Western City August 2017

AUGUST 2017 |

The Monthly Magazine of the League of California Cities®

®

2017 Annual Conference & Expo Preview p.24 Oxnard Taps Youth to Improve Quality of Life p.11 Protecting Your Professional Reputation Online p.31

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CONTENTS Calendar of League Events 2 3 President’s Message

Governments Engaging 19 Youth: Preparing for College, Career and Civic Life

Connecting Youth and Civic Leadership

By Hang Tran

ities and school districts C collaborate on work-based learning programs.

By JoAnne Mounce

Youth commissions foster civic engagement and citizenship skills.

8 City Forum

Transportation Funding Will Begin Flowing Soon

ities should note key deadlines C and prepare now.

10 News From the Institute for Local Government

New Toolkit Helps

Local Governments Engage Youth

By Randi Kay Stephens

ity and school officials partner to C support young residents.

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League of California

By Jennifer Whiting

ptimize your time at O the conference.

Expo Exhibitors p.28

Protecting Your 31

Professional Reputation Online

By Ryder Todd Smith

ublic figures need to pay attenP tion to more than just newspaper coverage.

11 California Cities Helen Putnam Award for Excellence

Oxnard Taps Youth to

Improve Quality of Life

ity Corps participants gain C valuable career skills.

12 Legal Notes

W hat Cities Should Know

About Public Records in Private Accounts

Cities 2017 Annual Conference & Expo Preview

Planning for 34

Self-Driving Cars

By Jennifer Cohen

ublic officials need to act quickly P to enact policies and plans.

Getting the Most Value 38 From Your City’s Technology Investment

By HongDao Nguyen

By Jim Lewis

ocal agency employees’ personal L accounts and devices may be subject to the state’s Public Records Act.

echnology increasingly serves T as the backbone for providing local services.

40 California Cities Helen Putnam Award for Excellence

Lodi’s Storm Drain

Detectives Monitor Water Quality

tudents become stewards of S the land and water.

Job Opportunities 41 Professional Services 50 Directory

53

On the Record

How regional public affairs managers help city councils be more effective.

On the cover: Tower Bridge, Sacramento. Photo: Andrew Zarivny/Shutterstock.com

®

President JoAnne Mounce Council Member Lodi

1400 K Street Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 658-8200 Fax (916) 658-8240

Second Vice President Mark Kersey Council Member San Diego

Immediate Past President L. Dennis Michael Mayor Rancho Cucamonga

Executive Director Carolyn Coleman

For a complete list of the League board of directors, visit www.cacities.org/board.

Magazine Staff Editor in Chief Jude Hudson, Hudson + Associates (916) 658-8234; email: editor@westerncity.com Managing Editor Norman Coppinger (916) 658-8277; email: ncoppinger@cacities.org Contributing Editor Eva Spiegel (916) 658-8228; email: espiegel@cacities.org Advertising Sales Manager Pam Maxwell-Blodgett (916) 658-8256; email: maxwellp@cacities.org Administrative Assistant Kimberly Brady (916) 658-8223; email: kbrady@cacities.org Contributors Rony Berdugo Dan Carrigg Melissa Kuehne Corrie Manning Jennifer Whiting Patrick Whitnell

leaguevents SEPTEMBER 13

Policy Committee Meetings, Sacramento The League’s policy committees review issues of interest to cities statewide and make recommendations to the League board of directors.

13

Legal Advocacy Committee Meeting, Sacramento The committee reviews and recommends friend-of-the-court efforts on cases of significant statewide interest to California cities.

13–15

League of California Cities 2017 Annual Conference & Expo, Sacramento The conference offers dozens of educational sessions, numerous professional development opportunities, hundreds of exhibits and a chance to participate in the League’s policy-making activities.

Associate Editors Carol Malinowski Carolyn Walker

NOVEMBER 30–Dec.1

Design Taber Creative Group

Board of Directors’ Meeting, Santa Cruz The League board reviews, discusses and takes action on a variety of issues affecting cities, including legislation, legal advocacy, education and training, and more.

Advertising Design ImagePoint Design For photo credits, see page 42.

Western City (ISSN 0279-5337) is published monthly by the League of California Cities, 1400 K St., Sacramento, CA 95814. Subscriptions: $39.00/1 year; $63.00/2 years; student: $26.50; foreign: $52.00; single copies: $4.00, including sales tax. Entered as periodical mail January 30, 1930, at the Post Office, Los Angeles, CA 90013, under the Act of April 13, 1879. Periodical postage paid at Sacramento, Calif.

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Supplied by Community Energy

FSC is an independent, not-for-profit organization that promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management worldwide. Products with the FSC label are independently certified to ensure that they come from forests managed to meet the needs of present and future generations. ®

DECEMBER 13–14

Fire Chiefs’ Leadership Seminar, Newport Beach The seminar covers challenging leadership topics such as succession planning, labor relations, emergency response, late-breaking issues and more.

13–14

Municipal Finance Institute, Newport Beach This conference provides essential information for city officials and staff involved in fiscal planning for municipalities.

13–15

City Clerks’ New Law & Elections Seminar, Newport Beach The seminar covers laws affecting elections as well as other aspects of clerks’ responsibilities.

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Postmaster: Send address changes to Western City, 1400 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Western City Trademark Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. ©2017 League of California Cities. All rights reserved. Material may not be reprinted without written permission. This issue is Volume XCIII, No. 8.

2

First Vice President Rich Garbarino Council Member South San Francisco

Event and registration information is available at www.cacities.org/events.

For the latest information on League conferences and events, follow us on Twitter @CaCitiesLearn.

For legislative and policy updates and more, follow @CaCities.

Follow Western City @WesternCityMag. Join us on Facebook. www.facebook.com/westerncity www.facebook.com/LeagueofCaCities

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President’s Message by JoAnne Mounce

Connecting Youth and Civic Leadership Young people play an important role in our communities. In my city, I served as the council liaison to the Lodi Youth Commission. I was always pleasantly surprised and impressed to see so many energetic young people who are engaged in the civic life of their community.

During their quarterly presentation to council, our youth commissioners are always looking for ways to give back to the city and make it a better place, and their commitment to civic participation typically continues after they leave the commission. One of our former youth commissioners now works for a U.S. representative in Washington, D.C., and another former youth commissioner ran for Congress.

Like many similar programs in cities throughout California, our youth commission and its Youth Leadership program offer education and training for young people who are interested in becoming future leaders. They participate in mock city council meetings about

topics relevant to youth and experience firsthand the difficulty of making decisions on complex issues that affect many people. City Hall tours and informal talks given by department heads introduce participants in these programs to the essential community services that cities provide.

Empowering young people to create positive changes in their communities is a key function of effective youth commissions and councils. These groups can help bring young residents’ best ideas and recommendations to the attention of city policy-makers on a regular basis.

Youth councils and commissions can also initiate educational campaigns and create new community resources for residents of all ages. For example, youth in the City of Manhattan Beach helped design and operate a program that helps seniors navigate their smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices and computers (for more information, see “Manhattan

Beach Teens Help Seniors With Tech Issues” at www.westerncity.com).

In addition, youth councils and commissions offer a forum that nurtures young voices and fosters civic engagement and citizenship skills. In many cases, this experience provides a young person’s first exposure to the role and function of local government.

Youth commissions and youth councils are doing innovative work in communities statewide. If your city does not currently have a youth commission or a youth council, the League and the Institute for Local Government (ILG) offer many resources to help you start one.

If your city already has a youth commission or a youth council, you may want to consider helping its members act as ambassadors to their peers in promoting the importance of civic engagement and the career opportunities that local government offers. continued

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Western City, August 2017

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Connecting Youth and Civic Leadership, continued

Encouraging Youth to Enter Public Service Young people today, similar to earlier generations, want to make a positive difference in the world. Public service in local government offers many opportunities to do so through an array of interesting and challenging jobs. An ILG publication, Connecting the Next Generation With Local Agency Careers: Ideas for Encouraging Youth to Enter Public Service, recommends ways that youth commissioners can learn about local public agency positions and also encourage other young people to learn more about careers in public service.

It includes: • Background on the need for the next generation to consider careers in the local public sector; • Ideas on how to inform youth commissioners about these career opportunities; • Suggestions to help youth commissions and local officials inform other young people about local public sector careers;

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League of California Cities

• Additional resources to help youth commissions learn more about this topic; and

The Benefits of Involving Youth in City Planning

• An appendix with descriptions of local agency purposes, a table to help match personal interests with possible careers, and descriptions of local agency staff positions and career paths.

This series of briefing papers also includes Youth Engagement and Local Planning: Ideas for Youth Commissions. Involving young people in local planning provides several benefits for the community and for youth, such as:

Even if your community does not have a formal youth commission, local agencies could independently implement many of the ideas presented in this publication or work in partnership with local youth groups and schools.

• Improved plans. Providing local officials with youth perspectives and input can improve plans, particularly related to the needs and issues most relevant to young people, which may include bike paths and active transportation.

Connecting the Next Generation With Local Agency Careers is one in a series of youth commission briefing papers published by ILG. These free, downloadable briefing papers provide background information and ideas for activities related to topics of concern to young people and their communities.

• Leadership opportunities. Participating in planning processes offers young people a way to acquire new skills and knowledge and learn responsibility and accountability. It also provides a chance to identify and address issues or challenges that affect them directly.

www.cacities.org

• Citizenship and service. Engaging in the local planning process gives young people a better understanding of local government, community issues and good citizenship.

• Better use of resources that serve youth. Obtaining improved information about young residents’ interests and needs can help local agencies optimize financial and staff resources directed to youth programs and services.

• Exposure to careers in local government. Through their involvement in the planning process, young people learn about local planning and careers in that field. As a result, they may consider a career in local public service.

Essential Elements of Successful Youth Councils Youth commissions and councils respond to the issues and community needs of greatest importance to their members.

While their success depends on a variety of factors, a few common elements are particularly important.

Staffing. It’s critically important that staff assigned to youth commissions and councils have a good grasp of the principles of youth leadership, development and empowerment. Nurturing young leaders requires skilled, committed staff with adequate time to devote to the task.

Diverse membership. Inclusiveness is a key element of democracy. In youth commissions and councils, it fosters participation, encourages equality and provides credibility. Perhaps most importantly, it gives youth an opportunity to work toward a common goal with others whose backgrounds and experiences differ.

An appropriate budget. To become active and effective and fulfill the purposes for which they were established, youth commissions require adequate resources.

Beyond support for staff, resources may also include stipends for youth; meeting expenses, transportation and other costs associated with membership, meetings and participation; training and skills

development to build commission competence and confidence; and support for communication, education and outreach to increase youth and others’ public awareness of the commission.

Access to public agency decisionmakers. It’s fundamentally important to create an environment where youths’ voices are heard and respected. When youth commissions are asked to provide input into actions or decisions of their local government, they must have regular access to appropriate information and the officials with whom they must communicate. Local agency commissions, councils and boards should provide information to youth commissioners and invite their participation.

The staff of departments whose work may be of particular interest to youth commissions should attend and report to commission meetings on a regular basis, and they should invite youth commission participation in their own meetings and decision-making process. continued

Inspiring young people to become involved in their communities and government is essential to the future of strong cities.

www.westerncity.com

Western City, August 2017

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Connecting Youth and Civic Leadership, continued

When creating public engagement processes for new local plans, budgets or other initiatives, youth commissions should be asked to help design mechanisms to ensure youth participation.

Tools to enhance youth commission capacity. Not all young people have the skills or experience necessary for successful participation. Providing an orientation, information-sharing sessions or training for youth appropriate to the commission’s focus increases the likelihood of its success. Topics may include understanding local government, media advocacy, meeting facilitation, public speaking, community mapping, community dynamics, youth-adult partnerships and youth-led evaluation and research.

Focus beyond youth commission members. Although a youth commission may be a diverse group of young people acting as the community’s “youth voice,” one group cannot speak for all its peers. To represent its peers’ needs and concerns, a youth commission can conduct communitywide surveys and evaluations to determine its priorities. Broad outreach plays an important part in youth commission success. Holding open forums to invite additional youth participation and input is a great way to strengthen and increase the commission’s effectiveness.

Inspiring a Lifelong Commitment to Civic Engagement Democracy depends on a foundation of engaged citizens. Inspiring young people to become involved in their communities and government is essential to the future of strong cities and states and the nation.

The Ruth Vreeland Award for Engaging Youth in City Government, a category of the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence, highlights California city programs that involve local youth in helping shape their communities. The 2017 winner will be

honored during the 2017 League of California Cities Annual Conference & Expo, Sept. 13–15 in Sacramento, along with the winners in the other 11 categories.

The League created this award in memory of former Monterey City Council Member and League Board Director Ruth Vreeland, who was a teacher and a passionate advocate for youth. The award recognizes programs such as: • Youth commissions that have maintained active and diverse youth involvement and provided young people a voice in their city’s public decision-making; • Collaborative efforts between cities and other organizations (schools, public agencies, nonprofits, the faith community and the private sector) to inform and engage youth about city issues and their community; • Projects that promote young people’s understanding of local government, their roles and responsibilities as citizens and their engagement in the community in ways that advance this understanding and benefit the community; and • Improvements in how the student community functions in terms of attitude, involvement, knowledge and the skills of good citizenship.

