or doing something for the first time comes with its challenges and can be intimidating at times. However, with the introduction of a session on how to navigate our first CSMFO Conference, the 2023 first-time conference attendees felt much at home.

Here are some thoughts from some first-time attendees regarding the 2023 Conference:

Samantha Lopez, Finance Manager, City of Indio

My first experience at the CSMFO conference was enlightening.  Moving from the water district to City side has been a little challenging, but attending the conference helped me realize I am not alone.  I not only have peers going through similar issues, but there are also resources out there to assist.  I went to the conference feeling a bit overwhelmed and nervous and left feeling motivated.

Herman Leyva, Accountant, City of Indio

As a first-time attendee at the CSMFO 2023 Annual Conference, I believe it was a great learning experience and it was entertaining. The conference is well organized and provided a mixture of concurrent sessions, of which I was able to choose the best class that would be the most relatable to me. From my experience, the people attending and organizing the conference were all friendly with similar interests, so it makes a great environment to make new connections and network.

Shanna Palau, Senior Contracts Analyst

It was certainly well worth the time, and I learned a lot. I particularly enjoyed Budgeting Best Practices, the Leadership pre-conference, CSD and CFD purposes/ formation, Remote-work Policies, and CA Sales Tax Trends. Chris Thornberg’s talk about the economy – facts vs narrative was great.

The app was extremely helpful, although I would have liked to see the schedule sooner.

Communication by CSFMO and sponsors was well done.

I found session speakers to be engaging and they all seemed to have a great sense of humor. The venue(s) were perfect.

Lunch and breakfast meal choices were good, and the lunchtime break period allowed attendees to get some work done, engage with exhibitors, take a walk, etc.

The length of session times was good - long enough to cover material and questions, but not so long that people left early regularly.

Session topics were varied, and appreciably so. I appreciated that there were sessions designed to develop well-rounded professionals and inspire out of the box thinking as well as have dialog about common issues. Might I recommend a “new to Finance” pre-conference session for the attendees that might be generally new to Finance or that may be like me where financial process is an aspect of their job as opposed to the entire job? This would be great for professionals early in their career or for those that have limited knowledge about how the functions of Finance work together to support agencies and communities. A session like that might include general aspects of Municipal Finance in a way that connects the different aspects of a Finance department and financial management/processes. This could help young professionals develop an appreciation for all of the functions under the Finance umbrella.

Natalia Lopez, Senior Management Analyst, City of Moreno Valley

I participated in the Pre-Conference Pickle Ball Event, and it was a fun way to break the ice, network, and socialize with other attendees in a small group setting.

Almost all of the sessions I attended had a city representative share a case study. This helped me better understand the concept of the topic.

I appreciated that there was a session specific to the benefits of the new CSMFO Mentorship Program. The open dialog amongst the panel of speakers was encouraging.

It was great to have a variety of technical and nontechnical sessions.

A big thank you to the CSMFO Leadership, the 2023 Conference Host Committee, and all members who made the experience of the first-time attendees a positive one and guiding them throughout the Conference.

Kofi Antobam is the Director of Administrative Services for the City of Rancho Mirage. Kofi serves as Vice-Chair on the Communications Committee, Coachella Valley Chapter Chair, and a member of the Recognition Committee. Kofi has a combined 20+ years of experience in the public and private financial industries. He enjoys spending time with his wife Elizabeth and daughter Dannelle, singing, volunteering for church activities, and watching basketball.

THE CSMFO CHAPTER EXPERIENCE

BY JENNIFER BECKER

The CSMFO Annual Conference provides an amazing variety of opportunities to meet and interact with fellow finance professionals from far and wide. If during the conference, you enjoyed a meal or a good conversation with someone from a neighboring municipality and you realize you haven’t seen them since the last annual conference, perhaps that’s a sign that it’s time to engage more with your local CSMFO Chapter! While the conference is the crown jewel of CSMFO events, your local Chapters serve as the foundation for the organization all year long, working to engage CSMFO members at the local level. Chapter Chairs and Vice Chairs work tirelessly to provide relevant educational and networking events for the regions they serve, meeting 4-6 times per year and in many cases offering both in-person and online opportunities for their members to learn and engage with each other.

On Thursday of the conference, CSMFO Chapter Chairs and Vice Chairs kicked off the morning with a breakfast in the Capital View room of the Hyatt Regency Sacramento. The mood in the room was full of energy and enthusiasm for the year ahead and new appointees were welcomed by returning volunteers. The meeting opened with CSMFO Past President Marcus Pimentel, welcoming all attendees and thanking them for their service to CSMFO. Chapter representatives shared their plans for the coming year, inspired each other with new ideas for events, and collaborated on solutions to challenges as varied as the regions they serve. Based on the amazing leadership gathered in that room and the quality of events planned for CSMFO Chapters in 2023, there has never been a better time to get involved at the local Chapter level!

The Friday morning full Chapter breakfast was also a hit, as members made their way to their Chapter tables, identified by the newly purchased banners standing tall throughout the room. Members said hello to the friendly faces they recognized and made new connections with members from their own backyards. Chapter Chairs and Vice Chairs made the rounds among their tables and encouraged participation in an exciting slate of local events planned for the coming year.

