Western City November 2019 by Western City Magazine

NOVEMBER 2019 |

The Monthly Magazine of the League of California Cities

Connecting the Dots on Emergency Preparedness, Recovery and Resilience p.8 Partnering With the State to Support Affordable Housing Development: Get Ready p.3 Making It Personal: Linking Public Engagement to Public Safety p.14

www.westerncity.com

Not If, But When. Are You Ready?

CONTENTS 2 Calendar of League Events 3 President’s Message Partnering With the State to Support Affordable Housing Development: Get Ready

By John F. Dunbar

he shortage of affordable housing T is a crisis for cities statewide and the focus of a League 2019 strategic goal. The League’s hard work on this issue was boosted by an execu-

Connecting

By Michael McLaughlin

The challenges associated with disasters include tech-related issues, risk management and the need to create incentives for updating and retrofitting homes to improve wildfire and earthquake resilience.

By Jill Oviatt

Until a disaster strikes, many communities don’t realize that it may be 72 hours to five days before first responders can reach everyone who needs help. A new program in Yountville helps residents be prepared to assist each other in the initial aftermath of a disaster.

because we check all the boxes when it comes to managing their investments.

Linking Public Engagement to Public Safety

By Erica L. Manuel

Beyond CERT: Neighbors Network Takes Response to the Next Level

across California put their TRUST in us,

Making It Personal: 14

tive order from Governor Newsom earlier this year.

7 City Forum

the Dots on Emergency Preparedness, Recovery and Resilience

Over 130 Public Agencies

ny city can increase public safety A without major impacts to its budget. An engaged and informed public can help.

Safety Liquidity Yield

2019 Helen Putnam Award 16 for Excellence

K ing City’s Comprehensive

Plan to End Youth Violence How a city that had the highest per capita murder rate in California turned things around.

Job Opportunities 17 Professional Services 25 Directory

On the Record

Cover photo: Bim

Plus, get the added bonus of: High Performing Funds Simple Enrollment Greater Buying Power Trusted Investors Industry Leading Liquidity 138+ Years of Expertise

Mayors and council members describe their city’s top three issues.

Visit online or give us a call:

CALTRUST.ORG | (888) CAL-TRUST

President John F. Dunbar Mayor Yountville

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

Magazine Staff Editor in Chief Jude Lemons, Hudson + Associates (916) 658-8234; email: editor@westerncity.com Managing Editor Norman Coppinger (916) 658-8277; email: ncoppinger@cacities.org Contributing Editor Jill Oviatt (916) 658-8228; email: joviatt@cacities.org Advertising Sales Cici Trino Association Outsource Services, Inc. (916) 961-9999; email: cicit@aosinc.biz Administrative Assistant Savannah Cobbs (916) 658-8223; email: scobbs@cacities.org Contributors Charles Harvey Katie Pebler Jason Rhine Jennifer Whiting Kayla Woods

Second Vice President Cindy Silva Mayor Walnut Creek

Immediate Past President Jan Arbuckle Council Member Grass Valley

Executive Director Carolyn Coleman

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

leaguevents DECEMBER 6

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

11–12

Fire Chiefs’ Leadership Seminar, Garden Grove This seminar features a variety of sessions for fire chiefs on timely topics important to fire service professionals and offers attendees networking opportunities with their fellow California fire personnel.

11–12

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

Associate Editors Carol Malinowski Carolyn Walker

11–13

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

Design Taber Creative Group Advertising Design ImagePoint Design

January 2020

For photo credits, see page 18. 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.

NT RI

ED US IN

Postmaster: Send address changes to Western City, 1400 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Western City Trademark Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. ©2019 League of California Cities. All rights reserved. Material may not be reprinted without written permission. This issue is Volume XCV, No. 11.

IND EN

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.

First Vice President Cheryl Viegas Walker Council Member El Centro

League of California Cities

22–24

New Mayors and Council Members’ Academy This vitally important training prepares newly elected officials for the demands of office and introduces them to the legal constraints on city councils.

23–24

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.

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

February 5–7

City Managers’ Conference, Napa Geared to the unique needs of city managers, this conference covers issues affecting cities throughout California.

20–21

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

www.cacities.org

President’s Message by John F. Dunbar

Partnering With the State to Support Affordable Housing Development:

Get Ready

This is my first “President’s Message,” and I would like to start by saying how honored I am to serve as League president this year. Cities face an enormous number of challenges, and I am committed to helping guide the League in addressing those challenges in the coming year. One challenge in particular, the shortage of affordable housing, is a crisis for cities statewide. It’s also the focus of a League 2019 strategic goal: Provide cities additional funding and tools and preserve local authority to address housing production, affordability and homelessness challenges. I’ve taken an active part in the League’s efforts to find pragmatic and effective solutions to get affordable housing built for all Californians, which is why I am dedicating my first column to this subject. The League’s hard work on this issue was boosted by an executive order from Governor Gavin Newsom in early 2019 — and the successful passage of SB 5 by both the state Assembly and Senate. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts and the incredible support of a broad coalition www.westerncity.com

of cities and labor, business, housing and other advocates, the governor vetoed SB 5. Although this was a disappointing outcome for cities — and for all Californians who are struggling to find a home — we will continue to work with the governor and SB 5 supporters on a bill next year that will provide the sustainable funding we need to increase affordable housing in our communities.

Impacts of the Affordable Housing Shortage The lack of affordable housing for the local workforce contributes to numerous issues that affect the quality of life in our communities. The shortage means fewer students enroll in our schools. It imposes undue hardship on workers — in public education, public safety, health care and many other professional fields — who cannot afford to live near their place of work. The necessity of commuting significant distances to work — 90 minutes or more in one direction for many people, known

as “supercommutes” — exacerbates traffic congestion on our roads and increases greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. And it means workers have less time to spend with their families. In addition, as California’s population ages, the lack of affordable housing makes it more difficult to find caregivers to provide in-home care. The affordable housing shortage is also directly related to homelessness. Many families live on the edge of losing their stable living situation, and they struggle to afford basic needs.