Be sure to visit the Helen Putnam Award winners’ exhibits in the League Partners Village at the 2017 League of California Cities Annual Conference & Expo. Staff from the winning projects will be on hand to answer questions and share information. (And it’s not too early to start thinking about applying for a 2018 Ruth Vreeland Award for Engaging Youth in City Government. Learn more at www.

HelenPutnam.org.)

Find Resources, Helpful Tips and Tools Online The information presented here draws extensively on the resources that the League and ILG offer cities with an interest in fostering youth participation in local government. These include articles,

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www.cacities.org

reports and practical tools your city can put to work right away. For links to these resources, read the online version of this article at www.westerncity.com. ■

Youth commissions and youth councils are doing innovative work in communities statewide.

My term as League president ends next month, and this is my last “President’s Message.” I want to thank the League board of directors, Executive Director Carolyn Coleman, the League staff and all of the city officials who have worked so hard this year to help us to reach our goals and — after a decade of sustained effort — pass a transportation bill. The League staff is the backbone of our organization, and their dedication and commitment make it possible for us to attain our goals and ultimately serve each of our constituents more effectively.

The League’s Executive Committee has been enormously helpful as we worked together with Carolyn to move the organization forward. My year as League president started with the organization hiring Carolyn, who I am confident will lead the League to the next level. Best wishes to League Executive Assistant Mimi Sharpe, who will retire next month.

My sincere thanks to all the League leaders — the department, division, policy committee and constituent group leaders and members — who have contributed to our successes.

I’m grateful to my team in Lodi: Steve Schwabauer, Janice Magdich and Jennifer Ferraiolo. And a big shout out to Western City Editor Jude Hudson, who always made sure my t’s were crossed and my i’s were dotted.

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Acknowledgments and Thanks

Finally, please join us at the League of California Cities 2017 Annual Conference & Expo, Sept. 13–15 in Sacramento, to learn about the latest developments that affect our cities and how we can work together to overcome the challenges before us. (While you are there, make sure to take a short drive to visit my city, “Livable Lovable Lodi,” and its wine country.) I look forward to seeing you at the conference.

www.westerncity.com

Western City, August 2017

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Transportation Funding Will Begin Flowing Soon Expect to see new funding in early 2018.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 1 (Beall, Chapter 5, Statutes of 2017), the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, into law on April 28. SB 1 generates $5.2 billion annually for California’s road maintenance and rehabilitation, with $650 million annually going directly to city streets and roads. The governor also signed ACA 5 (Frazier), which ensures that the revenues are spent directly on transportation projects; it will be placed on the June 2018 ballot.

League President and Lodi City Council Member JoAnne Mounce said, “California cities appreciate the governor’s signature on SB 1. Now our cities can get to work repairing and maintaining our streets and roads. These investments will also reduce car repair bills for our residents and improve our transportation system that is so vital to our economy and quality of life.”

The League greatly appreciates the leadership of Gov. Jerry Brown, Senate President

pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood); the hard work of Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose) and Assembly Member Jim Frazier (D-Oakley), chairs of their respective houses’ transportation committees; and the contributions of our partner organizations from the Fix Our Roads Coalition that championed the need to provide new investment in the transportation system.

Implementation Timing, Key Dates and Deadlines for Cities

Program

Prepare Draft Guidelines, Hold Workshops

California Transportation Commission (CTC) Adopts Guidelines

Applications or Project Lists Due

Program Adoption

Local Streets and Roads

June–July 2017

August 2017

September– October 2017, lists due to CTC

October 2017 (send to state controller)

Congested Corridors

June – December 2017

December 2017

February 2018

May 2018

Trade Corridor Enhancement

June–October 2017

January 2018

March 2018

May 2018

Local Partnership

June– September 2017

October 2017

March 2018

June 2018

Active Transportation

June 2017

June 2017

August 2017

October–December 2017

State Highway Operation & Protection Program (SHOPP)

May–June 2017

June 2017

January 2018 (Caltrans submits proposed 2018 SHOPP to CTC)

March 2018

State Transportation Improvement Program

June –October 2017

August 2017

December 2017

March 2018

Source: California Transportation Commission

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League of California Cities

www.cacities.org

League Works With California Transportation Commission on Guidelines The California Transportation Commission (CTC) asked the League to help it develop guidelines that will implement SB 1 transportation reporting requirements. The CTC hosted a kick-off meeting in early June in Sacramento to address implementation and sent the League draft guidelines for SB 1 reporting requirements. A small working group of public works directors from the League provided feedback to the CTC on these guidelines.

On June 30, the CTC released draft guidelines for public feedback and in October will release the final guidelines on SB 1 reporting requirements for cities and counties.

Timing of New Fees and Taxes

• $704 million for a one-time loan repayment (2017–2020);

The $5.2 billion generated annually through the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 comprises these funding sources and effective dates:

• $300 million from a 4 percent addition to the diesel sales tax (Nov. 1, 2017); and • $20 million from a $100 zero-emission vehicle registration fee (July 1, 2020).

• $1.8 billion from a 12-cent increase to the gasoline excise tax (Nov. 1, 2017);

Prepare Now

• $1.6 billion from a $25-$175 transportation improvement fee (Jan. 1, 2018); • $1.1 billion from a 17.3-cent reset of the price-based gas tax (July 1, 2019); • $730 million from a 20-cent increase to the diesel excise tax (Nov. 1, 2017);

Cities should take note of the key deadline dates for submitting applications and project lists to the CTC and begin preparing now.

For links to additional information on the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, read the online version of this article at www.westerncity.com. ■

Annual Conference Session Focuses on SB 1 Funding Fix for California’s Roads SB 1 represents landmark infrastructure investment in transportation unseen in a generation. Over the next 10 years, the package will generate $52 billion to repair the state and local transportation network and invest in key transportation programs such as transit, trade corridors and active transportation. As the money starts to roll out, cities will see significant increases for their local transportation budgets. Come hear from the state’s key experts on what SB 1 means for your city and what key provisions to keep in mind to ensure your city’s compliance with the new law. This session is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 13, from 3:45 to 5:00 p.m. See the conference program for location details.

www.westerncity.com

Western City, August 2017

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New Toolkit Helps Local Governments Engage Youth

by Randi Kay Stephens Preparing today’s youth with civic knowledge, skills and values is essential to ensuring the success of our cities. That’s why city and school officials are partnering to enhance and activate youth opportunities for career awareness and exploration and to increase youth civic engagement in local issues. These partnerships combine the expertise of classroom teachers with work-based learning experiences at City Hall. The Institute for Local Government (ILG) is helping communities throughout California develop new or expand existing school-municipal partnerships to provide young residents with job shadowing opportunities and internships and foster a better understanding of how local governments function.

ILG has developed a Governments Engaging Youth (GEY) toolkit (www.ca-ilg.org/geytoolkit) for city officials and staff to help them create or expand youth civic engagement efforts.

The toolkit includes: • A readiness assessment; • A spectrum of models for after-school, summer and year-round experiences (with case stories); • Sample curriculum plans; • Guides on connecting classroom learning with workbased experiences; • Information about recognizing individual progress and development (including the use of digital badges); • Resources to work with diverse youth, including “disconnected” youth populations; • Sample budgets and staff reports for city council or school board meetings; and • Tips on how cities and schools can partner for positive youth outcomes.

The resources in the toolkit come from cities statewide that are working hand in hand with school districts on these programs.

Local officials and staff can use the toolkit to implement the work-based learning continuum, which may include speakers in the classroom, site visits, service projects, job shadowing, high school internships and simulated council meetings.

Share Your City’s Experience Does your agency have a work-based learning partnership to highlight in the Governments Engaging Youth toolkit?

ILG welcomes your input. Contact Randi Kay Stephens at rstephens@ca-ilg.org to share your city’s story.

The toolkit is designed to help leaders and staff increase and activate teens’ capabilities so they are ready for college, career and civic life. One high school senior participating in a summer program describes her experience: “I learned how the city works and about local government. I also learned how to write a résumé and got tips on interviews and scholarships. I encourage students to do it because although it might sound boring having to spend summer hours learning about the government, it really isn’t like that. I now have a sense of the community and know how to be involved. You get to learn about many opportunities and meet the professionals — and have fun doing it all!”

To learn more about California communities implementing school-municipal partnerships, see “Governments Engaging Youth: Preparing for College, Career and Civic Life” on page 19.

Through GEY efforts, city and school officials and staff come together and engage youth in learning about civic participation, improving work readiness and exploring the potential of municipal government careers. To begin or enhance your city’s program for youth development and engagement, connect with ILG today at www.ca-ilg.org/geytoolkit.

The toolkit was developed through a grant from the California Workforce Investment Board and support from the Stuart Foundation. ■

Randi Kay Stephens is an associate program manager for the Institute for Local Government and can be reached at rstephens@ca-ilg.org.

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League of California Cities

www.cacities.org

A City Corps volunteer removes trash and illegally dumped items from storm drains that flow to bays and estuaries; below City Corps volunteers collect samples at demonstration wetlands.

left

Oxnard Taps Youth to Improve

Quality of Life Poverty, gang violence, poor educational attainment and high unemployment are factors that could adversely affect any community’s quality of life. When the City of Oxnard (pop. 207,772) confronted these challenges along with staffing vacancies in key divisions of its Public Works Department, Oxnard tapped its youth development program, City Corps, to help address and solve these issues.

In 2013, the Public Works Department partnered with the Recreation Division’s City Corps program to offer volunteer, educational and job opportunities to local youth ages 12–24. The partnership has enabled City Corps to meet its mission of helping youth realize their potential through age-appropriate public service while assisting the Public Works Department in fulfilling its commitment to provide quality services, facilities and infrastructure to Oxnard residents.

Gaining Work Skills and Self-Confidence “This collaboration gives young men and women the opportunity to gain valuable training and work experience and helps many of them to transition to careers with the City of Oxnard and other agencies,” says City Manager Greg Nyhoff. “The program also boosts their self-confidence, because they go home every day knowing that they have the skills and ability

to do meaningful work that benefits their community.”

Grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supports the ongoing partnership’s training and other educational opportunities.

In March 2014, when the city’s recycling facility needed 15 trained staff members to implement a waste characterization study, City Corps stepped in to fill the staffing void. After receiving 40 hours of training in hazardous waste operations and emergency response, City Corps participants helped the Public Works Department complete the study. The city used the study results to help identify equipment needed to increase diversion of its waste stream and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. continued on page 43

The City of Oxnard won the Award for Excellence in the Public Works, Infrastructure and Transportation category of the 2016 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence program. For more information about the award program, visit www.helenputnam.org. www.westerncity.com

Western City, August 2017

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What Cities Shoul Public Records in

by HongDao Nguyen Local agencies throughout the state have wrestled with the decision in City of San José v. Superior Court since the California Supreme Court issued its opinion earlier this year. The court found that records on local agency employees’ personal accounts and devices may be subject to the California Public Records Act (CPRA) if the records pertain to public business. In the opinion’s aftermath, many local agencies have received requests for records in public employees’ and officials’ personal email, text messaging and social media accounts.

This column answers commonly asked questions about the practical effects of the San José case on local agency practices under the CPRA. These answers offer guidance only and should not be substituted for advice from a public agency attorney.

Does San José apply to public officials or just public employees?

Most likely, San José applies to public officials in addition to public employees. The court held that “when a city employee uses a personal account to communicate about the conduct of public business,

the writings may be subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act.” Some have questioned whether the ruling applies to public officials because the ruling calls out only city employees. However, there’s a good reason why San José likely applies to public officials, too: The CPRA request at issue targeted, among other things, text messages on council members’ personal phones. Certainly the court was aware of the underlying facts of the case.

Moreover, the opinion is peppered with references to public officials. For example, in supporting its ruling, the court opined, “there is no indication the Legislature meant to allow public officials to shield communications about official business simply by directing them through personal accounts.” The justices also opined, “We are aware of no California law requiring that public officials or employees use only government accounts to conduct public business. If communications sent through personal accounts were categorically excluded from the CPRA, government officials could hide their most sensitive, and potentially damning, discussions in such

accounts.” [Emphasis added.] As such, it would be risky for a local agency to assume that public officials are not subject to the San José ruling.

What is the process of obtaining potential public records from public officials’ and public employees’ personal accounts?

San José includes a section titled “Guidance for Conducting Searches.” In this portion of the opinion, the court emphasized that employees and officials do not lose all of their privacy rights simply because they work for a public agency.

The court explained that in responding to a CPRA request for public records in personal accounts, a local agency does not need to seize computers and obtain individuals’ user names and passwords to search for public records in personal accounts and devices. Rather, local agencies are obligated to conduct searches that are “reasonably calculated” to locate responsive records and disclose records that the agencies can find with “reasonable effort.” continued on page 14

HongDao Nguyen is a municipal associate with the law firm of Best Best & Krieger LLP and co-authored the League’s friend-of-the-court brief for the City of San José v. Superior Court case. Jolie Houston, partner with Berliner Cohen LLP and chair of the League’s California Public Records Act Committee, also contributed to this article.

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League of California Cities

www.cacities.org

d Know About Private Accounts About Legal Notes This column is provided as general information and not as legal advice.