A big thank you and congratulations to the 2023 CSMFO Chapter Chairs (https://www.csmfo.org/about/leadership/ chapter-chairs/)

If you are not receiving regular communications from your local Chapter, please be sure to go to the “Members Only” page on the CSMFO website at https://events.csmfo.org/ members/public_profile.asp? to ensure that you have a local Chapter selected as part of your personal profile. And if you are interested in volunteering with your local Chapter, please reach out to your local Chapter Chair or Vice Chair, or fill out an interest form here https://www.csmfo.org/training/ volunteer/. Speaking as a Chapter Chair myself, we cannot wait to hear from you.

Jennifer Becker is a 22 year employee of the City of Burbank and was appointed Financial Services Director in March of 2021. She currently serves as Chair of the San Gabriel Valley CSMFO Chapter and Vice Chair of the Communications Committee. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She is an avid Trojan football fan, and on non-football weekends you can find her skiing in Mammoth or hiking around Southern California with her husband and daughter.

2022 YEAR IN REVIEW

BY JEAN ROUSSEAU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

2022 was a very productive year for CSMFO with four initiatives; two carried over from 2021 and two from 2022 Strategic Action Plans stand out to me when I look back at 2022. Of significant note was the Board of Director’s (Board) addressed its administrative needs with the purchase of a Learning Management System (LMS), reviewed its membership fee structure for members and non-members for the first time in a long time, modified some of its old bylaws to improve transparency and push more authority to the Board, and reviewed the role of our commercial members in CSMFO’s leadership. All in all, it was a transformative year that will modernize the way we provide program services and govern ourselves.

It started with the Board approval of the purchase of a LMS in February to help with the administrative oversight of CSMFO’s educational programs. The LMS was recommended by a group comprised of the Technology Committee along with members of the Career Development Committee (CDC). Smith Moore and Associates (SMA) worked with the CDC in implementing the system for webinars and core courses. Substantially, all of the issues have been addressed with the full use of LMS taking place in 2023; managing the CPE program and integrating it for the 2024 Annual Conference.

The Membership Committee, under the leadership of Jennifer Wakeman and former CSMFO President Steve Heide, continued the work from 2021 in reviewing membership dues and the benefits CSMFO membership provides. As a part of this effort, they also reviewed what other similar organizations charge members along with non-member benefits. This was an exhaustive review that took some time to prepare. They brought updates to the Board at various times to keep them apprised and to receive direction. Ultimately, in June, the Board deliberated and approved a major change in its benefit structure. Starting with the 2023 membership drive, membership dues will now be $125 for mid-managers and Finance Directors, and $50 for new employees in government finance. The Board also approved a 30% price differential between members and non-members for paid content and a flat $25 webinar charge for non-members.

Included within the 2022 CSMFO Strategic Action Plan was a goal to evaluate CSMFO’s organizational structure and By-

Laws for opportunities for change. An ad-hoc committee was comprised of the Executive Committee and five past CSMFO presidents. The committee evaluated and proposed clarifying language for Presidential powers, Executive Committee powers and duties, value of Board Liaison positions, value of League of Cities Policy Committee appointments, geographical limitations on Board membership and presidency along with updating vague language or other deficiencies. There were recommended changes essentially decentralizing some decision making from the President and/or the Executive Committee back to the full Board. They simplified the Nominating Committee process to refer to specific dates instead of dates calculated backwards for the date of the next conference and set January 1st as the date of transition for members in leadership in lieu of the date floating with the timing of the Annual Conference. These changes were brought to the Board in August and a healthy and lengthy discussion ensued before the Board approved the recommended changes.

Also included in the 2022 CSMFO Strategic Action Plan was a goal to evaluate opportunities for commercial member partners to serve in leadership roles. An ad-hoc committee was formed to survey other state associations’ best practices, formalize guidelines for when commercial members can serve in leadership and ultimately on the Board. The committee also reviewed the level of involvement of commercial members in the organization such as participating in the conference Host Committee, chapter and committee meetings and regularly attending Board meetings. In December 2022, the Board approved all of the recommendations from the committee. The most significant recommendations allow for appointment to chapter and committee leadership roles and adding a commercial member as a voting Board member in 2024. I commend Marcus Pimentel and the group for doing a great job on this critical initiative.

Jean completed a distinguished 31-year career serving local government in California, starting as an Accountant II with Fresno County. He moved up the finance ladder to Chief Accountant before moving to the Assistant County Administrative Officer position in 2004. In 2007, he moved into the County’s top position (County Administrative Officer), serving Tulare and Fresno counties for 14 years until his retirement. He has served in several finance and accounting roles, including as Finance Director/Controller for the City of Fresno, Principal and Senior Accountant for Fresno County, and Staff Accountant for Sampson & Sampson CPAS.

2023 CSMFO GOLF TOURNAMENT

AT HAGGIN OAKS GOLF COMPLEX SACRAMENTO

BY WILL FUENTES, TERRY SHEA, AND BRANDON YOUNG

Congratulations to the winning team who finished with a scramble format low score of 62; ten strokes under par. The team included Terry Shea (RAMS), Joann Gitmed (City of Imperial Beach), Gary Gitmed, and Matt Schenk (City of Perris). It must be noted that this same team won last year’s tournament and that Joann has been on the winning team for the last three CSMFO golf tournaments. Way to go Joann and way to go team! Other notable tournament winners included:

While the day started out at a not so balmy 37 degrees Fahrenheit, an enthusiastic, yet somewhat cold group of 72 golfers braved the elements for 18 holes of fun on Tuesday, January 31st at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento. This provided golfers a wonderful opportunity for networking and good-natured competition, while also enjoying much welcome coffee and hot chocolate as well as breakfast burritos and snacks. And thankfully, temperatures rose to a bearable 55 degrees Fahrenheit by round’s end. Many golfers were even seen taking off their winter wool caps once their bodies and golf games heated up!