A Local Example of the Challenges My home of Yountville is a small town in the heart of Napa Valley. In 1968, Napa County adopted the nation’s first Agricultural Preserve to protect agricultural land and the regional economy. Despite local efforts — including the 2018 passage of a countywide 1 percent continued Western City, November 2019

Partnering With the State to Support Affordable Housing Development: Get Ready, continued

increase in the transient occupancy tax designated to support workforce housing projects — high home prices and low inventory continue to keep housing out of reach for many working families. The largest employer in Yountville is the California Veterans Home, with close to 1,000 military veteran residents and

900 employees. Up to 100 caregiver jobs remain unfilled at the Veterans Home, mainly because the cost of living in the area does not align with household incomes. Our Napa Valley Unified School District continues to experience declining enrollment in large part because families cannot afford to live in the area. The

related decrease in state funding has resulted in millions of dollars in budget cuts and imminent closure of at least two high-performing but small public schools including Yountville Elementary School, which dates back to the 1880s. For more than three years, I’ve worked with leadership in the state departments of Veterans Affairs, General Services and Housing and Community Development as well as the Governor’s Office to bring housing to underutilized sections of the 600-plus acre Veterans Home campus. We have identified locations on the property suitable for housing, and the town has committed $100,000 for a feasibility study to build housing that could serve employees and homeless veterans, among others.

Governor Takes Action Now cities are preparing to partner with the state and the development industry to move the needle on housing affordability and availability. In January 2019, Gov. Newsom signed an executive order to develop affordable housing on excess state land. The order directed the Department of General Services (DGS) to create an inventory of all state-owned land that may be available

California Public Records Act | Housing Cannabis Regulation | Emergency Preparedness Public Integrity | Prevailing Wages Environmental Law | Labor & Employment

B EST B EST & K RIEGER A T T O R N E Y S AT L AW

www.BBKlaw.com

Offices throughout California and in Washington, D.C.

League of California Cities

Governor Gavin Newsom, shown here speaking to the League board of directors in February, has played a key role in partnering with cities to address homelessness and the need to increase the supply of affordable housing.

www.cacities.org

for potential development. DGS developed an initial inventory of excess stateowned parcels, using county assessor data. (A county-by-county map of the entire property inventory is available at http:// bit.ly/inventorymap.) The Dept. of Housing and Community Development and DGS conducted an extensive review, in conjunction with other state agencies and local governments, to further evaluate the viability of these state properties as possible housing sites. I participated in many meetings with these agencies to explore viable options and offer a local government perspective. In addition, I testified in support of the executive order on behalf of my town and the League before the Assembly Local Government Committee and the Senate Governmental Organization Committee in late summer. I am pleased to report that significant progress is being made and at a uniquely rapid pace. Gov. Newsom’s administration partnered with the mayors of Chico, Fresno, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco to closely examine the parcels identified in their cities for expedited development of much-needed new housing. The governor also invited other local jurisdictions to partner with the state in this endeavor.

The lack of affordable housing for the local workforce contributes to numerous issues that affect the quality of life in our communities. Related Resources For additional information related to this topic, read the following articles at www.westerncity.com. • Housing Supply and Affordability: Challenges for 2019; • Accessory Dwelling Units Help Increase Housing Supply; • The Santa Rosa Story: Housing Crisis to Housing Opportunity; • Santa Ana Establishes 200-Bed Interim Homeless Shelter in 28 Days; • Rental Resources Program Addresses Housing Issues in Davis; • Patterson’s HOST House Tackles Homelessness; • Mather Veterans Village: A Place to Call Home; • San Leandro Homeless Compact Takes a New Approach; • Citrus Heights Addresses Homelessness in a Suburban Community; • Bakersfield Creates Jobs for Homeless People; and • Ontario Provides Homeless With Continuum of Services.

In consultation with the Dept. of Housing and Community Development and in close coordination with local government leaders, DGS planned to issue three Requests for Proposals within a year. The parcel for the first project was identified and DGS issued a Request for Proposals in September 2019. DGS is accepting proposals from developers of affordable housing interested in entering into low-cost, long-term ground leases of parcels on the priority map.

Launching a Collaborative Effort Gov. Newsom’s executive order generated significant momentum at all levels of government to support both our efforts in Yountville and other housing projects in cities throughout California. continued www.westerncity.com

Western City, November 2019

Partnering With the State to Support Affordable Housing Development: Get Ready, continued

This executive order presents an opportunity for state and local governments to work collaboratively to help determine the viability of building affordable housing on excess state property. It will be interesting to learn more from DGS and the Dept. of Housing and Community Development about the criteria they establish for prioritizing sites suitable for housing development. The League has offered to help identify member cities ready to incorporate available excess state property into their housing plans to help spur affordable housing development. We have offered to host a webinar to educate our local government colleagues about the governor’s order and the substantial legislative dollars available to plan, design and engage the development industry to build housing.

The governor’s executive order states that “fostering housing innovation will catalyze new construction industries and spur job growth in the state.” City leaders welcome the opportunities this direction inspires. The executive order also identifies the financial incentive that will result from prioritizing excess state-owned properties for housing development. By eliminating the cost of purchasing land, which is typically the most expensive element of housing projects, the state acknowledges it can facilitate immediate and substantial progress that will result in more housing units being built.

How Your City Can Prepare If your city is included in the first wave of Requests for Proposals, taking proactive steps now will help better position your city to respond.

As part of your city’s preparation, review these items: • The latest DGS inventory map of prioritized properties (at http://bit.ly/ inventorymap); • Local zoning laws; and • Land-use authority related to stateowned property. In addition, consider streamlining your city’s housing approval process, if your city has not already done so. If your city’s plans need to be updated, the state has made $375 million available for planning, through SB 2 (Chapter 364, Statutes of 2017) and the 2019–20 state budget. Take steps to secure funds to support planning updates. For more information, visit www.cacities.org. ■

Local Experts. National Perspective. Practical Approaches.

Partnering with communities like yours to Increase Eﬃciencies, Stabilize Budgets and Reduce Costs Through third-party: Plan Review & Inspection Services

Building Department Services

Planning & Zoning Services

Fire Prevention Services

Code Compliance

Permitting Software Solutions

Find out how SAFEbuilt’s New Ideas, Innovations and Technologies can Help Your Community

SAFEbuilt.com | 866.977.4111 6

League of California Cities

www.cacities.org

Yountville residents learn proper fire extinguisher use as part of CERT training.