The law is constantly evolving, and attorneys can and do disagree about what the law requires. Local agencies interested in determining how the law applies in a particular situation should consult their local agency attorneys.

www.westerncity.com

Western City, August 2017

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What Cities Should Know About Public Records in Private Accounts, continued from page 12

Like any other CPRA request, upon receiving a request for public records on individuals’ personal accounts and devices, the local agency’s custodian of records should reach out to the employees and officials who are the subject of the request. San José suggests that employees and officials may then search their own personal files, accounts and devices for responsive material.

Does San José really apply the CPRA to text messages?

In the wake of San José, some have expressed dismay that text messages on public employees’ and officials’ personal phones could be public records under the CPRA. This is understandable, as text messaging is a newer form of electronic communication.

However, as mentioned earlier, the request at issue in San José targeted “emails and text messages ‘sent or received on private electronic devices used by’ the mayor, two city council members and their staffs.” Thus, text messages in an employee’s or official’s personal account or device may be subject to the CPRA if those text messages pertain to public business.

Does San José really apply the CPRA to social media accounts?

San José does not explicitly mention social media accounts like Facebook or Twitter.

However, the court acknowledged that records on “other electronic platforms” could also be subject to the CPRA. For example, if a city employee or council member emails a constituent from his or her personal account about a civic center groundbreaking, for practical purposes that same correspondence should also be a public record even if the discussion occurred in a private Facebook message.

In San José, the court looked past where the message resided and which electronic medium was used. Rather, if a record meets the following “factors,” it is probably a public record subject to the CPRA. What “factors” should a local agency consider when deciding whether a record is public or personal?

The court provided local agencies with the following “factors” to consider when determining whether a document is a public document or a personal one.

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League of California Cities

Content. Does the content of the email relate in a substantive way to the conduct of the agency’s business? In San José, the court stated, “Whether a writing is sufficiently related to the public business will not always be clear.

For example, depending on the context, an email to a spouse complaining ‘my co-worker is an idiot’ would likely not be a public record. Conversely, an email to a superior reporting the co-worker’s mismanagement of an agency project might well be.”

Context/Purpose. Why was the email written? Was it written to conduct the local agency’s business or further the local agency’s interest?

Audience. To whom was the email sent?

Was it sent to an agency employee, official, resident, consultant, agency stakeholder, etc.? Or was the email sent to a friend or family member?

Scope. Was the email written in the individual’s capacity as an agency official or as an employee representing the agency? Or was the email written as a private individual?

Each record must be reviewed on a caseby-case basis to determine whether it is a public or personal record.

How long should public employees and officials retain public records in their personal accounts and devices?

Although the CPRA is not a record retention statute, local agency public records generally must be retained in accordance with Government Code Section 34090, which requires certain public records to be kept for at least two years. The retention statutes do not provide a specific retention period for emails, texts or other forms of social media.

Now that we know public records may reside in personal accounts and devices, however, public employees and officials should be aware of their respective agencies’ records retention policies. If a public employee or official is concerned with following retention schedules for messages in personal accounts and devices, the easiest solution is not to

use personal accounts and devices for public business. If that’s not possible, then public employees or officials could make a habit of forwarding public records from a personal account and device to the local agency’s server. Another solution is to courtesy copy (cc) a local agency account on the public message so that the message reaches the local agency’s server.

After taking one or both of those actions (forwarding or copying the messages) the messages in the personal account and devices may be deleted. The CPRA does not require an agency to keep duplicate copies of a record.

If a local agency chooses to use an affidavit like the one the court referenced in San José, what should the affidavit contain?

In San José, the court suggested that if a public employee or official withholds documents from his or her personal account and devices, then the individual may “submit an affidavit with facts sufficient to show the information is not a ‘public record’ under the CPRA.” This practice is modeled after the federal Freedom of Information Act and a practice used in the State of Washington.

There is no consensus, however, on whether local agencies should follow this practice or how to implement it.

The CPRA and San José do not require this practice. However, if a local agency decides to use an affidavit to demonstrate that it has asked employees and officials to search their personal accounts and devices, the affidavit could include the following: a description of the CPRA request, language stating that the employee or official searched his or her personal accounts and devices, and what action he or she is taking (for example, disclosing records, not disclosing records — including a description of why — or disclosing some and withholding some).

The affidavit could then be filed away and produced if needed to defend the local agency in litigation or it could be provided to the requestor.

www.cacities.org

It would be risky for a local agency to assume that public officials are not subject to the San José ruling.

Looking for Footnotes?

For a fully footnoted version, read this article online at www.westerncity.com.

How should a local agency deal with public records in former public employees’ and officials’ personal accounts and devices?

In San José, the court noted that “an agency’s public records ‘do not lose their agency character just because the official who possesses them takes them out the door.’” This appears to be true of former public employees and officials as well.

In other words, just because a former public employee or official has left with public files or has them filed in his or her personal inbox does not mean that the records lose their public character. continued

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Western City, August 2017

15

What Cities Should Know About Public Records in Private Accounts, continued

One way local agencies may deal with this issue is to ask a former employee or official to search his or her personal accounts and devices for public records that may have been generated when he or she was employed or in office. Of course, any record that the former employee or official generated after he or she left office would not be subject to the CPRA. Regardless of how the local agency decides to deal with the issue, the agency should be prepared to demonstrate (either to the requestor or a court or both) that it complied with San José and reasonably conducted its search by communicating

the CPRA request to former officials and employees, as necessary.

How have other states, such as Washington, dealt with similar laws and case law providing that records on a public official’s or employee’s private devices or accounts may be subject to public disclosure?

Other states, like Washington, have had more time to digest the idea of public records residing in personal accounts and devices. In San José, the court relied on a case decided by the Washington Supreme Court: Nissen v. Pierce County. In Nissen,

the court held that an elected county prosecutor’s text messages regarding work-related matters sent and received from his private cell phone could be public records. Following Nissen, additional case law is beginning to emerge, giving us a glimpse of what may eventually transpire in California.

For example, in 2016, a Washington appeals court found that under Nissen, a trial court could require an elected city council member to produce emails stored in his personal email account that were deemed city records. The trial court

The court provided local agencies with “factors” to consider when determining whether a document is a public document or a personal one.

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League of California Cities

www.cacities.org

was also allowed to require the council member to submit an affidavit attesting to the adequacy of his search in his personal account. The council member had refused to provide records in his personal accounts, arguing (among other things) that he had a constitutional privacy right to personal records. Moreover, the city and council member argued that Nissen applied only to elected executive officers, not elected legislative officials. The Washington appellate court rejected those arguments.

Are public officials’ campaign-related records in their private accounts and devices subject to disclosure under the CPRA? No. Campaign-related records in personal accounts and devices are not subject to the CPRA. State law prohibits individuals

from using public resources for political purposes. Public officials may lawfully use only their personal or campaign accounts and devices for campaign purposes; such proper use of personal accounts and devices would not expose those political messages to public scrutiny under the CPRA. â–

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Western City, August 2017

17

Participants in Moreno Valley’s Summer at City Hall program are recognized by staff and council members, including Mayor Gutierrez, front right, who championed the program.

Governments Engaging Youth: Preparing for College, Career and Civic Life

by Hang Tran As large numbers of government employees retire from their jobs, human resources departments face a difficult task: hiring a new, talented and skilled government workforce.

To address these challenges and related issues, cities are collaborating with local school districts to implement civic engagement and work-based learning programs, like the City of Sacramento’s Summer at City Hall. These programs are designed to ensure that local youth are ready for college, careers and civic life.

Such programs provide opportunities for youth to: • Gain work skills; • Build interest in public service careers, thus strengthening the pipeline to public service; • Learn about voting, volunteering, leadership, advocating and how to be active citizens; and • Have a voice in community issues.

Founded in 2010, Sacramento’s Summer at City Hall program offers approximately 100 high school students the opportunity to learn about local government in a classroom setting and gain work-based learning experiences through a 42-hour internship with the city or a local organization. The six-week program is a partnership effort of the city’s Neighborhood Services Division, Sacramento City Unified School District, Twin Rivers Unified School District, Natomas Unified School District and WayUp Sacramento, a city initiative continued

Hang Tran is a program coordinator for the Institute for Local Government and can be reached at htran@ca-ilg.org. www.westerncity.com

Western City, August 2017

19

Governments Engaging Youth: Preparing for College, Career and Civic Life, continued

that supports health and well-being. Student benefits include a stipend, Regional Transit bus pass for the program and five high school credits. (For more information, read the online version of this article at www.westerncity.com.)

Many California cities are now customizing such programs to best meet the needs of their residents through available community resources.

Moreno Valley Mayor Champions Youth Program After joining the Moreno Valley City Council in 2013, Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez recognized a trend among the community’s young residents. High school students and youths in their early 20s lacked an understanding of basic local government functions and a desire for civic involvement. Gutierrez wanted to

Oxnard youth participating in Summer at City Hall visit the Fire Department to learn about public safety services.

address this challenge and the effects of summer learning loss. After hearing about Sacramento’s Summer at City Hall program, he committed to bring a similar program to Moreno Valley.

“An investment in our young people is an investment in the future of our city,” says Gutierrez. “Summer at City Hall provides high school students a unique opportunity to experience the inner workings of their city while learning valuable workplace and life skills.”

Gutierrez understood that to successfully develop a Summer at City Hall program, it was necessary to involve the local school district in the planning and implementation process. After securing the support of the school superintendent of Val Verde Unified School District (VVUSD) and the city manager, the mayor officially began the implementation process.

The city worked with VVUSD to establish clear roles and responsibilities for the program. For example, the school district is responsible for providing and funding lunch and transportation for students as well as hiring a teacher for the program’s classroom instruction. Meanwhile, the city took on the role of facilitating the program, organizing guest speakers and placing interns. The city budgeted $5,000 for the program, which included meeting facilities and youth stipends. To strengthen the partnership, Moreno Valley and VVUSD signed a joint resolution in 2016 establishing the Summer at City Hall program.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for the school district and the city to work together to give our kids the experience and exposure they need to have a competitive edge in the real world,” says Mark LeNoir, assistant superintendent of VVUSD.

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20

League of California Cities

Visit us in Sacramento at booth #1102 during the League of California Cities Annual Conference Sept. 13-14, 2017 www.pars.org

Moreno Valley officially launched its first program in June 2016, using Sacramento as a model. The city adapted specific components to best meet the needs of its community. The program included classroom and internship components, but started with a smaller number of students.

Youth participants, parents, teachers and city staff responded enthusiastically to the

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West Sacramento youth gain city government experience through the Summer STEPS program.

DISCOVER The Difference • Best overall government agency pricing • Competitively solicited by a lead public agency • Free registration — no user fees or commitments

EXPLORE first Moreno Valley Summer at City Hall, which the city deemed a success. High school senior Erika Ruiz credits her Summer at City Hall experience with helping choose her college studies.

“The Summer at City Hall experience helped me understand the different city divisions, their roles and the significant impact they have on the community,” says Ruiz.

“I really enjoyed my time with the Economic Development Department. After interning there, I am interested in studying urban development at UC Berkeley next fall.”

West Sacramento’s On-Ramp to Public Sector Careers The City of West Sacramento launched the Summer STEPS (Strides Toward Entering Public Service) program in 2015 as part of its efforts to diversify the city’s workforce and create a path to public service careers.

Championed by West Sacramento City Manager Martin Tuttle and the city’s Human Resources division of its Administrative Services Department, the STEPS program offers local youths a work-based learning experience to ensure they are eligible and competitive for an entry-level position within the public sector, ideally with the city.

the League’s 2017 Annual Conference and Expo for products and solutions for your city including those to help with emergency preparedness, response and recovery.

“The STEPS program is one way in which the city is creating pathways to public service and career opportunities while diversifying our local workforce,” says West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon.

ENTER TO WIN

Summer STEPS is open to high school juniors and seniors and undergraduate and graduate students. The eight-week program includes a 40-hour per week paid internship in one of eight city departments. To illustrate the breadth of local government careers and key functions, continued

www.westerncity.com

a $3,000 voucher for your city to be used with any exhibiting U.S. Communities supplier.* *Visit booths 201-217 and 706-710 at the League’s Expo on September 13-14 to enter. A city representative must be present at the Closing General Assembly session on Friday to win. sponsored by

www.uscommunities.org/lcc

Western City, August 2017

21

Governments Engaging Youth: Preparing for College, Career and Civic Life, continued

the program includes weekly “lunch and learn” sessions with a range of guest speakers and field trips to city facilities.

Funding for the program comes primarily from the city’s General Fund and costs approximately $70,000 per year.

A significant distinction of the Summer STEPS program is its use of digital badges.

To further enhance the work-based learning experience, the city partnered with FutureReady, a project of the West Sacramento Community Foundation, to develop and implement a digital badge component for the program. Students earn digital badges for completing a specific list of tasks or goals during their time in the program. These digital badges serve as virtual credentials, enabling youths to illustrate a skill or experience that they

A Summer STEPS intern with the City Clerk’s Office helps to register voters.

continued on page 45

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League of California Cities

www.cacities.org

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Annual Confe League of California Cities 2017

ANNUAL CO N FER EN

by Jennifer Whiting

J

oin city officials from over 400 cities throughout the state at their largest conference of the year, the League of California Cities 2017 Annual Conference & Expo, Sept. 13–15 at the Sacramento Convention Center. Meet with approximately 2,000 elected officials and staff, and choose from more than 50 break-out sessions and CityTalks designed to educate and inform.