The Haggin Oaks Golf Complex, boasts two championship golf courses regularly voted Sacramento’s favorite, a worldclass teaching facility with over 15 golf professionals, the largest on-course Golf Super Shop in the country, many different playing clubs, more than 20 different junior, senior, group and private lesson programs, delicious fare and extensive craft beer menu at MacKenzie’s Sports Bar & Grille, a banquet hall, and a lighted driving range that includes over 100 stalls, five practice greens, and two bunkers. CSMFO golf tournament participants played on the MacKenzie Golf Course; designed by the mastermind behind Augusta National, world-renowned architect, Alister MacKenzie.

• Longest Drive (Women) Joann Gitmed (City of Imperial Beach)

• Longest Drive (Men) - Matt Schenk (City of Perris)

• Closest to the Pin (Women) – Emily Giles (Raymond James)

• Closest to the Pin (Men) Dylan Levy (Stifel)

• Straightest Drive – David Pittman (Union Bank)

• Putting Contest - Rochelle Patterson (SCV Water)

• Most Honest Team (Highest Reported Score) –Scott Manno (RAMS), Steve Presley (Infinity CPA), Brett Miller (Workiva), Miranda Boyd (City of Hollister)

Of course, after the rounds were completed and scorecards were turned in, the group had a chance for more socializing, refreshments, and a buffet lunch in the Banquet Hall. And while the most honest team fessed up to their high score, there may have been a few others with similar scores who did not turn in scorecards. This was truly their loss as trophies were given out for the highest (reported) team score as well!

All and all, everyone had a fantastic day. Tori Roberts from San Bernardino County shared, “I had a great time at the golf tournament. I especially appreciated the warm breakfast, given that my toes were practically frozen until 10:30 am. Also, a note for all future years...as a lady golfer, I appreciate the lady competitions throughout the course. Please keep those going. I certainly can compete for the straightest drive, when I don’t totally slice it off onto the next fairway!” We feel your pain Tori! And Lance Holman from Holman Capital expressed what many in the tournament also felt, “I had a great time and I am looking forward to next year.” We look forward to playing in warmer Southern California climates as well Lance!

CSMFO thanks Terry Shea (RAMS), Brandon Young (LSL), and Will Fuentes (City of Campbell) for organizing the event and their dedication to making this mixer a wonderful conference experience. A big thanks also to all of our corporate sponsors for their continued support for this wonderful pre-conference event. Corporate sponsors included NBS, PARS, LSL, The Pun Group, RAMS, MultiBank Securities, U.S. Bank, Eide Bailly LLP, Highmark Capital Management, HdL Companies, and Moody’s Investor Services. Thanks also to Mitch Barker and PARS for providing each golfer with a sleeve of golf balls. Without the continued support of our many sponsors, we would not be able to hold this tournament annually. And lastly, thanks to all the participants who opted to brave the cold and to Cami Jacob from LSL and Kory Adams from SMA for all their help in putting on the golf tournament. They both deserve our sincerest thanks for working so very hard to make it a great day for all who attended.

2023 CSMFO PICKLEBALL

BY JAMES RUSSELL-FIELD, RECOGNITION COMMITTEE CHAIR

Bank of the West (BOTW), a trade name used by BMO Harris Bank N.A. was happy to hold the 2023 CSMFO Pickleball Mixer at the annual conference in Sacramento. This was the 11th annual BOTW mixer and the second year to exclusively feature Pickleball after many years of tennis.

This year’s pre-conference event was on January 31st at Del Norte Athletic Club and led by Director of Tennis & Pickleball Joseph Ballard. The organizer was Lily Ng, Managing Director Government Banking Division for Bank of the West. PT Advisors provided the snacks and Oracle sponsored the highly coveted trophies.

Pickleball has boomed in popularity over the last several years. The New York Times published a study in early 2022 that showed the sport grew nearly 40% between 2019 and 2021. In December 2022, CBS News reported that “Pickleball has become the fastest-growing sport in America with nearly 5 million playing.” It’s become so popular that Stephen Colbert hosted a late-night celebrity Pickleball Tournament! It’s truly broken into the mainstream.

During January, downtown Sacramento was slammed with rain and there were concerns that more rain could hit during the Conference week. Lily came prepared with a backup plan of foosball just in case. Fortunately, the backup plan never came to fruition. Instead, Tuesday Jan 31st afternoon was a perfect day for Pickleball. The warm, sunny day had several players changing from sweatpants to shorts!

After players arrived, everyone introduced themselves and then Director Joseph kicked things off with warmups before moving into drills. Drills included “dinking,” groundstrokes, serve and return, and live ball. After recapping the scoring, positing, and rules, participants broke into 2 flights for round robin play.

Victor from Bank of the West noted “With a couple dozen participants and playing in a round robin format, we get to reacquaint ourselves with many we already know and best of all, meet new players. I learn something new about everyone that played and hope that this is a bond that we keep going for a very long time.”