Beyond CERT: Neighbors Network Takes Response to the Next Level by Jill Oviatt

California communities are vulnerable to an array of disasters — from natural phenomena, such as earthquakes, floods and wildfires, to man-made emergencies, such as gas leaks and hazardous material spills. Until a disaster strikes, many communities don’t realize that first responders may not be able to reach everyone who needs help in time. Town of Yountville Council Member Marita Dorenbecher remembers vividly the day in October 2017 when fires raging in Napa and Sonoma were threatening Yountville. Communications towers had burned to the ground, and residents were terrified. “We were lucky. The fire didn’t make it to Yountville,” Dorenbecher says, “but it’s just a matter of time. It’s not if it’s going to happen — whether it’s an earthquake, fire or flood — but when.”

Community Emergency Response Teams Step Up After a Disaster Depending on the type and scope of a disaster, first responders may not make it to some areas for 72 hours to five days, so residents should be prepared to get by on their own in the initial aftermath of a disaster. To address this critical gap, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) have become increasingly common in cities throughout California. CERTs are composed of local citizens and are trained to provide emergency response, such as search and rescue for people who might be trapped, provide basic medical assistance and extinguish small fires. The Los Angeles City Fire Department developed and implemented the CERT model in 1985. It is now a nationwide program endorsed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In Yountville, about 20 of its 2,916 residents are CERT-trained. Dorenbecher was trained after the 2017 Napa fire. But that wasn’t enough. She and her colleagues decided Yountville should go a step further and created the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Network.

Involving Every Neighborhood The goal is to involve every neighborhood in Yountville, with each network assigned a CERT-trained leader. Even though

Yountville is a small town, the CERT-trained resident won’t always know the neighborhood, but the Neighbors Network members will have firsthand knowledge of their neighbors and details about people’s personal situations. “Some people with breathing issues may need to have oxygen. Some people may not be able to walk well,” Dorenbecher says. “We want to make sure their neighbors know where to find those people and can help direct first responders to them in an emergency.” Since the 2017 fires, Dorenbecher has worked closely with Yountville Vice Mayor Kerri Dorman, holding meetings in 15 neighborhoods, providing checklists for emergency best practices, demonstrating how to put together disaster preparedness kits and encouraging people to connect with their neighbors in the 10 houses on either side of them. The materials are also available on the Yountville website.

Boosting the Preparedness Efforts Despite the enthusiasm shown by many residents, Dorenbecher doesn’t think her neighbors are quite ready for the next disaster. So she’s launching an annual derby, hoping the Yountville competitive spirit will inspire each neighborhood to vie for the title of “Most Prepared.” One day a year, Town of Yountville judges will visit each neighborhood, where people can show off their “emergency preparedness savvy.” The best prepared Neighbors Network will be celebrated with a block barbecue. “We are creating a prize, a party and a trophy for the winner,” Dorenbecher says. “That neighborhood will keep the trophy all year until the next ‘Most Prepared’ derby.” What’s most important isn’t who holds the title, but that the entire community knows what to do and how to help each other if and when disaster befalls the town. “We want to make it fun, so people get involved, but most importantly, we want to make sure people are prepared and protected,” Dorenbecher says. “This means a lot to me and to our town.” For links to related resources, including how to set up a CERT program in your city, read the online version of this article at www.westerncity.com. ■

Jill Oviatt is director of communications and marketing for the League and can be reached at joviatt@cacities.org. www.westerncity.com

Western City, November 2019

Connecting the Dots On

Emergency Prepa Recovery And

by Michael McLaughlin

California’s emergencies and disasters include wildfires, earthquakes, flooding, mudslides and more. Local officials and public safety professionals recognize that we need to take a new approach when addressing disaster preparedness, recovery and resilience, particularly in the wake of the numerous major wildfires that have ravaged California in recent years. In response, the League made this a strategic goal in 2019: Improve disaster preparedness, recovery and climate resiliency. Every disaster, whether it’s a wildfire, earthquake, flood, mudslide or other event, has three phases: before, during and after.

The Pre-Event Perspective What can we do before an event occurs to prevent it or minimize the impact on the community if it cannot be prevented? Such activities cover everything from putting

emergency notification systems in place to community planning and making sure building and fire codes for homes in the wildland-urban interface are adopted and implemented. (It’s important to note that the code is the minimum acceptable standard.) In the case of earthquakes, pre-event issues include structure hardening — improving a building’s ability to withstand severe shaking — and establishing evacuation routes for the community. Evacuation routes present challenges for communities where routes in and out are limited and roads may be narrow, especially in more rural areas. The amount of combustible material in the path of a fire is called the fuel load. With respect to wildfires, we are seeking ways to better manage the fuel load so that if a fire occurs, it doesn’t become so

charged with energy and fast-growing that human intervention cannot stop it. Efforts to manage the fuel load over time have been limited by the existing air quality and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) standards. In short, prescribed burns will not be approved if there is not sufficient wind to dissipate smoke; however, to effectively control the burn, the amount of wind must be limited. Local governments are engaged on all these fronts; for example, we have achieved much progress over time, in collaboration with the state, in reducing the impact of earthquakes in California. One of our greatest challenges is creating incentives to update and retrofit existing structures to meet modern building and fire code requirements. Existing, “nonconforming” structures built before code changes were implemented to address

Michael McLaughlin is fire chief for the Cosumnes Fire Department, serving the cities of Elk Grove and Galt, and past president of the League’s Fire Chiefs Department. He also serves as legislative director for the California Fire Chiefs Association and as California director for the Western Fire Chiefs Association. McLaughlin can be reached at mclaughlin@wfca.com.

League of California Cities

www.cacities.org

aredness, Resilience earthquake and wildfire safety issues are more likely to collapse in an earthquake and be destroyed in a fire. It is critically important that we build our communities to meet and/or exceed the minimum codes. We cannot waive elements of the codes and allow our communities to build or be rebuilt to a lesser standard or history will repeat itself. With each experience, we learn, we grow, we improve and we rebuild.