Be sure to download the League mobile app, which is designed to help you maximize your time at the annual conference.

You can check out the timetable of events, customize your schedule, import your selected sessions into your calendar, access session materials and speaker bios, view exhibitor information and more. Find the app by searching in the app store for “League of California Cities” or “CACities.”

Wednesday, Sept. 13

Though the annual conference doesn’t officially kick off until Wednesday afternoon, a variety of activities take place in the morning, including the AB 1234 Ethics Training, a City Clerks’ Workshop and meetings of the League’s policy committees and Legal Advocacy Committee. If you are a first-time attendee, join us from 12:45 to 1:15 p.m. for an orientation designed to help you navigate the numerous

Jennifer Whiting is director of education and conferences for the League and can be reached at jwhiting@cacities.org. To register for the conference, visit www.cacities.org/events.

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League of California Cities

www.cacities.org

erence & Expo CE & EXPO PREVIE W Sacramento Convention Center, Sept. 13–15 learning opportunities available. Executive Director Carolyn Coleman and other League leaders will offer helpful tips on how to get the most out of your conference experience.

The conference begins with a celebratory Opening General Session that includes the announcement of winners of the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence, presentation of the Past Presidents’ Lifetime Achievement Award and the League’s Annual Report, given by Executive Director Coleman. We will also hear from America’s first African-American female combat

www.westerncity.com

pilot, Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour, who will share her story to illustrate how you can decide what you want, take a stand and execute your vision. You will walk away energized and ready to give your city the boost needed to enhance teamwork, better understand how your objectives support the city’s overall strategy — and accomplish its mission. (See “Don’t Miss These Dynamic Speakers” on page 27 for more about Armour.)

After the Opening General Session, you will have an opportunity to attend various educational sessions before the

evening’s festivities begin with the grand opening of the Expo Hall and the Host City Reception, presented by the City of Sacramento (a conference registration badge is required to access the event and Expo floor). Later, evening events continue at the CitiPAC 12th Annual Leadership Reception at the California Museum, hosted by Keenan & Associates and featuring music, refreshments, casinostyle gaming and full access to the museum.

continued

Western City, August 2017

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League of California Cities 2017 Annual Conference & Expo Preview, continued

Thursday, Sept. 14

A full day of educational opportunities is planned for Thursday, starting with the Expo, which opens at 9:00 a.m.

The Expo features over 230 companies showcasing a wide range of products and services designed to help communities by improving local services and the quality of life for residents.

At the morning General Session Keynote Address, hear dynamic author, educator and civic entrepreneur Eric Liu. Hailed by The New York Times and The Washington Post as a leading voice of his generation, Liu has served in senior leadership roles in politics, media and business. Liu is a regular columnist for CNN.com and correspondent for TheAtlantic.com and he has written several acclaimed books that

showcase his power as a storyteller and idea generator. (For more about Liu, see “Don’t Miss These Dynamic Speakers” on page 27.)

Thursday afternoon’s educational sessions examine topics such as economic development, affordable housing, marijuana regulation, municipal finance and many more. The evening offers multiple networking opportunities at various receptions hosted by League Partners and the League’s diversity caucuses and divisions.

Check with your regional public affairs manager for division event times, dates and applicable costs.

Friday, Sept. 15

The final day of the conference offers attendees professional development opportunities with over a dozen break-out sessions before the closing luncheon and General Assembly.

above The

conference brings city officials and staff together to share innovative approaches to common issues and offers many opportunities to ask questions, below right.

During the General Assembly, see the League’s 2017–18 board of directors sworn into office and the League’s General Assembly act on policy resolutions to be implemented in the coming year.

The General Assembly comprises voting delegates, designated by each member city, who vote on policy resolutions that have been proposed by the League’s members. (Voting delegates must be registered for the conference to participate in the General Assembly.) For more information on the League’s resolutions process, visit www.cacities.org/resolutions.

Watch for updates on the sessions and speakers at www.cacities.org/AC. We look forward to seeing you in September! ■

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League of California Cities

Don’t Miss These Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour — known to most simply as FlyGirl — was the first AfricanAmerican woman on the Nashville Police Department’s motorcycle squad, a two-time titleholder in Camp Pendleton’s annual Strongest Warrior Competition as well as their Female Athlete of the Year and a running back for the San Diego Sunfire women’s professional football team. She propelled herself from beat cop to combat pilot in a record-breaking three years and became the U.S. Marine Corps’ first African-American female pilot and first African-American female combat pilot. After completing two tours of duty in Iraq and leaving the military, FlyGirl launched FlyGirl Enterprises. As featured on Oprah Winfrey, CNN, MSNBC, NPR and countless other news and entertainment outlets, FlyGirl’s contagious, gutsy style continues to inspire people and organizations across the globe.

She energizes audiences by conveying the

www.westerncity.com

Dynamic Speakers passion and leadership required to excel.

FlyGirl says, “To change current conditions, we are going to need to think, lead and execute differently. In order to succeed, you gotta ‘Get Gutsy!’ We all must take personal responsibility and be accountable. We win or lose together.”

Hear “FlyGirl” speak at the Opening General Session on Wednesday, Sept. 13.

Eric Liu A dynamic author, educator and civic entrepreneur, Liu inspires and energizes audiences everywhere. He is the founder and CEO of Citizen University, which promotes and teaches the art of creative citizenship. In settings ranging from the World Economic Forum to the Seeds of Compassion event with the Dalai Lama, and from college campuses and corporate

boardrooms to grassroots community organizations, Liu brings a message of possibility and connection that is unique and powerful.

Liu served as a White House speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and later as Clinton’s deputy domestic policy advisor. Liu’s book Guiding Lights: The People Who Lead Us Toward Our Purpose in Life was named the Official Book of National Mentoring Month.

His book about race, identity and assimilation, The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, was a New York Times Notable Book and was featured in the PBS documentary Matters of Race.

Liu asks, “How can you learn to activate your civic power to see problems through fresh eyes and bypass broken institutions, stale ideologies and divisive politics?” Hear him speak about citizen power, civic purpose and effective citizenship at the General Session on Thursday, Sept. 14.

Western City, August 2017

27

2017 ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXPO PREVIEW

League Partners appear in burgundy. Companies exhibiting in the U.S. Communities area of the Expo appear in bold.

5 BARS LLC

CannaRegs

Emerald Data Solutions Inc.

Accela2

Cannon

Ennis-Flint

ADA Consultant Services

CA-NV Section, American Water Works Association

Envisio Solutions Inc.

Carpenter/Robbins Commercial Real Estate Inc.2

Fair Political Practices Commission

Aircon Energy Alliance Building Solutions Alliance Resource Consulting LLC Amazon Business

Charles Abbott Associates2 Churchwell White LLP

Ameresco

Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program

ANP Lighting

City Ventures

Aquadyne Associates

CitySourced

Arborjet

CleanStreet

Artistic Resources Corp

Climatec LLC

Asphalt Zipper

Club Car LLC

Avery Associates

2

Columbia Vehicle Group

Avolve Software

Community Champions

Best Best & Krieger LLP1,2

Complus Data Innovations Inc.

Best Friends Animal Society

Construction Testing Services

Blais & Associates

Con Edison Solutions

BlueDAG LLC

Contractor Compliance and Monitoring Inc.

Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. Breezer Holdings/Breezer Mobile Cooling Burke, Williams & Sorensen LLP

1,2

Cal Signal Corp/DDL Traffic/Eltec Corp California Association of Public Information Officials California Building Officials California Building Standards Commission California Consulting LLC California Dept. of Housing & Community Development

Corcentric Crown Castle International Inc.1,2 CSG Consultants Inc. Custom Fabrication Inc. CXT Prefabricated Concrete Buildings Dapeer, Rosenblit & Litvak LLP Dart Container 2 Davey Resource Group, a Division of the Davey Tree

EZ Street Company FairVote California Farber Specialty Vehicles FATHOM Fieldman, Rolapp & Associates Inc. ForeFront Power Foundation Support of California Frontier Energy Inc. Gallagher Asphalt Corporation GameTime GeoStabilization International Gordian Government Service Desk GrantFinder Graphic Solutions Graybar Greenfields Outdoor Fitness Greenshine New Energy HD Supply HD SUPPLY WATERWORKS HdL Companies HEAL Cities Campaign Heartland Payment Systems Helix Steel

Dekra-Lite

Hemet Valley Recovery

DGS Statewide Travel Program

HR Green Inc.

DLR Group

IBank

Doosan-Bobcat

In God We Trust America Inc.

California State Board of Equalization

Eaglelift Inc.

Insight Public Sector

California State Water Resources Control Board

Earth Systems

Iteris Inc.

Econolite Group Inc.

Jamboree Housing Corporation

California Statewide Communities Development Authority

ECS Imaging Inc.

John Deere Company

Ecube Labs Co. Ltd.

Johnson Controls2

California Fuel Cell Partnership California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) California Joint Powers Insurance Authority

CalPERS

Jones & Mayer

1 — Institute for Local Government Partner; 2 — CitiPAC supporter. List current as of July 10, 2017. Visit us at www.cacities.org/2017expo.

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League of California Cities

www.cacities.org

City officials enter the Expo to learn about the latest products and services; Helen Putnam Award for Excellence winners showcase their programs at the Expo, above. left

Kaiser Permanente

OpenGov

Premier Inc.

Kasdan Lipp Smith Weber Turner, LLP

Otto Environmental Systems North America Inc.

ProAll International Manufacturing Inc.

Overton Safety Training Inc. PARS2

Public Agency Risk Sharing Authority of California

Peckham & McKenney

Public Financial Management Group

Pennino Management Group

Public Restroom Company

PERC Water

QuickCaption

Piper Jaffray

Radarsign LLC

PowerFlare-PF Distribution Center Inc.

Ralph Andersen and Associates

Keenan & Associates

2

Keyser Marston Associates, Inc. Kosmont Companies2 Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard1 LaneLight/ITEM Ltd. LCPtracker Inc. LEADSUN Learn4Life LECET Southwest

Proposal Tech

Precision Concrete Cutting

continued

Library Systems & Services Liebert Cassidy Whitmore1 Lincoln Financial Group Local Search Association LSL CPAs

LET’S COME TOGETHER AND TALK CITIES

Mann Urutia Nelson CPAs Many Mansions Matrix Consulting Group

Join us at booth #803 during the League of California Cities Annual Expo in Sacramento, September 13-15.

McGeorge School of Law Meyers Nave1,2 Michelson Found Animals Registry MNS Engineers, Inc. Mudhen Municipal Resource Group LLC MuniServices2 nCourt NEOGOV Nexlevel Information Technology Next 10 NLC Service Line Warranty Program NO-DES Inc. North American Society for Trenchless Technology Northern California Carpenters Regional Council

PLAN CHECK M U N I C I PA L E N G I N E E R I N G PROGR AM / PROJECT MANAGEMENT BUILDING SAFET Y / CODE COMPLIANCE S TA F F A U G M E N TAT I O N CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT / INSPECTION WAT E R Q U A L I T Y C O M P L I A N C E GIS & ASSET MANAGEMENT BROADBAND / SMART CITIES

NV5 Nyhart Omni-Means Ltd. Open Counter Enterprises Inc.

www.westerncity.com

 1260 Corona Pointe Cour t, Suite 305 | Corona, CA 92879

Phone 855.900.4742 HRGREEN.COM

Western City, August 2017

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2017 Annual Conference & Expo Preview, Expo Exhibitors, continued

RealTerm Energy

Sol Powered By Carmanah

TripBucket

Regional Government Services Authority

Southern California Edison2

U.S. Communities

Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai LLP (Public Law Group)1,2

SouthTech Systems

U.S. Flood Control Corp

Renovate America-The HERO Program

Spohn Ranch Skateparks

Underground Refuse Systems Inc.

Sportsplex USA

Union Pacific Railroad

Spring City Electrical

Urban Solar

Spruce Finance

US Auctions

SSA Landscape Architects Inc.

USA Properties Fund

Stem

V5 Systems Inc.

SunPower Corporation

Vali Cooper & Associates Inc.2

Superion

Vanir Construction Management Inc.

Sutter Health

Veeam Software Corporation

Republic Services Retail Marketing Services Retail Strategies LLC RJM Design Group Inc. RKA Consulting Group Roadsys LLC Safe Drain SAFEbuilt LLC SafetyStepTD Inc. Sanexen Water Inc. Schaefer Systems International Inc. Schneider Electric2 ScholarShare Investment Board SCI Consulting Group SeamlessGov by SeamlessDocs Security Lines US SeeClickFix Seneca Systems SERVPRO2 Severn Trent-North America Siemens2 Silver & Wright LLP SmartCitiesPrevail.org

SyTech Solutions

ViewPoint Cloud

Taborda Solutions

Wells Fargo

TAPCO

West Coast Arborists Inc.

TBWB Strategies

West Coast Code Consultants

TeamCalifornia

Western Propane Gas Association

The Garland Company Inc.

Willamette Valley Company

The Pin Center

Willdan

TimeClock Plus

Ygrene Energy Fund ■

1

TNT Fireworks TOTER WASTEQUIP Toyota Motor Sales Inc. Trane Transtech Engineers Inc. Tremco Police Products Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations

1 — Institute for Local Government Partner; 2 — CitiPAC supporter. List current as of July 10, 2017. Visit us at www.cacities.org/2017expo.