After some hard-fought round robin play, the top 3 winners of each flight emerged. Congratulations to the 2023 Pickleball Mixer winners:

• Flight A

o Champion – Eric McKean, Ramirez & Co.

o 2nd Place – Scott Koppel, Koppel & Gruber Public Finance

o 3rd Place – Nancy Sweeney, Del Norte Club Member

• Flight B

o Champion – Robert Hannay, East Bay Municipal Utility District

o 2nd Place – Monica Attili, City of Encinitas

o 3rd Place – Annabelle Wang, City of Moreno Valley

The CSMFO Pickleball event always receives enthusiastic participants and positive feedback. Here’s some of the great feedback from this year’s players:

Scott Koppel, Koppel & Gruber Public Finance

“The Pickleball event at the CSMFO conference is a wonderful time and a great way to meet and get to know others attending the conference.”

Robert Hannay, East Bay Municipal Utility District

“The Pickleball event was great. I see why this sport is growing so fast. I plan to buy a paddle and hopefully qualify as an experienced player at next year’s event!”

Monica Attili, City of Encinitas

“I really enjoyed the Pickleball event at the CSMFO conference. It was a great way to network with others and have fun all at the same time. Lily does an amazing job organizing this event. This was my second year playing in this event. I especially enjoyed the warmup clinic to teach the basics of Pickleball prior to the tournament. A huge thank you to Mark Bonnett, who provided the whole group “Erne” paddles for our use and a generous raffle gift. Great event all around, and I can’t wait to play again next year!”

Annabelle Wang, City of Moreno Valley

“The time I spent playing Pickleball and getting to know everyone was truly outstanding, and I am grateful for Lily’s efforts in making it happen. Thank you for creating such an unforgettable Pickleball experience for me at CSMFO. I look forward to playing with everyone soon.”

Sara Taylor, City of Vista

“The event was so well organized! I really enjoyed the clinic/drills which were a great warmup and confidence builder for the tournament. I really enjoyed the round robin format and the opportunity to play with many different members. I can’t wait for next year’s Pickleball mixer and the opportunity to see new and returning players.”

Michael Brody, Bank of the West

“As a first-timer who had never played Pickleball, it was easy to pick up and a lot of fun. The socializing and networking are added bonuses.”

Joseph Ballard, Del Norte Tennis Club Director of Tennis & Pickleball

“The pickleball mixer was excellent. Your organization and communication made it easy for us to set up and manage. I loved seeing the energy and enthusiasm from all the players! Thank you again for choosing us to run your event. We hope everyone had a great time and will continue to play!”

A tip from Lily for the 2024 CSMFO Conference. There are 20 spots available each year so register right away. If it’s full, register to be on the waitlist. It is inevitable that players could have last minute changes and can’t attend so the waitlist is

called on. As a fun fact, somehow the waitlist players seem to end up in the top 5 of each flight and some winning a trophy! Like Robert, Monica and Eric who were on the 2023 waitlist and Nancy our local backup at the last hour!

CSMFO thanks Bank of the West for organizing and hosting the mixer, PT Advisors for providing snacks, and Oracle for sponsoring the trophies. A special Thank You and recognition to Lily for her dedication and management coordinating this wonderful event for the past 11 years, and for her well-deserved recognition as CSMFO’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year!

To see more photos, please visit the following link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/djywduUudoiwup6F9

2023 CSMFO PRESIDENT’S DINNER—HOW SWEET IT IS!

BY WING-SEE FOX, URBAN FUTURES INC.

The answer to the question, “Do you have room for dessert?”, is typically always “yes.” At the 2023 CSMFO Annual Conference President’s Dinner at Ella Dining Room & Bar in Downtown Sacramento, the answer to that question was, “Yes, but not for all the delectable options that were offered buffet-style at the end of the night!” The stunning arrays of cookies, cake, tart, pudding, and mousse were a sweet way to honor past presidents that have led CSMFO over the years.

The President’s Dinner is hosted by the current year’s president and held the night before the official kick-off of the annual conference. The star-studded guest list includes all past presidents, Board members, the host committee, committee chairs and vice chairs, chapter chairs, presidents of counterpart finance officer associations outside of California, CSMFO staff, and top-level corporate sponsors.

This year’s President’s Dinner, hosted by 2023 President Rich Lee, did not disappoint. It was packed with all the essential elements of a celebratory affair: a warm welcome speech

by the host that included acknowledgement of each past president in attendance, cheery guests in semi-formal attire, live music, mixology cocktails, appetizers, elevated meals, the aforementioned dessert buffet, and lots of Instagram-worthy snaps. Centerpieces at the long tables included Walgreensstyle printed out photos from years past that sparked conversation and laughter.

A total of 19 past presidents attended the namesake event, including all presidents from 2011 through 2022; the 1999, 2001, 2005 and 2008 presidents, the 1989 President John deRussy, the 1986 President George Ferrone, and past President Ronnie Campbell who flew in from Georgia. It was time well spent reconnecting with friends and colleagues, reminiscing about the old days, expressing awe over the progress and growth of the organization, and getting swept up in the excitement of the conference to follow.

If you’re left wondering what happened to all those desserts that dinner guests simply could not get to, don’t worry. They did not go to waste. Outgoing Board member Stephen Parker gathered them right up, and they were later seen at the Presidential Suite afterparty!