Priorities During the Event How do we mobilize the right resources most efficiently and effectively to minimize the impacts of an event that is already underway? In such cases, the priorities are to protect: 1. The safety of human life; 2. Property; and 3. The environment. Whether confronting widespread damage from an earthquake, flood, fire or

www.westerncity.com

mudslide, elected officials and public safety professionals are examining how we can best move from minimizing the impact of the event to recovery as quickly as possible. The work we do to mitigate the risks and hazards before an event directly contributes to responders’ ability to contain and control the emergency and, ultimately, reduce the impacts of the disaster. After the emergency is over, it’s a matter of getting the community back on its feet and helping it become more sustainable and resilient.

Post-Event: Using Data to Build a Complete Picture In post-event work, the No. 1 priority today is data collection. This is key to understanding why an event unfolded as it did, particularly in the case of wildfires. Armed with this information, we can make better-informed decisions about the best way to mitigate or avoid a future event in that location.

For example, when we compare the houses that burned down in the Town of Paradise during the Camp Fire with the houses that did not burn down, we look at numerous issues, including defensible space, the differences in age and types of construction and the order in which they burned. In some areas of the post-fire environment, there is no apparent reason why one structure burned and another did not. For example, I was working in Paradise in the week after the Camp Fire. In the middle of the massive parking lot of a retail shopping center with no vegetation and where none of the surrounding buildings burned, a vehicle had burned completely down to the ground. How did that vehicle ignite when nothing around it burned? We can answer such questions by using data collection, simulations and modeling — and then implement measures in the pre-event environment to help prevent a future event from occurring. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), one of the nation's oldest physical science laboratories, is recreating the Camp Fire in a historical simulation using satellite imagery and onthe-ground reports submitted during the fire. By examining this data and studying the post-fire environment, we can learn how the fire moved and use this information — from fuel treatments to structure compositions and other elements — in pre-event planning. The collective body of knowledge — what we need to know to make our communities more resilient and minimize the risk from wildfire — largely already exists. Now, we need to connect the dots in different ways to develop new solutions and strategies. We need to think differently and act differently. continued Western City, November 2019

Connecting the Dots on Emergency Preparedness, Recovery and Resilience, continued

Two other elements are directly related to these concerns — technology and the intersection of insurance and bonds.

Bringing Emergency Response Technology Up to Date The issue of technology is interwoven with the need for data collection and analysis. My smartphone has more capacity and power than the computer used to put a man on the moon, and it fits in my pocket rather than an entire building. The capacity of today’s technology is amazing, but much of the tech we rely on for our mutual aid system is based on antiquated platforms. We need to incorporate a more technology-focused mindset into emergency response. We made huge strides in 2019 by securing funding in the 2019–20 state budget for the State Emergency Telephone Number Account (SETNA) to support 911. This funding will keep 911’s next generation running, but it does not help address other technology issues. Such issues include incompatible data systems and platforms. For instance, when my Fire Department is dispatched to an accident in which the affected vehicle is equipped with OnStar technology, the incident typically unfolds in this way. OnStar relays the location of the crash to our dispatch center via a 10-digit telephone number. Our crew responds, arrives on the scene, assesses the situation, renders care for the people involved and transports them as needed. In addition, we clean up the vehicle and any debris and spilled fuel. We make sure the area is safe and clean before opening the road to traffic.

• How many passengers are in the vehicle; and • Whether they were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident. This information would be immensely valuable in helping us make decisions related to treatment, transportation and resource requests. But no pathway currently exists to relay OnStar data to the screens of first responders’ computers, despite the advances of current technology. That’s just one example of the technological gap between existing data and our ability to access it. And making emergency notifications more efficient — in an era when many people no longer have telephones with hardwired “land” lines and must be contacted via cellular communication — presents another set of challenges. Although the way we’ve historically delivered emergency services still works, there is much room for improvement.

The Intersection of Insurance and Bonds With Risk Management It is critically important that we partner with the insurance and bond industries to address many of these issues because we have a common mission: managing risk. How we do it and what we’re responsible for are very different, but nevertheless we are all working to reduce and manage risk.

When a home burns down, it’s a loss for the owner, the local Fire Department and the insurance company. It can also potentially affect the community’s bond liability. To address this, the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA), which comprises 11 states and territories, created a partnership with the Insurance Services Office (ISO), which helps establish rating schedules for fire departments, and a private company focused on providing real-time data to frontline firefighting efforts. Until recently, cost-effective technology has not been available to enable the insurance industry to access data at the individual property parcel level. This partnership is working to develop a system that uses geospatial technology to provide parcelspecific data that will allow ISO to access information at this micro level. If you live in a very high fire-severity hazard area, for example, and you want to buy homeowner’s insurance, steps you have taken to mitigate fire risk on your property may or may not be recognized within the insurance risk methodology. The insurance company’s willingness to insure you depends on the hazards and perils of where you live. Suppose you have built a monolithic solid concrete building with no windows and 2-footthick steel doors on a property that's wholly paved with no vegetation. If the risk assessment focuses on fuel types, road access and vegetation, you will likely be

In such a case, OnStar has a great deal of information about the accident that first responders can’t access, including: • How fast the vehicle was moving when it collided; • Whether the brakes were activated; • If the vehicle rolled over and if so, how many times; • Whether the vehicle is on its wheels;

League of California Cities

We should have the ability — and funding — to put resources in place ahead of a fire or weather event to help us prepare to respond to a disaster. www.cacities.org

One of our greatest challenges is creating incentives to update and retrofit existing structures to meet the modern building and fire codes. charged the same premium as the house next door with wood construction. We currently have very limited methods of differentiating one such home from its neighbor, but work is underway to change that. The goals are to provide the insurance companies with far more precise tools for managing their risk at the micro level and — even more importantly — to provide incentives for people to take steps to make their homes and structures more fire resistant by going beyond the minimum requirements of the building code. Fire chiefs are also working with the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), a testing lab that evaluates residential and commercial construction materials and systems using realistic recreations of severe weather hazards. IBHS designed roof ties for hurricaneprone areas to prevent roofs being blown off houses during storms. Now WFCA is working with IBHS to identify the top 10 to 15 building components that have the greatest vulnerability to wildfire, test these features and identify design changes that can be made to fortify the structure from embers (which is how most structures are damaged or destroyed in wildfires), both for new construction and retrofitting existing structures. Beginning with the 2007 California Building Code, Chapter 7A was added to address materials and construction methods for exterior wildfire exposure and set new standards for buildings to reduce fire vulnerability. During wildfires, homes were igniting because embers blew in through vents in the eaves and started fires in the