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League of California Cities

The Expo provides a look at a diverse range of products and services designed to save cities time and money.

Protecting Your Professional Reputation Online by Ryder Todd Smith Google your name right now. Do you like what you see? Will others?

The internet has become the dominant place to make a first impression, and those in the public eye have the most at stake when it comes to their online reputations.

Searching online for someone’s name as a quick refresher on who they are and where they’re from is a common practice.

A brief scroll through search results can help avoid the awkward social moment of forgetting personal details, like where someone went to college or the name of a spouse. Similarly, others may search online for information about you to learn the details of your life, and they may not be discerning when it comes to the sources of that information.

Living and Working Under Scrutiny The nature of our role in local government — whether as senior staff at a city or as elected officials — puts us in the public eye. At some point, we may have to take an action that upsets someone or creates a controversy that results in media coverage. In the private sector, a mistake or poor decision would just quietly disappear into the ether. In the public sector, these situations can quickly become stories about “wasting taxpayers’ money” or “government mismanagement.” This is part of the burden and responsibility of public service.

Just ask Karen Pinkos, who serves as assistant city manager in El Cerrito.

“Twitter is my go-to tool for engagement, and I use it to put a face to the profession of local government. I have also had the experience of not being able to solve a resident’s problem with another agency and later taking online heat despite my lack of authority over that agency. Much as I wish cities could wave a wand and solve every resident’s concern, we have limits to our jurisdiction,” says Pinkos.

“Serving the public means you have to smile through situations where our role is misunderstood. But that can manifest in online baggage.”

Information abhors a vacuum. The internet puts endless information at our fingertips; you can find nearly anything there. continued

Ryder Todd Smith is co-founder and president of Tripepi Smith and serves as chair of the planning commission for the City of Tustin.

He can be reached at ryder@tripepismith.com.

www.westerncity.com

Western City, August 2017

31

Protecting Your Professional Reputation Online, continued

This is mostly the result of user-generated content and easy publishing capabilities that have turned anyone with an internet connection and a keyboard into a reporter of information. As a consequence, information moves quickly to fill voids where news or information has not yet been shared.

Valerie Gaeta Phillips, president of a public-sector recruitment firm, has seen the impact of online reputations in her work. “The internet is a treasure trove of data for both city staff candidates and city council members. Each party Googles the other during the recruitment process,” says Phillips. “We review candidates’ online profiles and ask pointed questions of them about stories we find online, whether fair or completely misleading. Having an honest and clear explanation for any problematic online stories is a must.”

Tools to Help Monitor Your Online Reputation Public figures need to pay attention to more than just newspaper coverage. Indeed, most of the discussion is happening through your community’s blogs, Facebook posts and Twitter missives — outside the boundaries of traditional reporting.

Much of this content is being indexed by Google, Bing and other search engines, making it easily discoverable by those who seek to learn more about you.

The first step in addressing your online reputation is the obvious one: Know when your reputation is being affected.

Set up a Google Alert (at https://www. google.com/alerts) or Bing News Alert (at https://www.bing.com/news) and configure a profile. If your name is unique, then simply configuring your name will

suffice, but if your name is common (Kim Smith or Mike Lee), you will need to configure additional terms related to your title or city. The results of this effort could be a daily email or dashboard of results showing updates when an item that matches your search criteria has been indexed by the search engines.

Top Four Proactive Strategies Armed with an understanding of where your online reputation stands today, the next step is to work on preparing your reputation for a potential future onslaught. This work, sometimes referred to as online reputation management, can be time-consuming or expensive, but there are some viable solutions. Here are the top four fundamentals to consider when protecting your online reputation.

others may search online for information about you to learn the details of your life.

Learn More About This Topic at the Annual Conference Want to hear more about this subject?

Attend the “Protecting Your Professional Reputation Online” session at the League of California Cities 2017 Annual Conference & Expo. Ryder Todd Smith will moderate a panel of senior city staff and a council member in a discussion about online reputation management and the tools they use to enhance or protect their online personas.

The session will be held Thursday, Sept. 14, from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m.

See the conference program for location details.

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Build out your social media profiles with details and information that professionally represent you online.

LinkedIn profiles are one of the most common results that pop up when searching for the name of a person.

Secure your presence online with a simple website and custom domain name. Use your middle name if you have to lock down something unique.

For instance, I own both rydersmith. com and rydertoddsmith.com. Both redirect to my company’s website.

Publish something worth repeating that makes you proud. The internet has opened up the world for anyone to be an author, and that includes you. Publish blog posts or op-eds that showcase your expertise or explain an important public policy matter.

Provide quotes to the media about issues they are covering so your name appears in their features. Fostering a relationship with traditional media sources that have an online presence can be a helpful tool in building an online reputation through third-party platforms like newspaper websites. When the media is seeking comment on a general social trend or the city will be making a public presentation about good news, make yourself available and quotable.

For example, when the City of Norwalk runs through highlights of progress being made in the city, both the mayor and the city manager have a chance to highlight good news in proximity to their names from a newspaper source (http://wavenewspapers.com/norwalk-team-makingprogress-city-officials-say). These stories get priority indexing by Google and other search engines, which means they show up higher in search results about your name.

Of course, the counter to that is true as well. When scandal surrounds a public official and the media swoops in to cover the story (and for many cities this is the only time the media show up), the resulting online stories can be devastating for an online reputation because they remain top search results for years.

Adopt a Maintenance Mindset Online reputations require care, feeding and attention to detail to maintain.

It’s in your best interest to be proactive rather than reactive. After a negative story appears on a news network, it is likely beyond your control and will be difficult to displace from search results for your name. But if you have taken steps to “own” at least some of the first page of search results for your name, others will have an uphill battle to insert their own narratives. ■

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Planning for Self-Driving Cars

by Jennifer Cohen

New innovation and technology that come with “smart cities” offer ways for cities to better identify constituent needs, deliver services more effectively and create new economic opportunities. However, pitfalls must be avoided to help ensure the successful rollout of cutting-edge projects. At the League of California Cities 2017 Annual Conference & Expo, a session titled “Embracing Innovation and Not Getting ‘Outsmarted’” will provide a summary of important policy and legal issues that need to be considered when implementing new smart city initiatives, including privacy, cybersecurity, data management and analysis, information sharing and insurance. Participants will learn about the steps they can take to mitigate potential risks and hear an overview of key contractual issues. Speakers on this panel include Gregory Rodriguez and Leeann Habte from the law firm of Best Best & Krieger and Jennifer Cohen, director of government

affairs for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. In this article, Cohen addresses one of the issues that the panel will discuss at the session. —Editor Automated vehicles will revolutionize transportation in the most substantial way since the invention of the internal combustion engine. Letting robots take the wheel could usher in game-changing impacts to mobility, safety, congestion reduction, air quality and land use.

However, without proactive policy guidance from cities, self-driving cars — also known as autonomous vehicles (AVs) — will exacerbate the transportation woes that already plague California. Public officials need to focus on core transportation values and objectives and act quickly to enact policies and plans to ensure positive outcomes and avert disaster.

The greatest potential gains offered by AVs are in public safety. In 2016, over 35,000 people died in traffic accidents nationwide — 7 percent more than in the previous year. These numbers are expected to keep rising because the number of miles driven is also increasing.

Ninety percent of automobile crashes are caused by human error, so removing the human component of driving has the immense potential to make our roads safer.

Remember, computers do not drink and drive, sleep deprivation does not affect them and they are not distracted by text messages or crying babies. The potential of AVs to prevent reckless driving and save lives is profound and is the greatest benefit of deploying this technology.

But we cannot overlook our most vulnerable road users: the very young, the very old and those who walk, roll and pedal.

Jennifer Cohen is director of government affairs for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and can be reached at jennifer.cohen@lacity.org.

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As AV technology develops, we need it to do more than protect those inside the vehicles. AV technology must also be used to avoid striking pedestrians and cyclists.

Balancing the protection of the passengers inside the vehicle with that of the people outside the vehicle may create an ethical challenge for AV software developers, but it must be acknowledged — all potential human contact must be considered.

Issues of Equity Driving has long been a symbol of freedom and independence, and automation has the potential to extend those benefits to those who have been unable to drive due to physical or fiscal challenges.

AVs can increase access to employment, education and other vital resources.

Such access cannot be limited to affluent consumers (like new technology often is) and exclude those with the most to gain. The safety and mobility benefits of this technology need to be accessible to all, regardless of income, age or other characteristics. Government needs to address the integration of AV in ways that transcend diverse populations, including those on the wrong side of the “digital divide,” to maximize the benefits of this technology.

Data and Funding Needs While there is much about the AV future that we do not know, we can be certain

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that without a reliable funding stream and transportation data, we will not be able to efficiently deliver and maintain a street and road network that supports full AV functionality. To build the cities of the future, planners and engineers need to understand what causes AV crashes and failures. We need to learn what impact pavement condition, signage, striping and potholes have on AV operations. In addition, understanding how and where people travel will allow cities to build curb capacity (the amount of space along the curb used for parking or other purposes) and transit stations that truly meet travelers’ needs. This information on behavior should not be obscured as proprietary to a business or treated as a trade secret and kept from public access.

On the contrary, this information is the fundamental building block of the safety and efficiency of our future cities. In this vein, cities will need to enhance their data analysis skills and resources — and may require leadership from the state and federal government on this front.

Cities currently rely heavily on gas taxes and parking meter/citation revenues to finance a wide range of municipal services.

The advent of more automated vehicles that either do not require parking or don’t make mistakes will drastically curtail this revenue. Meanwhile, the new infrastructure will need to support automation, the likes of which have not yet been identified.

For example, AVs will need cybersecurity protections and street signage that communicates directly with vehicles — and these will require funding.

Congestion and Land Use AVs are a terrific addition to the “first and last mile” toolbox, but they cannot supplant mass transit or active transportation and reap the aforementioned benefits. If AVs make long commutes more appealing and investment in mass transit stagnates, congestion will increase.

Government must continue to incentivize shared use and investments in mass transit, walking and cycling. continued

Learn More About Innovation at the Annual Conference Want to hear more about this topic?

Attend the “Embracing Innovation and Not Getting ‘Outsmarted’” session at the League of California Cities 2017 Annual Conference & Expo. The session will be held Thursday, Sept. 14, from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. See the conference program for location details.

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Planning for Self-Driving Cars, continued

AVs will use road space more efficiently and likely reduce parking demand, which will free up land to be used in new ways. Surface parking lots and parking minimums may soon be part of a bygone era. This can make land available for more affordable housing and open space, two things that most metropolitan areas need. But again, this benefit will be possible only with deliberate choices to incentivize shared use and continued investment in transit.

Automated vehicle technology must protect not only people in the vehicle, but also those on the road and using the sidewalks.

Environmental Issues: AVs Must Be EVs Transportation is responsible for nearly 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and vehicle exhaust contributes heavily to the incidence of pulmonary illnesses.

To address this clear link, California has adopted several policies and regulatory frameworks to reduce emissions and increase environmental protections. The advent of a new type of vehicle presents

an opportunity to make a leap forward in reducing greenhouse gas generation and improving air quality by requiring such vehicles to be electric.

The future of automation is bright if established public policy goals guide

automation and technology. However, if business opportunity drives policy, the benefits to society may be stunted. It is incumbent on cities and the public sector to play a proactive role and engage with stakeholders on this topic. â–

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Getting the Most Value From Your City’s Technology Investment by Jim Lewis The last two decades have marked an enormous increase in our daily use of technology. Few can imagine living without it. For most people, technology is an integral part of how they interact with the world around them. Local government officials and staff now operate in a citizen-centered world where residents expect that their needs will be met immediately and without friction. As technology progresses seemingly at light speed, local government organizations are benefiting from technological advancements that make local engagement easier and the functions of governing and running a city more efficient. Technological advancements can be an effective strategic tool that help cities and local agencies provide essential community services to their constituents.

Many cities are using technology to improve the lives of the people they serve and to increase civic engagement by using parallel online and offline efforts to build a digital audience and relay important information to constituents. Technology increasingly serves as the backbone for providing local services such as clean and well-maintained streets, safe roads, synchronized streetlights to improve traffic circulation and even air and water quality. It is also increasingly imperative that public safety officials have access to new technology to reduce emergency and incident response times, thus saving lives.

Putting Security First Public agencies, however, are under tremendous pressure to secure critical data, infrastructure and services. In today’s cyber landscape a constant stream of high-profile cyberattacks are creating a heightened sense of urgency about cybersecurity. Local governments must be constantly on guard and take precautionary measures to ensure the proper safeguards are in place. Unfortunately, many agencies take a perimeter-focused approach to security, which is no longer sufficient or practical. These agencies still do not have the necessary safety provisions in place and tend to fall victim to ever-changing malicious cyberattacks. In such circumstances, cybersecurity tends to be an unfortunate afterthought.

This concerns many local officials and staff because a security breach has the power to affect their constituents’ well-being, safety and quality of life. It is imperative that local agencies providing essential community services ensure that their systems are running efficiently and effectively so that constituents’ needs are supported appropriately. Across the board, municipal spending on technology averages roughly 2.5 to 3 percent of local budgets statewide; therefore, it’s critically important to ensure that the technology implemented is cost effective and that taxpayer funds are not wasted. Security is an issue that cannot be overlooked.