BACK TO THE CAPITAL WENT BACK…TO THE 80’S!

BY HEIDI SCHOEPPE, WEBB MUNICIPAL FINANCE AND JENNIFER BECKER

As has come to be expected, this year’s CSMFO “Rock the 80’s Thursday Game Night” did not disappoint! After a full conference of quality sessions, keynote speakers, and exceptional exhibit hall activities, we were ready to relax and celebrate another successful gathering with our CSMFO colleagues. What felt like a record number of attendees and guests converged upon the Punch Bowl Social in Sacramento - the largest event ever held at this venue! Despite a wide range of generations in attendance, the theme of the evening was unapologetically 80’s, with many attendees donning their best (or worst) 80’s looks while tunes from the greatest of music decades filled the venue.

Do you like choices? If so, this event was for you! As you entered the event, you were immediately confronted with several options: do you eat, do you drink, or do you dive straight into the fun? Many chose to kick off the good times with the tasty taco bar and dessert tables. Moms everywhere would have been impressed by how quickly and completely the plates (and chaffing dishes) were cleared. Others headed straight to one of the bars to cash in those drink tickets and get the good times rolling. And boy did the good times roll! With

or without that liquid courage in hand, this large group of municipal finance professionals got their game on!

It’s hard to describe the massive multiple level layout of this entertainment packed venue. Walking upstairs into the venue you hit the first of several well attended bars with drinks flowing and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating available for those who came to mingle and relax. A short hallway led past the bar to the bowling and billiards, where one particular pool shark took the room by storm. Continuing on, you’d most certainly see a glowing sign that says “Shoes”. Much to our dismay, it was just bowling shoe rentals. Moving past that disappointment, possibly with some “sanitized” shoes in hand, you’d find groups of fellow municipal finance professionals enjoying the company of others, playing darts, shuffle board, corn hole, board games, more bowling, ping pong, arcade games, and ski ball. You may be thinking, wow, this event was one for the books, but we’re not done yet! Stairs leading down to the ground floor provided a whole new level of fun with access to yet another bar and a karaoke room with multiple mics where attendees could create their own musical moments. We hope someone took video.

Of course, finding all of this action means you made it past the jam-packed dance floor where throngs of not-so-mild mannered finance professionals were letting loose to the fantastic stylings of DJ Umami, of Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, and local Bay Area fame. The iconic songs and dance tunes from the 1980s added just the right amount of nostalgic vibe to the setting, while some more recent dance charts were mixed in to keep the under 40 crowd entertained. Of course, no CSMFO party would be complete without an afterparty, where the late-night crowd spilled over to the Mermaid Dive Bar, making for even more memorable moments, fun, dancing, and beverages.

A great evening of fun and camaraderie appeared to be had by all. We appreciated those of you who embraced the 80’s theme and rocked some epic outfits. From neon track suits and sweat bands to rocker hair band superstars, we saw it all. And let’s be honest - those clothes were likely in some of our closets already! As for the lingering question of who won the unofficial Back to the Capital/80’s dress-your-best contest? Well, you know who you are, and your prize will forever be bragging rights!

We can’t wait to party with you all again next year in Anaheim. It’ll be a challenge to top this one, but if anyone can do it, Mickey and Minnie can!

Special thanks to Tim Przybyla for the totally rad photos.

Check out these Communication Committee members, Heidi and Jennifer with these 80’s Rockers!

2023 INNOVATION AWARD WINNERS

BY JAMES RUSSELL-FIELD

The CSMFO Innovation Award recognizes innovation in public sector finance in the areas of accounting, budgeting, treasury, debt administration, procurement, risk management, and technology. An Innovation Award Panel scores the applications and can choose to present up to three awards per year. In evaluating the applications, the Review Panel looks for originality, purpose, effectiveness, practicality, and transferability. The cities of Milpitas and Moreno Valley are the winners of the 2023 Innovation Awards and were presented the awards at the 2023 Annual Conference in Sacramento.

City of Milpitas

The City of Milpitas wins an Innovation Award for their “Automating through KNIME” submission.

Prior to using KNIME (Konstanz Information Miner), staff would spend hours converting exported PDF reports to usable Excel formats, piece together various reports from an ERP system to formulate uploads for other platforms and rely on their ERP provider for pricey custom reports.

As a workaround to address the manual and repetitive reporting tasks, the City of Milpitas implemented ETL (extract, transform, load) workflows using KNIME and directly extracted data from the ERP database backend as a way to save staff hours and improve data analysis, without incurring additional cost. KNIME is a way for local agencies to explore ETL platforms because it is an open-source platform without subscription fees unless the user wants a dedicated cloud server.

In addition to automating reporting tasks, the City of Milpitas also connected KNIME to Tableau Online Server to publish dashboards that tracked real-time budget to actuals, fiscal trends, fund balances and more. The workflows empowered staff to analyze historical data with millions of rows of data that could not previously be analyzed easily from the ERP or in Excel. The City estimated the implementation of KNIME saved approximately 300 hours of staff time. After successful implementation of KNIME in the Budget Team, KNIME has been adopted by other areas in Finance Department.