www.westerncity.com

attic, and the homes burned from the top down. Chapter 7A requires new home construction to employ fire-retardant materials in eaves to help prevent this. The code sets requirements for all structures built since 2008, but the hundreds of thousands of other homes in the state built before that time don’t comply with the code and are at greater risk for destruction by wildfire. Research from recent fires shows that 30 percent of the buildings constructed to this 2008 standard were damaged or destroyed, compared with a 90 percent loss rate for structures not built to that standard. Properties that had passed their first defensible space inspection have similar survival rates. Incentives offer an answer to addressing this challenge. In the same way that the state reduced energy consumption by providing incentives to homeowners to install energy-efficient features such as windows, lights and appliances, we must work to reduce fire risk. We need to create incentives for homeowners — in conjunction with the insurance industry — so that if they implement specific measures to make their home more fire resilient, their policy will be renewed and their premium will not increase for a set amount of time. It is essential to recognize that it will take time — perhaps decades — to prove these facts and test actuarial tables. By collaborating with the insurance industry to implement strategies to create incentives to upgrade existing, nonconforming properties, we can address the expectations of the voters and the demands of economic growth.

Disasters also affect the municipal bond market. Suppose the Town of Paradise had secured a $10 million bond to rebuild its water system before the Camp Fire occurred. After the fire destroyed 90 percent of the town’s structures, how would the city repay that bond? Furthermore, suppose in our hypothetical scenario, that a town near Placerville or Colfax seeks a $5 million bond to rebuild old infrastructure, but the bond underwriters refuse because the community’s fire risk is too high. This would have a profound impact on our cities’ future. If we lose our ability to secure bonds to underwrite improvements to our communities, the vitality of our communities will be severely diminished.

Deploying Critical Resources Before the Event Formed in the wake of California’s worst fire catastrophes, Disaster Readiness for Safer Communities (D-RiSC) is a statewide coalition of organizations representing California’s fire chiefs, firefighters and local governments committed to improving our disaster response capability. The coalition’s core mission is to modernize California’s mutual aid response network into a proactive system with the tools and funding necessary to anticipate weatherdriven disasters and to pre-position personnel, equipment and communications to combat disasters before they strike. For example, suppose a flood is likely because a storm moving toward us is bringing torrential rains or an area is going to be under red flag conditions because a wind event is coming that will significantly exacerbate the likelihood of a wildfire. We should have the ability — and funding — to put resources in place ahead of a weather or fire event to help us prepare to respond to a disaster. Proactive measures like this require funding. Of the resources deployed to respond to the majority of California wildfires, 85 percent come from our local governments — not Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service or other land management continued on page 13 Western City, November 2019

Thank you to all of our 2019 League Partners Platinum ($15,000+) 1,2

1,2

BUILDING AMERICA®

Gold ($10,000+) Charter Communications COX Communications Energy Upgrade California ENGIE Services Inc.2 Hanson Bridgett LLP1,2

Interwest Consulting Group Inc.2 Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard1 LECET Southwest Lewis Investment Company2

Meyers Nave1,2 Morongo Band of Mission Indians2 Probolsky Research1 James Ramos2 Republic Services Inc.2

San Manuel Band of Mission Indians2 Western States Petroleum Association Ygrene2 Young Homes2

Silver ($5,000+) ALADS2 AMR2 Charles Abbott Associates2 Californians for Energy Independence Capitol Public Finance Group2 Crown Castle Dart Container Corp.2

Dividend Finance LLC EMS Management2 Fascination Ranch2 Garaventa Enterprises2 Goldfarb & Lipman LLP Joe A. Gonsalves & Son2 Greenwaste Recovery Inc.2 Greystar2

Harris & Associates2 Keenan & Associates Mid Valley Disposal2 Mt. Diablo Recycling2 NorCal NECA Northrop Grumman Public Financial Management Inc.

Redflex Renovate America HERO2 ServPro2 Southern California Gas Company State Farm Insurance Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth

Trane1 Transtech Engineers Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations Tripepi Smith & Associates1,2 Vavrinek Trine Day & Co. LLP Walgreens Zanker Green Waste2

Bronze ($3,000+) ABM2 AECOM Accela2 Advanced Disposal2 Alvarez-Glasman & Colvin2 Amador Valley Industries2 American Forest & Paper Association Association For Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs2 Athens Services2 Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo Avenal Finance2 Avery Associates2 Best Way Disposal2 Boulevard2 Accretive Realtors2 Acquisition Partners of America LLC AndersonPenna Partners Inc.2 Associated Builders & Contractors2 BDE Architecture Inc. Blue Line Transfer Inc.2 CARE2 CIFAC CR&R2 CSAC EIA California Apartment Association2 California-Cambodia Sister State Inc.2 California Consulting, LLC California Contract Cities Association2 California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission

Brookfield Norcal Builders Inc2 CalPortland2 Cardiac Science Cerrell2 Colantuono Highsmith & Whatley PC2 Commercial Bank of California DD Dannar LLC DLR Group DW Development2 Desert Valley Medical Group Inc./ Prime Healthcare2 Dublin Crossing2 E&J Gallo2 Edgewood Partners Insurance Center California Independent Petroleum Association California Real Estate2 California Refuse Recycling Council California Waste Solutions2 Carpenter/Robbins Commercial Real Estate Inc.2 Civil Engineering Associates2 Classic Communities2 Computer Aid Inc. Contra Costa Association of Realtors2 Contra Costa Building & Construction Trades Council2 Cost Control Associates Inc. Cunningham Davis2 Der Manouel Insurance Group2 Desert Valleys Builders Dividend Finance2

Energy Efficient Equity Fieldman Rolapp & Associates Genentech2 Geo-Logic Associates2 George K. Baum & Company GovInvest2 Griswold LaSalle Cobb Dowd & Gin LLP2 Hill International2 Holliday Rock Company IVAR2 Kosmont Companies2 Locke Lord LLP Lozano Smith Madaffer Enterprises1,2