Jim Lewis is city manager of Pismo Beach and can be reached at JLewis@PismoBeach.org.

Cloud computing, in cases where it makes sense, can offer cost savings and ease of access.

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www.cacities.org

Smart Cities and Cloud-Based Operations Smart cities are the topic of much discussion and a recent Western City article, “Making Your City Smarter,” which offered this definition: “Typically a smart city uses fiber optic and/or wireless networks to connect various components of infrastructure and share information that is used to deliver public services more effectively and efficiently, save money for taxpayers and improve the quality of life.” Technology deployed by smart cities includes smart parking, smart streetlights, mobile applications and gunshot detection systems.

Smart cities generally use a public engagement mechanism that encourages residents’ participation in government. This is typically done through mobile applications and/or website features that make it easy to provide feedback, submit service requests and access information about city services, events, road closures and more.

What to Keep in Mind It is imperative that city officials explore various uses of technology within their organizations as technological advancements in engagement, cybersecurity, mobile access and cloud computing converge and drive innovation and efficiency in local government. Technology is often considered an operational need and generally functions behind the scenes; however, it should be an integral part of any organization’s operations. Local governments nationwide are on the path to offering a truly connected experience for residents and local businesses. The use of technology can increase efficiencies and potentially generate revenue — and should be a priority consideration. Replacing legacy infrastructure that is unable to keep pace with new technology and emerging demands should be considered an investment in the well-being of the agency and its constituents.

Cities should consider technology a strategic tool and include it in the framework of the planning process. ■

Many cities have recently started adopting cloud computing and/ or hosted offerings as part of their operations. Cloud computing, in cases where it makes sense, can offer cost savings and ease of access. It can also help organizations be nimble and more responsive.

Though often heralded as a key enabler of e-government capability, not all cloud offerings are cost effective. Cloud computing should be implemented only after conducting a careful cost-benefit analysis. Each scenario has pros and cons, so knowing if the cloud is “right” for a city or organization depends not only on the features and service offerings but also on costs and considerations. Such considerations include security, availability and the cloud service provider’s reputation. One size does not fit all, and local agencies must know which variables to study when considering or engaging in cloud computing options.

Don’t Miss the Technology Investment Session at the Annual Conference This topic will be discussed in the session “Getting the Most Value From Your City’s Technology Investment” presented by the Municipal Information Systems Association of California (MISAC) at the League of California Cities 2017 Annual Conference & Expo.

The session will cover: • Technology and cloud strategies; • Public engagement; • Cybersecurity and security trends; • Ways to leverage technology; and • Mobile apps, smart cities, the Internet of Things and other trends.

The session will be held Friday, Sept. 15, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.

See the conference program for location details.

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Lodi’s Storm Drain Detectives

Monitor Water Quality The City of Lodi (pop. 64,058) lies along the Mokelumne River in Northern California’s San Joaquin Valley, 35 miles south of Sacramento. The region produces award-winning wines, walnuts, olives and cherries. Since 2000, the City of Lodi Public Works has managed the Storm Drain Detectives student volunteer river-monitoring program as a way to involve the community in learning more about the Mokelumne River watershed.

A Creative Solution to a Community Issue The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) fined the City of Lodi’s wastewater facility $20,000 in 1998 for high chlorine levels in discharges to Dredger Cut, which flows to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Lodi’s public works director approached SWRCB and asked that $10,000 of the fine remain in Lodi

to develop a water-quality education program for the community. SWRCB consented and gave the city one year to create its Supplemental Environmental Project, which ultimately included the Storm Drain Detectives program.

At that time, the public works director was attending monthly meetings of a newly organized group of stakeholders, the Lower Mokelumne River Watershed Steering Committee, convened by the San Joaquin County Resource Conservation District. The CALFED Bay-Delta Program had awarded the district a grant to develop a collaborative stewardship plan for the Mokelumne River watershed, which led to the creation of the steering committee.

The city formed a partnership with the Lodi Lake Nature Area Docents to satisfy the SWRCB settlement requirements and increased the docent coordinator’s

The City of Lodi won the Ruth Vreeland Award for Engaging Youth in City Government of the 2016 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence program. For more information about the award program, visit www.helenputnam.org.

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The Storm Drain Detectives learn about water quality issues on the Mokelumne River.

part-time hours to help the Public Works Department oversee the Supplemental Environmental Project. (The docents are Parks Department volunteers who lead school tours through a 58-acre riparian oak woodland wilderness area at Lodi Lake Park, situated on the Mokelumne River.)

At the same time, the Lodi Lake swimming beach was being closed nearly every day due to high coliform counts, which many believed were caused by the resident geese population. As a result, the community was ready to embrace an education program focused on water quality.

The city asked SWRCB’s Clean Water Team staff for assistance, and this collaboration ultimately laid the foundation for the monitoring program design used by the Storm Drain Detectives program.

Lodi subsequently filed a Quality Assurance Project Plan with SWRCB in 2001. continued on page 47

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Display Advertising

Western City magazine’s job opportunity section is the source for job seekers looking for positions in local government. When you place a job opportunity ad in Western City

Call Pam Maxwell-Blodgett at (800) 262-1801 to place a display (boxed) ad or for rate and deadline information, or email admanager@westerncity.com.

Website Job Postings Display ads are posted on our website at no additional charge. But if you miss the deadline for getting your job opportunity ad into the magazine, you can post it on the Western City website right away.

To post your job opportunity ad on our automated website, visit www.westerncity.com or contact Kimberly Brady, Western City’s administrative assistant; email: kbrady@ cacities.org; phone: (916) 658-8223.

magazine, it will be posted at no additional charge on our website.

For rates and deadlines, visit www.westerncity. com and click on the Advertise link.

City Manager Opportunities City of Morro Bay

The City will offer a competitive salary dependent upon the selected candidate’s qualifications, with an excellent benefits package including CalPERS retirement.

Confidential inquiries welcomed to Greg Nelson at (916) 630-4900. Candidates are encouraged to apply by August 28, 2017.

City of Laguna Niguel

The City will offer a competitive salary dependent upon the selected candidate’s qualifications, with an excellent benefits package including CalPERS retirement.

Confidential inquiries welcomed to Dave Morgan at (916) 630-4900. Candidates are encouraged to apply by September 5, 2017.

Electronic submittals are strongly preferred to apply@ralphandersen.com and should include: compelling cover letter, comprehensive resume, salary history, and five (5) professional references.

Detailed brochures available at www.ralphandersen.com.

Ralph Andersen & Associates www.westerncity.com

WESTERN CITY MAGAZINE (AUG 2017 ISSUE) – 4.75” x 3.5”

Manager of Budget and Business Planning City of Irvine, CA

The City of Irvine, with a population of more than 267,000, is seeking a highly qualified and enthusiastic candidate to fill its Manager of Budget and Business Planning position. The Irvine community features an array of entertainment and recreational opportunities, parks and open space, a nationally recognized school district, a vibrant business environment, and an exceptional quality of life that makes it one of the most desirable cities in which to live and work. The City is seeking an accomplished professional who will exemplify strong leadership and consensus-building skills, tremendous personal integrity and dedication to excellent customer services. The ideal candidate will have a strong sense of business acumen, professional presence and the ability to balance competing interests. A Bachelor’s degree in Budget/Finance, Public Administration, Business, Management, or a related field is required; a Master’s degree is desirable. Candidates must possess six (6) years of directly related experience in the preparation and administration of budgets and strategic business plans in a municipal government setting or any combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge, skills, and abilities. Candidates are sought who have experience in preparing and analyzing electronic databases and spreadsheets related to financial matters. The salary range for the position is $103,376.00-$161,054.40 annually and is subject to qualifications. If you are interested in this outstanding opportunity, please apply online at www.bobmurrayassoc.com. Contact Joel Bryden at (916) 784-9080 with any questions.

Closing date August 31, 2017.

phone 916•784•9080 fax 916•784•1985 www.bobmurrayassoc.com

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Principal Water Resources Planner Castaic Lake Water Agency, CA

Summer searches . . .

Police Chief Community Services Director Assistant Director Administrative Services City of Palo Alto

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Executive Director South Bay Regional Public Communications Authority

Teri Black • 424.296.3111 Julie Yuan-Miu • 925.820.8436 Bradley Wardle • 650.450.3299

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The Castaic Lake Water Agency (CLWA) is a public agency providing reliable, quality water at a reasonable cost to the Santa Clarita Valley, one of Southern California’s fastest growing areas and one of the best places to live, work, and play. The Agency’s service area has a population of 273,000 and covers approximately 195 square miles or 124,000 acres. CLWA is seeking an exceptional and experienced individual to serve as Principal Water Resources Planner. The ideal candidate will not only understand the complexities of the water business, but will also possess solid supervisory, communication, and interpersonal skills. A typical candidate will possess the equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in natural resources management, urban or regional planning, environmental engineering, public administration, or a closely related field. At least seven years of progressively responsible experience performing professional level water resource planning is required. Knowledge of and experience with CEQA, NEPA, and permitting procedures is highly desired. The annual salary range for the incoming Principal Water Resources Planner is $126,948-$154,296 and is dependent upon qualifications. If you are interested in the outstanding opportunity, please apply online at www.bobmurrayassoc.com. Please contact Ms. Valerie Phillips at (916) 784-9080 should you have any questions.

Closing date September 8, 2017. phone 916•784•9080 fax 916•784•1985 www.bobmurrayassoc.com

Assistant Director Administrative Services City of Palo Alto, CA

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he birthplace and heart of the Silicon Valley, Palo Alto is the global leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine and green innovation. A full-service Charter City, Palo Alto is home to a population of 66,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer/Administrative Services Director, this Assistant Director oversees the accounting and procurement activities of the department with the support of 28 staff.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced local government finance professional with impressive accounting expertise. An empowering and inclusive manager, he/she will have a history of being an exceptional mentor and innovative problem solver. Superior interpersonal and communication skills will also be expected. At least eight (8) years of relevant experience, which include five (5) years of management experience, and a Bachelor’s degree are required. CPA certification and/or a Master’s degree is preferred.

Candidates with timely career advancement ambitions are strong encouraged to apply. Salary range $137,446 - $206,170; appointment within range DOQE. This recruitment will close on Sunday, August 13, 2017. Visit www.tbcrecruiting.com for detailed recruitment brochure and to apply online. All inquiries and applications will be handled confidentially.

Teri Black • 424.296.3111 Julie Yuan-Miu • 925.820.8436

Photo/art credits Cover: Andrew Zarivny/Shutterstock.com Page 3: Gawrav Pages 4–5: Rawpixel Page 6: Gradyreese Page 8: Nick Starichenko/Shutterstock.com Page 9: Dashadima/Shutterstock.com Page 10: LuckyBusiness Page 11: Courtesy of the City of Oxnard and League of California Cities Pages 12–13: Urupong Phunkoed/Shutterstock.com Page 15: Takom/Shutterstock.com Pages 16–17: Blvdone/Shutterstock.com Page 19: Courtesy of the City of Moreno Valley Page 20: Courtesy of the City of Oxnard Page 21: Yvonne Hunter Page 22: Courtesy of the City of West Sacramento

Pages 24–25: Andrew Zarivny/Shutterstock.com Pages 26 & 27: Jeremy Sykes, courtesy of the League of California Cities Page 27: Courtesy of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau Pages 29 & 30: Jeremy Sykes, courtesy of the League of California Cities Page 31: SIphotography Page 32: PeopleImages Pages 34–35: Chombosan Page 36: Devrimb Pages 38–39: Gonin Page 39: Graphic, enisaksoy; photo, genkur Page 40: Courtesy of the City of Lodi and League of California Cities Page 43: Courtesy of the City of Oxnard and League of California Cities Page 47: Courtesy of the City of Lodi and League of California Cities Page 53: Jude Hudson, Hudson+Associates

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Oxnard Taps Youth to Improve Quality of Life, continued from page 11

Since Oxnard began operating its Advanced Water Purification Facility in 2015, City Corps has provided support for the facility’s educational and outreach needs. The facility’s science center offers City Corps participants a unique opportunity to educate the public about important water quality and supply issues facing the region. The youths also lead tours of the facility and maintain the demonstration wetlands. They gather data for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s research project at the facility, analyzing how coastal saline treatment wetlands can be created and/or restored using advanced water treatment concentrate waste streams.

“I joined the program when I was 16 years old. The experience has not only given me knowledge of possible careers, but it’s also taught me the importance of giving back to the community through volunteering,” says Olivia Cancino, who leads water facility tours and is currently exploring graduate programs in environmental sciences.

Partnership Addresses Multiple Needs In addition to providing financial support to youths in need, the collaboration’s success in engaging Oxnard’s young residents has also helped the city reduce costs associated with fighting crime and gang activity, which unfortunately is a path sometimes taken by troubled youth. Some City Corps members who were previously affiliated with gangs have transformed their lives by participating in the program.

Other beneficiaries of the partnership between City Corps and the Public Works Department include the Storm Drain Keeper, the Street Keeper and Town Keeper, Water Division Internship and GIS and Engineering Technology programs. continued

Several City Corps members have gone on to secure employment in local cities’ water divisions.