Examples of projects utilizing KNIME workflows includes:

• Salary table extraction and conversion

• Workforce Plan Consolidation

• Budget and Actual Management Report Dashboards

• Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget Actual Dashboards

• Fund Balance Reconciliation

• AP Invoice Payment History, Vendor Listing

Accepting on behalf of the City of Milpitas was Lauran Lai, Finance Director.

City of Moreno Valley

The City of Moreno Valley wins an Innovation Award for their submission titled “Using Innovation to Conquer Adversity.”

Moreno Valley faced the crisis of a lifetime when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Team MoVal grappled with launching emergency programs for vulnerable citizens, saving local businesses, preventing staff layoffs, and managing cost recovery with a severely impacted workforce.

City leadership immediately developed the “Moreno Valley Pandemic Response Plan” to address community needs. To support the City and community, Moreno Valley’s Financial and Management Services Department created an innovative project accounting system through their ERP and timekeeping system to track staff reimbursement costs across over 150 accounting funds and wages in ten different departments. The development of this tracking system allowed Moreno Valley’s financial experts to engage in emergency discussions and support the City’s critical programs.

The following projects utilized Moreno Valley’s tracking system for reimbursement:

• Wellness calls to all members of the Moreno Valley Senior Center

• Large scale drive-through food distribution events

• “We’ve Got You Covered” free mask and hand sanitizer distribution program

• “Senior Eats” restaurant meal distribution program for homebound seniors in conjunction with FEMA’s Great Plates effort

• “MoVal Meals,” a multi-departmental partnership with merchants providing non-perishable food items delivered weekly by City staff to residents

• “Easter Egg Drop” event featuring City staff, dressed as bunnies, delivering baskets to children throughout the community

• “Drive-In Movie” nights to entertain families while staying socially distanced

• “MoVal Virtual Play” online recreation and sports programs to promote wellness and amusement

Moreno Valley’s strategic financial planning tracked over $7 million across more than 15 projects to document $4.8 million in qualifying reimbursements. Ultimately the City’s well-documented reimbursement requests supported by the innovative projecting accounting system led to successful and timely cost recovery.

Moreno Valley’s Financial and Management Services Department teamed up with staff Citywide to help overcome these challenges and keep MoVal moving during the pandemic.

Accepting on behalf of the City of Moreno Valley was Brian Mohan, Assistant City Manager / Chief Financial Officer / Treasurer.

Congratulations to the 2023 Innovation Award winners!

James Russell-Field, Recognition Committee Chair and Director of Administrative Services for the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District. James has served on various committees and roles supporting CSMFO. Prior to the District, he worked with the Department of Interior, City of Thousand Oaks, and City of Benicia. On weekends, you can find James mountain biking through Northern California.

FIRST TIME ATTENDEE SESSION OVERVIEW

BY KARLA ROMERO

We were all once a first time CSMFO conference attendee or you will be in the future, and it can feel a slightly intimidating. Everyone seems to know one another – there is an abundance of smiles, hugging, and high-fiving in every direction you look. The energy is high and the passion for learning and networking is turned up to another level. CSMFO recognized this can all be somewhat overwhelming to navigate, therefore, a first-time attendee session was created at the beginning of the conference to welcome the over 300 new conference participants.

On Wednesday morning before conference sessions started CSMFO leadership President Elect Ernie Reyna, former Board Member Jennifer Wakeman, and Lana Dich, Finance Manager from the City of Santa Fe Springs led a discussion on “This is Heavy!” A How to Session on Navigating Your First CSMFO Conference. The room was filled, no seat left vacant. At first the room was a bit quiet, but then laughter and questions followed from both first timers and veteran conference participants.

During this session, blue round “Ask me Anything” buttons were quickly snatched up by CSMFO leadership who wore them proudly all week. This allowed anyone at the conference to easily identify a CSMFO resource during the many events. Topics discussed included member benefits, an overview of committees and local chapter meetings, how to use the Guidebook App., conference sessions, vendor exhibit hall connections to be made, a reminder of the fabulous 80’s night event on Thursday, and much more.

This session is sure to be an ongoing event at future conferences – we look forward to seeing you in Anaheim for your first conference.

Karla Romero is the Finance Director/City Treasurer for the City of Brawley, has served on several CSMFO standing and ad-hoc committees and is a current CSMFO board member.

WHY VOLUNTEER?

BY JENNIFER BECKER

Greetings, my CSMFO friends. I hope the recent CSMFO conference sent you back to your organizations, enlightened, rejuvenated, and ready to face the public finance challenges in your agencies’ future. I certainly enjoyed every amazing session and keynote, and had a blast reconnecting with old acquaintances and making new ones.

Did you even wonder how CSMFO manages to continue producing the best public finance conference in the country, in addition to a myriad of local and statewide educational and networking opportunities each year? Well, it’s almost entirely done on the backs of an amazing group of dedicated volunteers, and I am here to personally invite you to join us.

Now I know what you’re thinking to yourself right now –“she’s not really talking about me personally volunteering, right?” Wrong! It is you, Ms. “One Chapter Event per Year” and Mr. “Shows up at the Conference a day early to Golf” who I am asking to get involved with this great organization. And before you respond with a list of excuses, I’d be happy to remove some of those barriers for you. Here’s a few that I bet we’ve all told ourselves at one time or another:

“I don’t have the right skills, experience, or knowledge to contribute to this group.” You do not need to be the state’s leading expert in public finance to contribute to CSMFO. As a matter of fact, there is a wide array of opportunities to contribute to this organization, and the need for different skill sets is as diverse as the membership itself. You can plan a local chapter event, engage with college students, manage a website, or write an article for CMSFO News (hint, hint). With nine different committees and dozens of other volunteer opportunities, there is a place for you within CSMFO where your skills and passions will make a difference.