Marin Sanitary Service2 Matarango Inc.2 McKinstry The Mejorando Group Mitsubishi Cement2 Bob Murray & Associates NHA Advisors NL Industries Inc. NV5 Inc. Nixon Peabody Orange County Realtors PARS2 Peters Engineering2 Ponderosa Homes II Inc.2 Prime Healthcare2

Psomas2 Quad Knopf2 Quality Management Group Inc. Rutan & Tucker LLP SCI Consulting Group SGI Construction Management2 San Bernardino County Safety Employees2 San Bernardino POA San Diego County Water Authority Santa Ynez Band of Mission Indians2 TREH Development2 USA Properties Fund Inc. Willdan

Jones Hall2 Jones & Mayer Kasdan Lippsmith Weber Turner LLP Leibold McClendon & Mann Livermore Sanitation2 MCE Clean Energy Marchetti Construction Inc.2 Mechanics Bank2 Napa Recycling2 Newport Pacific Capital Company Inc. Nimitz Group2 Norton Rose Fulbright2 Phillips 662 Pinewave Development Group Inc2 Pleasanton Garbage Services Inc.2 Precision Advocacy Group LLC2 Recology2

Renaissance Downtown2 Retail Strategies Riverside Construction2 Rutan & Tucker2 San Jose POA San Mateo County Association of Realtors2 Santa Monica POA Seifel Consulting Inc. Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians2 Specialty Solid Waste & Recycling2 Stifel Nicolaus Swinerton Management2 Townsend Public Affairs Inc.2 Transwestern Vali Cooper & Associates Inc.2 Van Scoyoc Associates2 West Builders2

Basic ($1,000+) Dokken Engineering2 EMS Management LLC2 East Bay Sanitary Company Inc2 Emanuels Jones and Associates Envise/Southland Energy Fard Engineers2 Forefront Power Fresno Police Officers Association GHD Inc.2 Giacalone Design Services2 Gilton Solid Waste2 Gray Bowen Scott2 HR Green Highridge Costa Housing Partners Hospital Council of Northern California Innisfree Ventures2 J.R. Roberts/Deacon Inc.2 Jamboree Housing Corporation

Join the Partners Program Today! Contact Mike Egan | (916) 658-8271 | egan@cacities.org

1 – Institute for Local Government supporter 2 – CITIPAC supporter Partial list as of 10/1/2019

Connecting the Dots on Emergency Preparedness, Recovery and Resilience, continued from page 11

Efforts to secure this funding began in 2018 with the support of the governor and the Legislature. The 2018–19 and 2019–20 state budgets include $25 million per year earmarked for pre-deploying local government resources for disaster response. This funding is critically important. During the 2015 Valley Fire in Lake County, my department closed two fire stations and sent those resources to fight the fire because lives and property were being lost. In an emergency, we have long-standing agreements in place to reimburse local governments for the costs of these responses. It’s hard for me to ask my community’s taxpayers to pay for sending a fire engine and firefighters (on overtime) to another community to sit in readiness because a fire may ignite. Funding is now included in the state mutual aid budget to ensure that we can pre-deploy resources without imposing the additional cost burden on local governments that are willing to send firefighters and equipment to support neighboring firefighting efforts with pre-positioning. Funding pre-positioning for local government emergency resources was a tough decision made by the Legislature and governor, but it has paid dividends. In advance of the 2017 Thomas Fire, dozens of local government fire resources were pre-positioned in Ventura County. These pre-positioned resources were explicitly responsible for evacuating an entire neighborhood and protecting the only road out that was being overrun with fire; all residents were able to escape without harm. If these resources had not been there, the outcome would have been very different. Persuading the Legislature to include this in the budget every year is a challenge because it is essentially a proactive, preventive measure much like an insurance policy. Thus far, we have not had the same number of large fires in 2019 as in 2018, so we have not had to deploy those resources. A slower fire year doesn’t mean, however, that the money isn’t needed again in next year’s budget.

www.westerncity.com

The Importance of Building Codes in Protecting Lives Building codes are developed based on the history of disasters, tragedies and misfortunes — and observations made after such events. The codes represent a collective body of knowledge put in place to prevent something that’s happened in the past from happening again in the future. For example, the need for shear walls in construction became clear following earthquakes in which houses fell off their foundations, so we developed a way to tie a house to its foundation and updated the building code. In the context of the affordable housing crisis, some people have asked whether some of these code requirements could be waived for accessory dwelling units to expedite construction and rebuilding, particularly after a fire. In my opinion, this is asking us to turn our backs on something that was put in place likely because multiple people died when these codes did not exist. While one life lost does not trigger a code change, multiple deaths typically will. After the Cypress Street Viaduct section of the Interstate 880 freeway collapsed in

Oakland during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, we didn’t rebuild another double-stacked freeway in that location. Based on the evidence of what happened, we took action to prevent a similar occurrence. In the same vein, if more homes were constructed from — or updated with — fire-resistant materials, they could survive where others would not.

Making Strides Toward a Better Future To make our communities safer, we must be better informed. We must think differently and act differently by using existing data and collaborating to design and implement new solutions. The public must be involved in reducing fire risk and mitigating other disasters. In this way, we can continue to improve public safety, our responders’ capacity and the resilience of our communities. ■

Find More Information Online For additional information and links to related resources, read the online version of this article at www.westerncity.com.

BUILD BETTER BUILD SAFER BUILD with

agency. The majority are firefighters from your community responding as part of the state mutual aid system to staff and operate firefighting efforts.

The Laborers’ Union (LiUNA) partners with responsible contractors to safely build and maintain the infrastructure needs of communities throughout California while providing residents a career in the construction industry. PEOPLE

PROJECTS

855-532-3879

PARTNERSHIPS

www.LiUNAbuildsCA.org

Western City, November 2019

Making It

Personal:

Linking Public Engagement to Public Safety by Erica L. Manuel

Piedmont Fire Chief Bret Black, left, and Police Chief Jeremy Bowers visit with a young resident as part of the town’s community outreach to improve public safety.