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AVERY ASSOCIATES Open Recruitments: City of Anaheim – City Attorney (closes August 11, 2017) City of Encinitas – City Engineer City of Encinitas – City Planner City of Gilroy – Deputy Director of Public Works Operations City of Gilroy – City Engineer/Traffic Engineer City of San Bernardino – Public Works Director

William Avery & Associates Management Consultants 31/2 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Suite A Los Gatos, CA 95030

Upcoming Recruitments: 408.399.4424 City of Benicia – Assistant City Manager Fax: 408.399.4423 City of Benicia – Community Development Director email: jobs@averyassoc.net City of Paso Robles – Battalion Chief www.averyassoc.net City of Petaluma – Transit Manager City of San Bernardino – Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer City of Santa Clara – Planning Manager Siskiyou County – Planning Director City of Vallejo – City Manager Please check our website at www.averyassoc.net/current-searches/ for formal position announcements.

Public Information Officer Castaic Lake Water Agency, CA The Castaic Lake Water Agency (CLWA) is a public agency providing reliable, quality water at a reasonable cost to the Santa Clarita Valley, one of Southern California’s fastest growing areas and one of the best places to live, work, and play. The Agency’s service area has a population of 273,000 and covers approximately 195 square miles or 124,000 acres. CLWA is seeking a dynamic Public Information Officer with excellent interpersonal skills, strong computer skills, and strong leadership skills. The ideal candidate will enthusiastically support the vision and mission of CLWA and possess the personal qualities of integrity and credibility. An individual who is detail oriented, solution oriented, and has a successful track record in communication, marketing, and public relations is sought. A typical candidate will possess a Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university with major coursework in communications, journalism, public relations, public or business administration, or a closely related field; a Master’s degree is desirable. At least five years of progressively responsible experience in the communications or public relations field is required. The annual salary range for the incoming Public Information Officer is $115,152-$139,968, and is dependent upon qualifications. If you are interested in this outstanding opportunity, please apply online at www.bobmurrayassoc.com. Please contact Ms. Valerie Phillips at (916) 784-9080 should you have any questions.

Closing date August 31, 2017. phone 916•784•9080 fax 916•784•1985 www.bobmurrayassoc.com

A City Corps volunteer places mulch to maintain drought-tolerant landscaping.

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Oxnard Taps Youth to Improve Quality of Life, continued

The collaboration helped the City of Oxnard reduce costs associated with fighting crime and gang activity.

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Police Chief, City of Imperial, CA The City of Imperial (approximate population 17,000) is seeking a dynamic individual to serve as their new Police Chief. The ideal candidate is a forward thinking and innovative visionary who will establish and fulfill the goals and objectives of the Police Department. Any combination of training and experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities may be qualifying. A typical candidate will possess a bachelor’s degree with major coursework in criminology, lawenforcement, social science, public administration, or a closely related field, and five years of broad and extensive experience in all phases of municipal police work; including three years at the level of Sergeant or above, preferably in a municipal police department. Candidates must possess a valid California class “C” motor vehicle operator license and Advanced POST certificate and be able to obtain a supervisory certificate; candidates must also be able to meet POST executive background, psychological, and physical requirements.

Candidates who are bilingual (Spanish) are encouraged to apply. The salary for the Police Chief is dependent upon qualifications. The City also offers an attractive benefits package. If you are interested in this outstanding opportunity, please apply online at www.bobmurrayassoc.com. Contact Gary Phillips with any questions at (916) 784-9080.

Closing date August 18, 2017. phone 916•784•9080 fax 916•784•1985 www.bobmurrayassoc.com

Through the Storm Drain Keeper Program, youths help the city remove trash and illegally dumped items from storm drains that carry water to bays and estuaries. This helps protect the wetlands and beach dune areas, which serve as the habitat for endangered species. Through the Street Keeper and Town Keeper Program, youths assist with weed abatement, trash and debris cleanup, alley maintenance and removal of illegally dumped items.

Corps members support the community’s potable water needs by participating in the Water Division Internship Program.

Their duties include helping the Public Works Department provide accurate measurement of water delivered to customers.

The internship experience prepares them for future employment in the potable water industry, and several City Corps members have gone on to secure employment in local cities’ water divisions.

“When I joined City Corps at 20 years old, I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do with my life,” says Oxnard native Mario Jimenez, who is now a wastewater collections operator for the city. “One of my first big projects was helping to maintain catch basins. I’m really grateful that the opportunity opened my eyes to a rewarding career path.”

Program’s Benefits Multiply

Public Works Director City of Alameda, CA

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overing 10.6 square miles, the island City of Alameda is located less than a mile from Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. Home to a population of 75,126, the community is one of only 21 designated Coast Guard Cities in the country. The APWA Accredited Public Works Department encompasses the divisions of Engineering, Maintenance, and Administration. The Department’s activities are supported by a staff of 70.15 FTE and a FY2017-28 operating budget of $24.6 million and a FY2017-19 CIP of approximately $33.6 million.

The City is seeking a big picture and forward-thinking public works professional who is also an exceptional people and project manager. Proven success serving in a highly responsive and dynamic environment will be expected. Any combination equivalent to education and experience that provides the required knowledge and abilities will be considered. The ideal candidate will possess ten (10) years of broad public works experience, which includes a minimum of five (5) years of management experience, and a Bachelor’s degree. An impressive engineering background is strongly preferred and a Master’s degree is desirable.

Recruitment brochure and submission instructions can be found at www.tbcrecruiting.com.

The salary range for the Public Works Director is $175,362 - $213,154. Salary is supplemented by an attractive benefits package. Closing date: Sunday, August 20, 2017.

Julie Yuan-Miu • 925.820.8436 Teri Black • 424.296.3111

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League of California Cities

Oxnard continues investing in its youth through the partnership, which helps participants understand the importance of public service, job training, education and self-confidence. The collaboration has helped effect the positive changes needed to improve the community’s quality of life.

City Corps participants reap the rewards of hands-on experience working side by side with city staff to make positive changes in Oxnard and leave the program with valuable skills essential to successfully pursuing their career goals.

Contact: Greg Barnes, interim recreation supervisor, Cultural and Community Services Department, City of Oxnard; phone: (805) 385-8123; email: greg.barnes@oxnard.org. ■

www.cacities.org

Governments Engaging Youth: Preparing for College, Career and Civic Life, continued from page 22

gained during the program. Participants who earn badges also earn hiring preference for Next STEPS, which is a paid fall or spring internship for Summer STEPS graduates.

In its first two years, the Summer STEPS program graduated 43 young people. Four college interns have since become full-time employees with the city, and other graduates have become part-time city employees or have been hired by another city or a private consulting firm. One STEPS intern from West Sacramento even ran for a school board seat in the city’s Washington Unified School District.

High school students and youths in their early 20s lacked an understanding of basic local government functions and a desire for civic involvement.

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In 2015, the Oxnard City Council passed a resolution declaring itself a “Linked Learning City,” the first of its kind in California. The resolution affirmed the city’s support of the Alliance for Linked Learning, a local innovative collaboration between the Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD) and local businesses and organizations dedicated to providing students with the skills they need to succeed in college, career and life. Seeking a way to support the resolution, the Alliance for Linked Learning determined that Sacramento’s Summer at City Hall model fit the bill.

Leading the charge was Mary Anne Rooney with the Ventura County Civic Alliance, a coalition of civic leaders, which the school district hired to serve as a business intermediary to guide and implement OUHSD’s work-based learning efforts. continued

www.westerncity.com

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CITY OF HISTORY SEEKS CITY MANAGER

“Going into this internship I didn’t know that I was actually going to file for school board, but I got to see more about how the city works and I was inspired about what I can do to help my community,” says Danny Thiraul, 19, Economic and Housing Department 2016 Summer STEPS graduate.

Oxnard’s Strong MunicipalSchool Partnership

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The City of San Juan Bautista is accepting applications for City Manager. Target start date is Fall 2017. Applicants should possess strong skills in administration, municipal finance and budgetary processes, infrastructure maintenance and improvements, and community engagement.

Resumes and other application materials, including references, may be sent to Trish Paetz in Human Resources at ad_responsetp@yahoo.com

Founded in 1869, the City of San Juan Bautista was built around the largest of California’s missions and today is surrounded by prime agriculture and cattle ranching.

The community prides itself on its charm and historical heritage, including a California State Historic Park, which is juxtaposed against the ever-present housing demands occasioned by the growth of Silicon Valley one hour to the north. Position includes full benefits and competitive salary commensurate with experience.

Director of Transportation and Public Works County of Sonoma, CA

Home to approximately 500,000 residents, Sonoma County offers a rare and compelling array of scenic, recreational, and geographic characteristics – including over 200 award-winning wineries, inspiring coastline and beaches, the Russian River, and majestic redwoods. The County encompasses over one million acres of land and water, rich with agriculture, parks, campsites, lakes, and open spaces and is also home to a wide variety of art and music festivals, farmers’ markets, and concert venues.

The County is now seeking a Director of Transportation and Public Works. The ideal candidate will be a smart, energetic, forward-thinking manager and innovative visionary who can anticipate issues, think analytically, and act strategically to meet the current and future needs of the Department.

An experienced professional with strong communication skills along with the interpersonal and relationship-building skills to cultivate and maintain harmonious working relationships with subordinates, representatives of other County departments and agencies, private contractors, engineers, architects, local leaders, and the general public is sought; someone who is politically astute, but apolitical, will be ideal. Minimum qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Business Administration, Engineering, or a closely related field, and five years of increasingly responsible management and supervisory experience for a public agency consisting of functions associated with transportation systems, public works, integrated solid waste and air quality. While not a requirement, a valid certification of registration as a Professional Engineer issued by the State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors is desirable. The annual salary range for this position is $166,510.43 $202,408.90, DOQ. The County also offers a competitive total compensation package. If you are interested in this outstanding opportunity, apply online at www.bobmurrayassoc.com. Please contact Ms. Valerie Phillips, should you have any questions. Closing date August 25, 2017.

The County of Sonoma is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

phone 916•784•9080 fax 916•784•1985 www.bobmurrayassoc.com

Western City, August 2017

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Governments Engaging Youth: Preparing for College, Career and Civic Life, continued

Rooney began by building political will and commitment within Oxnard.

She found a champion in Oxnard City Council Member Bryan MacDonald, who spearheaded the Summer at City Hall project. The project was assigned to

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then-Deputy City Manager Scott Whitney (now police chief ), who became an internal champion.

project as well as an internal champion who can implement the actual work,” says Rooney.

“For cities seeking to implement similar programs, it’s extremely important to have a leader who can champion the

Another key to the program’s successful implementation was Rooney’s role as an intermediary. Acting as a liaison between the school and city, she was able to bridge the different cultures and language between the two to help assign roles and responsibilities.

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Planning & Building Director, City of Healdsburg, CA The City of Healdsburg (approximate population 12,000) is located 70 miles north of San Francisco on Highway 101 in the heart of Sonoma County wine country and nestled among three lush valleys.

Healdsburg retains a small-town ambience in the grandeur of a European countryside while providing easy access to the amenities of a large metropolitan area. The City is now seeking a Planning & Building Director. An experienced professional with strong leadership capabilities and demonstrated expertise in community development is sought. The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker and creative problem solver with the ability to proactively identify and address issues on an array of topics related to the Planning & Building Department. The position requires excellent communication skills and someone who is experienced in having frequent interaction with the City Council, commissions, civic groups, and the general public, and confident when making public presentations and addressing a broad range of issues related to the community. A leader with excellent diplomacy, a commitment to public service, who is politically astute, but apolitical, will be ideal. Any combination of education and experience that has provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for this position is qualifying. Typically, graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in City, Regional, or Urban Planning, Environmental Planning, Public or Business Administration, or a closely related field, and a minimum of five (5) years of increasingly responsible experience in planning and development, including four (4) years of administrative or supervisory responsibility, would provide such opportunity. Community engagement, private sector marketing, economic development, or planning experience and a Master’s degree in Public or Business Administration, or a related field, is highly desirable. Candidates must possess a valid California driver’s license. The annual salary range for the Planning & Building Director is $137,133 - $166,689, DOQ. If you are interested in this outstanding opportunity, please visit our website at www.bobmurrayassoc.com to apply online. Please contact Ms. Valerie Phillips at (916) 784-9080, should you have any questions. Closing date September 1, 2017.

phone 916•784•9080 fax 916•784•1985 www.bobmurrayassoc.com

CITY OF UPLAND, CALIFORNIA

CITY MANAGER

Details: The City of Upland is seeking a dynamic City Manager with strong collaborative leadership skills with a willingness to proactively address issues.

He or she will have a strong sense of the needs of the organization and will foster innovative ways to implement policy change. The ideal candidate will be progressive and forwardthinking, creative and innovative, and able to build upon the current work environment.

Education, Training and Experience: A Bachelor’s degree in public or business administration or related field is required. Five years of progressively responsible experience in the planning, organization, coordination, and administration of varied municipal activities and requirements.

Salary and Benefits: Competitive annual salary, depending on the qualifications of the selected candidate. Benefits include CalPERS Retirement, Cafeteria Allowance for Medical, Dental, Vision and supplemental plans, 9% Deferred Compensation contribution, Educational Incentive, Preventative Health, Vacation, Executive and Floating Holiday Leave with Buy Back options, and more.

Apply Now: Please visit the City’s Career Website: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/uplandca/ Visit us at: www.ci.upland.ca.us

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“Sometimes these two groups speak different languages, and I facilitated the dialogue between the two to get things done,” Rooney says.