“All of these people already know each other, and I’ll feel like an outsider.” We’ve all started a new school, changed jobs, or otherwise experienced the discomfort of being the new person. But those temporary feelings quickly give way to the joy of new connections, new friendships, and the feeling of belonging that comes with being part of a team.

“I just don’t have the time.” We can all relate to this one. No matter who you are, we all have to contend with the

same number of hours in the day. But it’s amazing how when something fun and exciting comes into your already busy life, whether it’s a new hobby or a new relationship, you reprioritize and make the time. And not all volunteer roles are created equal – you can still play a meaningful role for only a few hours a month. Yes, you may end up eating into your Netflix time, but what you will gain from participating with this organization is worth sacrificing for a few extra hours on the couch.

“If they wanted me, they would ask.” There are many of us that feel like we want to participate, but we’re just waiting for that invitation. Well, my friends, today is your lucky day! I cordially invite you (yes, you!) to join the ranks of our many dedicated board members, committee members, and chapter chairs and seek out volunteer roles with CSMFO.

So now that those excuses have been eliminated and you are on your way to a rewarding experience as a CSMFO volunteer, what can you expect in return?

The chance to join a passionate, dedicated, and FUN group of individuals who are working together to make CSMFO the best public finance organization in the country.

The tools to help you build your professional network, learn from your peers, and better position yourself for career advancement.

The opportunity to utilize your unique skills and talents outside of your day-to-day work and to develop new skills.

The pride of giving back to the public finance community and serving your fellow finance professionals.

Taking on a new commitment can be daunting, but on the heels of this outstanding conference, I hope you’ll consider contributing some of your time and expertise so we can continue to make CSMFO the premier state public finance organization in the country. On behalf of my fellow CSMFO Board, Committee, and Chapter volunteers, I’d like to encourage you to take that leap and join us. We can’t wait to get to know you.

Go to https://www.csmfo.org/training/volunteer/ to fill out an interest form or here https://www.csmfo.org/about/ leadership/chapter-chairs/ to contact your local Chapter Chair, and start your volunteer journey with CSMFO.

CSMFO’S 2023 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR & DISTINGUISED SERVICE AWARD

BY THE CSMFO COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

Volunteer of the Year Award

The CSMFO Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes outstanding volunteers from our government or commercial members who have gone above and beyond in furthering CSMFO’s efforts to bring ever-increasing value to our members. This year’s volunteer of the year recipient is a commercial member of CSMFO who has contributed to our organization in numerous ways over her years of involvement. Whether meeting you for the first time at a chapter meeting, as she did me, or in the conference exhibit hall, she is consistently one of the most engaging and friendly people that you will encounter at CSMFO events. She has also contributed her

time and energy to CSMFO by serving on multiple conference host committees, providing her advice and insights into how CSMFO can better serve our commercial members, and perhaps most notably creating, sustaining, and growing CSMFO’s tennis and pickleball mixers that have been a regular Tuesday event at our conferences for the past 11 years. Please join me in recognizing Lily Ng from Bank of the West as the 2022 CSMFO Volunteer of the Year Award recipient.

We are so grateful to Lily and her incredible contributions to the organization and we are ordering your award, we swear!

Distinguised Service Award

The CSMFO Distinguised Service Award is the highest honor that CSMFO bestows and in 55 years (the award was created in 1968) only 36 people have been awarded this special honor.

It will be challenging to not understate the legacy that our Distinguished Service Award recipient has created over her time with CSMFO. The outstanding service and consistent dedication has not only propelled the programs and operations of CSMFO, but has inspired countless volunteers within the organization to give what they can as well.

Margaret Moggia always says yes when asked to help, has served on virtually every committee there is and both served on the board as a director and President.

Her mentoring, perseverance and generous heart make Margaret an obvious recipient of CSMFO’s highest honor and we are fortunate that she continues to dedicate her time and resources to not only CSMFO, but other organizations like GFOA and CMTA, but mostly we’re happy and grateful she’s with us.

Congratulations to both of our award recipients, it’s a pleasure and an honor to have both your service.

Dedicated to Excellence in Municipal Financial Management

AN EXHIBIT HALL FROM THE FUTURE

BY THE CSMFO COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

When you think about attending the CSMFO Annual Conference what things come to mind? Excellent sessions with both technical and inspiring content to catapult your career? Networking opportunities that broaden your engagement with industry experts and leaders? Or fun and sometimes silly games and activities at our social late night events?

For many of our attendees it’s the opportunity to thank and speak with our generous sponsors and exhibitors who help make the whole conference possible.

This year the hall was as bustling as ever with fun and elaborate booths not only celebrating CSMFO, but also our theme of Back To The Capital. Neon colors, Delorians, cardboard cut-outs of Christopher Lloyd - the hall had it all.

Members and exhibitors happy to be there interacting, networking, sharing ideas and opportunities- it was a sight to see!