It’s hard to imagine a city in California that wouldn’t like to be safer. Even the safest cities want to do more to protect their residents from natural disasters and criminal behavior. Typically, this means hiring more police officers, firefighters or emergency management personnel. Even in a strong economy with more robust budget cycles, however, it is not always easy or prudent to add staff. Every municipality has to balance public safety against other necessities. But any city can increase public safety without large or continuous impacts to municipal budgets. An engaged and informed public can help police and other emergency responders do their jobs more effectively without adding personnel or increasing long-term costs. Recently the cities of Piedmont and Gilroy used public engagement to make their communities safer without breaking their budgets. They accomplished this by leveraging a methodology for building an engaged, informed and interested constituency.

Piedmont’s Need to Connect With Residents Piedmont (pop. 11,420) is a picturesque town in the rolling East Bay hills with sweeping views of San Francisco Bay. Winding lanes provide a sense of privacy for homes that dot the landscape. But this lovely setting hides the potential for serious threats from wildfires, earthquakes and other disasters, not to mention crime and justice-related issues that can happen in any urban or suburban area. “In a small town, there are ample opportunities to have one-onone conversations,” says Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers. “During those conversations, it was apparent that people really didn’t have a good idea how their Police Department was operating or what activities were going on in town. In addition, I learned some hard lessons about the public engagement process when the Police Department and local school district attempted

Erica L. Manuel is CEO and executive director of the Institute for Local Government (ILG) and can be reached at emanuel@ca-ilg.org. For more about ILG’s Inclusive Public Engagement program, visit www.ca-ilg.org/engagement.

League of California Cities

www.cacities.org

More effective community outreach created better public safety outcomes.

Residents of a Piedmont neighborhood break bread and build relationships with public safety personnel.

to implement a school resource officer (SRO) program. I made some assumptions about such a program being well-received and learned pretty far into the process that a significant number of people in our community had concerns.” Chief Bowers realized the public did not know or care about Piedmont’s public safety programs until they perceived them to be lacking. The department had no existing mechanism for reaching out. “The Police Department had no social media presence to speak of — and a lethargic Neighborhood Watch program, which generated neighborhood meetings only when a notable event occurred,” says Chief Bowers. “We were really in a reactive, limited position that didn’t meet the needs of our community or measure up to our professed standards of service.” He knew that had to change.

Gilroy’s Changing Demographics Present Challenges Gilroy (pop. 55,928) has been the nation’s “salad bowl” for decades, located in the heart of one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. Its large Hispanic population has historically been difficult to reach. Given the proximity of Silicon Valley, just 45 miles away, Gilroy straddles the past and the future, and its population continues to grow and change. Any trust that once existed between the Hispanic community and the Police Department was gradually eroding, due to changing demographics. “The pace of population growth has caused a strain on Gilroy’s capacity to meet the community’s need for services,” says Rachelle Bedell, community engagement coordinator for the City of Gilroy. To compound the challenge of population growth, approximately 40 percent of residents speak Spanish at home; however, in 2015, only about 10 percent of Gilroy’s police officers were native Spanish speakers. “The language barrier made engaging with our Latino community challenging, because there was already an inherited culture of distrust toward government,” Bedell says. continued on page 24

left

A neighborhood meeting brings together residents and officers from the Gilroy Police Department; Officer Lopez joins community members after a Party in the Park event in Gilroy.

right

www.westerncity.com

Western City, November 2019

After-school programs are an important part of King City’s efforts.

King City’s Comprehensive Plan to End Youth Violence King City (pop.14,724) is a friendly rural community in the Salinas Valley with tree-lined neighborhoods and a historic downtown. However, the city has experienced serious challenges over the past few decades. The loss of major businesses and employers, a failed redevelopment project, a significant poverty level and a police scandal all contributed to a financial crisis. In 2014, the California Policy Center ranked King City the second most financially distressed city in California. However, the community’s most serious problem was its history of gang activity and violence. A total of 17 murders and 110 shootings occurred from 2012 to 2017. With five murders in 2013 alone, King City had the unfortunate distinction of the highest per capita murder rate

in California. In addition to threatening youth safety and causing insecurity for residents, it created barriers to attracting new businesses, jobs and workers — and improving the quality of life.

Developing Strategies to Tackle Problems In 2016, King City established three major priorities: economic development, eliminating debt and creating a safe community. The city council appointed a 23-member Community Task Force to develop what became known as the Comprehensive Plan to End Youth Violence, which was adopted in January 2017. Meetings included input from the public, experts from various disciplines and even former gang members.

Council Member Robert Cullen was serving as mayor and chair of the task force at the time. He says, “We agreed that this was a complex problem with no simple solution, so we set out to develop strategies that addressed every aspect of the issue.” The plan has 24 measures based on the prevention, intervention, enforcement and re-entry (PIER) model. The task force determined that involving the entire community was critically important, so public outreach was added to the PIER framework.

Collaboration Leads to Action Within the first year, 19 of the 24 measures were underway. Due to the city’s financial constraints, implementation relied heavily on grants, fundraising and other strategies. However, City Manager continued on page 20

King City won the Award for Excellence in the Public Safety category of the 2019 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence Program. For more about the award program, visit www.helenputnam.org.

League of California Cities

www.cacities.org

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 Cici Trino, Association Outsource Services, at (916) 961-9999 to place a display (boxed) ad or for rate and deadline information, or email cicit@aosinc.biz. 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 Savannah Cobbs, Western City administrative assistant; email: scobbs@ cacities.org; phone: (916) 658-8223.

magazine, it will be posted at no additional

NOW OFFERING

charge on our website. For rates and deadlines,

TEMP-TO-HIRE

visit www.westerncity. com and click on the

hhWork

Advertise link.

hhLike

them.

hhHire

them.

Coming Next Month In the wake of #MeToo, balancing the need for confidentiality with the due process rights of the accused can be hard. Learn what public agency employers need to know when responding to requests from unions about sexual harassment complaints. Online Dec.1 at www. westerncity.com.

them.