Oxnard’s Summer at City Hall program launched in 2016 with 15 students and featured a five-week program with an internship and classroom components.

The Southern California Gas Company provided the stipend for students in the program.

“We had great success with our program.

Fifteen high school students were able to broaden their perspectives on potential careers within the city. Many of these students were from low-income families and never would have had this opportunity. This experience helped one student secure a college scholarship from the local chapter of the National Latino Peace Officers Association,” says Police Chief Whitney. “This was our first year and we look forward to building on our successes next year with an expanded program.”

How Your City Can Implement a Program Moreno Valley, West Sacramento and Oxnard illustrate how cities have customized and adapted civic engagement and work-based learning opportunities for their youth communities. The Institute for Local Government is dedicated to supporting and enhancing these efforts.

To learn more about its tools and resources and how you can implement a similar program in your city, read “New Toolkit Helps Governments Engage Youth” on page 10. For links to related resources and the projects described here, read the online version of this article at www. westerncity.com. ■

www.cacities.org

Lodi’s Storm Drain Detectives Monitor Water Quality, continued from page 40

Students Provide a Valuable Service

An environmental compliance inspector oversees the calibration session, ensures data quality control and assists students with equipment as needed. The original docent coordinator’s part-time position, which was split between the Parks and Public Works departments, has evolved into a full-time Public Works Watershed Program coordinator position that oversees the details of the program. Each May, Storm Drain Detectives present their data findings to the public and encourage residents to take measures that limit negative impacts on the river. The Storm Drain Detectives become stewards of the land and water, and the community learns from the students.

Melissa Turner teaches honors biology at Lodi High School and has been a Storm Drain Detectives team leader since 2004.

She says, “I enjoy the program because my students gain a better understanding of the complicated issues affecting California waterways.”

The Storm Drain Detectives program has evolved to meet ongoing permit requirements for public participation and education since 2003, when the California Phase II MS4 General Permit began regulating the city’s stormwater discharge to local waterways. Lodi’s Supplemental Environmental Project has expanded into a financially sustainable watershed education program, primarily due to financial support provided through grants funded by watershed stakeholders.

Storm Drain Detectives gather samples of river water and record data.

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Today — 2,000 students and 16 years later — Lodi students continue to monitor the Mokelumne River’s water quality twice monthly, year round at five sites. The Storm Drain Detectives participants learn to calibrate equipment and monitor and record water quality data, following the Quality Assurance Project Plan protocols. Currently, 150 to 200 students from two high schools, one middle school and one elementary school rotate on a monthly schedule working alongside Public Works Department staff.

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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR City of Twentynine Palms, California

The City of Twentynine Palms is seeking a full time Community Development Director who can direct and manage the Community Development Department including building, planning services, zoning, code enforcement, development and administration of the department’s budget, as well as provide staff support to the City’s Planning Commission and City Council. The Community Development Director reports to the City Manager and provides highly responsible and complex administrative support.

A Bachelor’s Degree in urban planning, civil engineering, public or business administration or a related field is required. A Master’s degree in a related field is highly desirable. Experience needs to include five years of management in community development, urban planning and/or professional engineering design, plan review, and project administration.

CalPERS Classic Employee Annual Salary Range: $110,230–$147,705.

CalPERS PEPRA Employee Annual Salary Range: $106,070–$142,131.

Full job announcement and application are available on the City’s website at www.29palms.org and at City Hall 6136 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, CA. (760) 367-6799. Position is open until filled.

Public Works and Transportation Director City of Healdsburg, CA The City of Healdsburg is located 70 miles north of San Francisco on Highway 101 in the heart of Sonoma County wine country and nestled among three lush valleys. Healdsburg retains a small-town ambience in the grandeur of a European countryside while providing easy access to the amenities of a large metropolitan area. The City is now seeking a Public Works and Transportation Director. A smart, service-minded professional with excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize and align the work of the Department with the goals and priorities of the City is sought. The desired candidate will bring proven leadership experience, clear and effective communication skills, and solid interpersonal skills. He or she will build and maintain cooperative working relationships with governmental and regulatory agencies, business and professional groups and the general public, developers and contractors, as well as City staff. A successful candidate will possess a solid understanding of and experience in a wide array of topics related to public works and transportation, including building, design, construction and capital project management, municipal budgeting, contract negotiation and administration, and storm water and drainage. Any combination of education, skills, and experience equivalent to graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in civil engineering, or a closely related field, and either three (3) years of administrative or managerial engineering experience, preferably in a municipal or similar public works setting; or five (5) years of professional engineering or related experience, including two years in a supervisory of administrative capacity, is qualifying. Some experience with the planning and/or building inspection function is desirable. Candidates with a license in Civil Engineering issued by the California State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers are preferred. Candidates must possess a valid California driver’s license. The annual salary range for the Public Works and Transportation Director is $145,533 $176,913, DOQ. If you are interested in this outstanding opportunity, please visit our website at www.bobmurrayassoc.com to apply online. Please contact Ms. Valerie Phillips at (916) 784-9080, should you have any questions. Closing date September 8, 2017.

phone 916•784•9080 fax 916•784•1985 www.bobmurrayassoc.com

continued on page 50 www.westerncity.com

Western City, August 2017

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PeckhamMcKenney &

Presents Outstanding Career Opportunities

Administrative Services Director Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, CA

The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD) was created to provide park and recreation services to over 300,000 residents.

The District’s boundaries encompass the City of Hayward and the unincorporated communities of Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, and Fairview. Today, HARD is the largest recreation and park district in California and provides residents with two golf courses and many beautiful facilities and parks as well as hundreds of educational and recreational classes and programs. Recently the District passed a $250 million GO bond and is currently in the planning stages for significant capital development. Reporting to the General Manager and with a staff of 11, the new Administrative Services Director will be responsible for the activities of the Finance and Accounting Division including management of the District’s Treasury functions as well as the Information Technology Division. This is an exciting time for the District as they grow into the future and the new Director will be expected to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills and will be able to work collaboratively with the existing leadership team. Bachelor’s degree in finance, public or business administration or a related field and six years of professional experience in municipal finance management or administration with at least three years in a supervisory capacity required. Master’s degree and/or CPA designation desirable. Salary range is from $139,200 to $169,200 DOQE with excellent benefits.

Filing deadline is September 5, 2017. Contact Phil McKenney.

Transportation Division Director Salt Lake City, UT

With the incomparable Wasatch Mountains to the east , Salt Lake City, Utah, (pop. 192,672) is one of the most scenic, vibrant cities in the West. Open, diverse, and progressive, the City was named No. 10 of the top 100 Best Places to Live by U.S. News and World Report. Residents enjoy major metropolitan area amenities, plus year-round outdoor recreation, with world-class skiing nearby. The City considers itself in the national spotlight on transportation issues. One of five divisions within the Department of Community and Neighborhoods, the Transportation Division is responsible for the planning, design, and operation of Salt Lake City’s transportation system. The Division (21 FTE’s) has a FY 2017-18 budget of $2.3 million. Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, Transportation Planning, Civil Engineering, or closely related field required. Master’s degree preferred, along with five years of directly-related experience in Transportation Engineering or Planning. Previous experience in administration/management of a municipal/ county transportation or planning division highly desired. Salary range $91,300 to $115,000, with comprehensive benefits.

Filing Deadline is August 15, 2017. Contact Andrew Gorgey.

County Executive Officer County of Napa, CA

Located in the heart of California’s premier wine region and one of the most beautiful valleys in the state, Napa County has a population of close to 142,000 residing primarily in the five municipalities of American Canyon, Calistoga, Napa, and St. Helena, and the Town of Yountville. The vast majority of land within the County is unincorporated and devoted to picturesque vineyards, farms, ranches and forestland, providing the area with high levels of open space. The County’s collegial five-member Board of Supervisors appoints the County Executive Officer, who oversees the delivery of services by more than 1,400 employees operating with a fiscal year budget of $449 million. The Napa County organization has a long-standing reputation for its collaborative spirit to do what is best as well as what is fiscally prudent. The department head team is a very cohesive and collaborative group of professionals. The next CEO will establish a relationship of trust with the Board and will gain credibility throughout the organization. The CEO will be forward thinking and have the ability to look for process improvements, best practices, and encourage a culture of synthesis between departments in order to break down perceived siloes and eliminate redundancies. The ideal candidate will bring a solid understanding of local government finance and budgeting as well as an appreciation of the tourism- and agriculture-based economy.

A Master’s degree in public policy, public administration, business administration, economics or a related field is required. In addition, at least ten years of progressively responsible local government administrative experience including five years in a supervisory and administrative capacity and three years of experience with County government is required. Competitive salary; appointment DOQE. Filing deadline is September 1, 2017. Contact Bobbi Peckham.

“All about fit” Engineering and Utilities Director City of Morgan Hill, CA

Morgan Hill is best known for its superb quality of life with access to open space and abundant recreational amenities that give teammates, visitors, and residents alike a unique place within Silicon Valley to live, work, and recreate. The new Director will manage a team of just over 40 who are responsible for the following key service areas: Capital Improvement Program, Traffic Congestion Management, Storm Water Quality Program and Flood Plain Management, Water Service, and Wastewater Collection. Although technical skills are important (Certificate of Registration as a professional civil engineer in the State of California required) the ability to work collaboratively within the department and City leadership team, and with other local, state, and federal agencies, as well as having excellent leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills are attributes necessary to be successful as the new Director. Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, public or business administration, or a related field required as is substantial professional experience in public worksrelated engineering or maintenance with at least five years experience with a governmental agency that has included management of professional, technical, and support staff. A Master’s degree in civil engineering is desired, but not required. The annual salary range is from $148,752 to $190,656 DOQE, which includes a City-paid deferred contribution of 3% of base salary. Alternately, the selected candidate can choose to have the deferred compensation added directly to their salary (range up to $196,380). In addition, the selected candidate may be eligible for a 2.5% performance pay after one year of service. The City offers an excellent benefit package as well.

Filing Deadline is September 5, 2017. Contact Phil McKenney.

Look Forward to These Upcoming Recruitments Director of Public Works, City of Gonzales, CA City Manager, City of McCall, ID Assistant City Manager, City of Bothell, WA Human Resources Director, City of Bothell, WA

Please send your cover letter and resume electronically to:

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Lodi’s Storm Drain Detectives Monitor Water Quality, continued from page 47

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Municipalities struggling to meet stormwater or drinking water permit requirements may benefit from the lessons learned in Lodi by developing similar watershed education student programs.

The initial investment of time and resources may seem daunting, but in the long run, such programs may prove invaluable as stormwater permit requirements continue to increase. The longevity and success of the Storm Drain Detectives program are due to the watershed stakeholder alliances, volunteers and partnerships formed over the years. With creative collaboration, ample funding and vision, anything is possible.

The Lodi Unified School District also benefits from the Storm Drain Detectives program. Each monitoring day, students grow in their ability to understand the river’s pH, water temperature, levels of oxygen and nitrates, turbidity and electrical conductivity. They learn how stormwater runoff can affect water quality. Students in the program use science, technology, engineering and math skills to calibrate, monitor, record and interpret the data. The time students spend with city staff learning about their jobs is an added bonus and provides exposure to careers in local public service that most students don’t otherwise experience.

Beyond the program, many students earn scholarships based on their experience in the Storm Drain Detectives program.

An unexpected benefit of the Storm Drain Detectives program occurred in 2007, when the City of Lodi began studying ambient Mokelumne River water quality data as part of the preparations for building its Surface Water Treatment Plant. The city ultimately used data collected by the Storm Drain Detectives to help determine the water treatment plant’s specifications. The most recent Lower Mokelumne River Watershed

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Sanitary Survey, required every five years, also included data from the Storm Drain Detectives.

The Lower Mokelumne River Watershed Steering Committee, which contributed to the program’s development, continues to meet monthly and explore new opportunities for collaboration. This stakeholder group, which was cobbled together during the development of the Lower Mokelumne River Stewardship Plan, has enabled the City of Lodi watershed programs to prosper.

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Bobbi C. Peckham • Phil McKenney

Peckham&McKenney www.peckhamandmckenney.com

Roseville, CA

866.912.1919

www.cacities.org

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www.cacities.org

Each League division has a regional public affairs manager who assists cities with advocacy and other regional efforts. How does your regional public affairs manager help make your council more effective?

Savita Vaidhyanathan Mayor Cupertino

Steve Dallas Mayor Carmel

Lindsey Horvath Council Member West Hollywood

www.westerncity.com

He keeps us abreast of policy issues and developments related to bills in the Legislature and also brings us together with other cities in our region.

We needed help from the League on a specific issue. Our regional public affairs manager facilitated this, and the League came through for us.

By amplifying our voices and connecting our city with others throughout the region so we can work together toward solutions and we don’t have to face issues in isolation.

Edward Spriggs Council Member Imperial Beach

Cal Campbell Council Member Riverbank

Dan Wright Council Member Stockton

She facilitates regular meetings on issues vital to coastal communities, such as climate change, that are directly tied to tourism and the local economy.

He does a great job of getting us involved in regional and statewide issues — gets information to us really quickly and is readily available if we have a problem.

He keeps us informed about legislative developments and sends regular email updates.

Western City, August 2017

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