And in the heart of our exhibit all was the CSMFO booth where you could grab an eco-friendly CSMFO grocery bag, learn about the many ways to get involved with the organization and attend our Ask The Expert sessions brought back due to popular demand. It was an opportunity to have a personal and focused discussion featuring the following experts:

Kyle Packham – Advocacy & Public Affairs Director, California Special Districts Association

Nick Romo – Legislative Affairs, Lobbyist, Environmental Quality, League of California Cities

David Teykaerts – Assistant Chief, Stakeholder Relations, CalPERS

Jean Rousseau – Executive Director, CSMFO

Russ Branson – Local Government Finance Consultant & CSMFO Instructor

Oliver Yee – Partner, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore

GFOA Staff – Representatives from the Government Finance Officers Association

Here’s to next year’s conference in Disneyland - while the hall won’t be as spacious as it was in Sacramento, the magic will be in no short supply! Thank you again to our sponsors and exhibitors!

CONGRATULATIONS to Davis Farr for winning FIRST PLACE in our Exhibit Booth Contest and to RAMS for winning SECOND PLACE!

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THE 2023 VIRTUAL SESSIONS

BY THE CSMFO COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

Back to the Capital:

2023 Virtual Sessions

Register now by March 3rd!

Weren’t able to attend the 2023 in-person conference or would you like more of what you did see in Sacramento? Do you have staff who would benefit from CPE or valuable training?

Similar to last year, CSMFO will be offering virtual educational sessions following the conference for those who are not able to attend in-person. Sessions will take place in the afternoons on March 7th, 9th, 14th, and 16th. These sessions will be presented LIVE! Hear about the hottest topics, receive answers to your questions, and also see recorded videos from the in-person conference Featured Speakers.

A majority of sessions will qualify for CPE credit (excluding featured speakers and roundtable sessions). 12 hours of CPE will be offered.

A note about technology: You will not need to share your screen or audio for the presentations. Zoom software will only be required to participate in the roundtable sessions.

Did you attend the in-person conference, but also want to add-on the virtual sessions? You still have the option to register at a discounted price of $150. Please reach out to Kory.adams@staff.csmfo.org to be billed at this special rate.

Sessions include……

GASB Update—Implementation Continues

Speaker: Alan Skelton, Director of Research and Technical Activities, Governmental Accounting Standards Board

How the Finance Department can be Effective during Labor Negotiations

Speakers: Arn Andrews, Assistant City Manager, City of Mountain View & Lisa Charbonneau, Associate, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore

When Luck Alone is Not Enough: Working Together with Your Risk Manager

Speakers: Tony Giles, General Manager, California Joint Powers Risk Management Authority and Tim Kirby, Director of Finance, City of Sunnyvale

Best Practices in Budgeting: Budgeting is So Much More Than Numbers

Speakers: David Cain, Retired Finance Director/Treasurer, City of Fountain Valley and Russ Branson, Founder, Russ Branson Consulting

And don’t worry about dressing in your office attire! You will not need to share your screen or audio for the presentations. Zoom software will only be required if you wish to participate in the roundtable sessions.

HTTPS://CONFERENCE.CSMFO.ORG/VIRTUAL-ADD-ON/

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Kathleen McClure-Wight, Commercial Relationship Management Director Local Government Banking kathleen.s.mcclure-wight@wellsfargo.com

wellsfargo.com/government

Fargo Securities (WFS) are the trade names used for the corporate banking, capital markets, and investment banking services of Wells Fargo & Company and its subsidiaries, including but not limited to Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, a U.S. broker-dealer registered with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and member of NYSE, FINRA, NFA, and SIPC, Wells Fargo Prime Services, LLC, member of FINRA, NFA and SIPC, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A, member of NFA, swap dealer provisionally registered with the CFTC and security-based swap dealer conditionally registered with the SEC, and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Municipal Finance Group, a separately identifiable department of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. which is registered with the SEC as a municipal securities dealer. Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and Wells Fargo Prime Services, LLC, are distinct entities from affiliated banks and thrifts. © 2022 Wells Fargo & Company. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. 7164835

Forward thinking strategies and full-service solutions to support

At U.S. Bank, we understand the mission. We realize constituents value efficiency and reliability. That’s why we work diligently to offer tailored, reliable, scalable solutions for government needs. Our dedicated government banking, corporate trust and municipal securities teams offer customizable solutions built on the input of our clients and knowledge of our experts.

See what we can do for you by contacting:

Kimberly Gimenez, Government Banking 916-498-3417 | kimberly.gimenez@usbank.com

Linda Verstuyft, Corporate Trust and Custody 714-262-8994 | linda.verstuyft@usbank.com

Scott Nagelson, Municipal Products Group 415-238-7511 | scott.nagelson@usbank.com

A leading provider of corporate trust services.

Your municipal bond transaction deserves the attention of a leading corporate trust services provider with a well-earned reputation. Our professionals have experience with a range of financing structures, serving the housing, higher education, healthcare, transportation, and utilities segments. We have the ability and the commitment to provide you with corporate trust services across the nation, delivered through our single-point of contact service model.

For more insight on our corporate trust services, contact one of our experienced professionals or visit wilmingtontrust.com/publicfinance

Services provided by Wilmington Trust, N.A.

Wilmington Trust is a registered service mark used in connection with various fiduciary and non-fiduciary services offered by certain subsidiaries of M&T Bank Corporation including, but not limited to, Manufacturers & Traders Trust Company (M&T

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