Administrative and Office Assistants Call Us Today: 1-866-406-MUNI (6864) www.munitemps.com

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS $7,128.07 – 9,380.05/month An exciting new senior leadership position responsible for building upon the City of Gonzales’ longstanding commitment to innovation and deep community engagement and strategic partnerships, for improving the quality of life for its community members. This Director will strengthen, create, coordinate, and facilitate high impact public/private, cross-sector community engagement and strategic partnerships with residents (youth, adults and seniors), businesses, educational, non-profit, philanthropic and other governmental entities to address and increase the sustainability of systemic changes relevant to the City’s Mission, Vision, Core Values, and highest public service priorities and community improvement goals. Any combination equivalent to a master’s degree in Urban Planning, Public Policy, Public Administration, Public Health, Business Administration, Nonprofit Administration, or related field. Extensive experience in municipal government planning, preferably in a California city; broad and extensive working experience or education in public administration, municipal management, and/ or community development including at least five (5) years in a management capacity. Deadline is November 22, 2019. For job announcement please visit www.gonzalesca.gov or call (831) 675-5000.

www.westerncity.com

Western City, November 2019

CITY MANAGER

The City Council highly regards California experience and will also consider all viable out-ofstate candidates provided the type and level of experience is in alignment with the City’s needs. Bi-lingual candidates are encouraged to apply. Qualified candidates should submit a resume and cover letter electronically to the Orange Cove City Clerk, June V. Bracamontes at jvb@ cityoforangecove.com. Recruitment is open until the position is filled.

League of California Cities

Police Chief

City of Pleasanton

Annual salary: $140,000

Qualified candidates should have prior experience as a City Administrator/ Manager, Assistant/Deputy City Administrator/Manager, Department Director, or similar capacity. A bachelor’s degree in public or business administration or a related field is required and at least five (5) years of progressive management responsibility in municipal government is highly desirable.

November opportunities . . .

City of Orange Cove, California

The City of Orange Cove is now accepting applications for the position of City Manager. Orange Cove is an agricultural community located in Fresno County about 34 miles east of the City of Fresno, CA.

City Manager

City of Mountain View

Deputy Financial Services Director City of Burbank

Community Engagement Division Head City of Santa Rosa

Teri Black & Company, LLC • 424.296.3111 • www.tbcrecruiting.com

AVERY ASSOCIATES Current and Upcoming Opportunities: Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District – Director of Legal Compliance City of Coronado – Human Resources Manager City of Hawthorne – City Manager (closes 11/15) City of Lodi – Community Development Director (closes 11/8) William Avery & Associates Management Consultants

City of Port Hueneme – City Manager County of San Mateo – Chief Executive Officer of the Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District City of Simi Valley – City Manager (closes 11/8) City of Stockton – City Manager

31/2 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Suite A Los Gatos, CA 95030 408.399.4424 Fax: 408.399.4423 email: jobs@averyassoc.net www.averyassoc.net

Town of Timnath, CO – Police Chief Please check our website at http://www.averyassoc.net for formal position announcements.

Photo/Art Credits Cover: Bim Page 3: Stevecoleimages Pages 4–5: Top, Adamkaz Page 4: Jeremy Sykes, courtesy of the League of California Cities Page 5: Top, Leonardo Patrizi; bottom, Ysbrandcosijn Page 7: Courtesy of Marita Dorenbecher & the Town of Yountville Page 8: Pictore Page 9: Left to right, P_Wei, GomezDavid, Jerry Moorman

Page 10: FrozenShutter Page 11: GomezDavid Page 14: Courtesy of the City of Piedmont Page 15: Top, courtesy of the City of Piedmont; bottom, courtesy of the City of Gilroy Pages 16, 20–21: Courtesy of the League of California Cities & King City Page 24: Courtesy of the City of Gilroy Page 25: Courtesy of the City of Piedmont Page 28: Jude Lemons

www.cacities.org

Current & Upcoming Opportunities City of Brea, CA – Community Development Director Located in north Orange County, California, Brea is a close-knit community that hosts over 125,000 people who travel to Brea to work, recreate and be entertained. The City of Brea is a value-driven, customer-oriented organization with a reputation for being creative, entrepreneurial, and an exciting model in today’s complex public sector environment. The City of Brea is seeking a Community Development Director who is a committed, customer service oriented, and strong leader who can represent the department with integrity and honesty. The Community Development Department is focused on enhancing the quality of life in the community. Candidates must possess the equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in urban or regional planning or a related field considered useful in City Planning; a master’s degree is highly desirable. A typical qualifying background would have eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in urban and environmental planning, and responsible experience in the administration of local government development or rehabilitation programs, including five (5) years’ experience in a supervisory capacity. Experience in affordable housing is a desired. The compensation for Community Development Director is $162,360 - $191,328 annually, with the potential of an annual performance award, salary is dependent on qualifications and experience. Contact: Ms. Valerie Phillips, (916) 784-9080 – Filing Deadline: November 30, 2019

City of Coronado, CA Building Official

City of Placentia, CA Director of Community Services

City of Fairfield, CA Community Development Director

City of Riverside, CA Chief of Police

City of Hermosa Beach, CA Chief of Police

City of San Rafael, CA Fire Chief

City of Moreno Valley, CA Code & Neighborhood Services Division Manager

City of Selma, CA Chief of Police

City of Milpitas, CA Principal Planner

City of St. Helena, CA Planning & Building Director

If you are interested in these outstanding opportunities, visit our website to apply online.

www.bobmurrayassoc.com

King City’s Comprehensive Plan to End Youth Violence, continued from page 16

Steve Adams attributes the project’s success primarily to partnerships. “Almost every measure has depended upon a collaborative effort with at least one of our outstanding partners, including two school districts, Monterey County, our Salinas Valley neighbor cities, community organizations, and a number of nonprofits, businesses and foundations,” Adams says.

Addressing Every Detail The city placed an emphasis on prevention efforts to provide the most sustainable long-term results. The highest priority is a free after-school program at elementary school sites in partnership with the King City Union School District and provided by ProYouth, a nonprofit organization based in Visalia. “The most effective

CITY OF HAWTHORNE The City of Hawthorne, known as the “City of Good Neighbors” is proud of its cultural and ethnic diversity within a population of 88,000. Community members pride themselves in contributing to the goal of improving quality of life in the City. The City’s ideal location affords easy and quick access to all that Southern California offers; culture, sports, entertainment, beaches, and mountains. The region’s moderate Mediterranean climate offers year round comfort and is always among the most pleasant in the Los Angeles basin. Hawthorne is seeking a charismatic and dedicated new City Manager to build on the recent successes of the retiring City Manager. In working closely with the Mayor, City Council and dedicated city staff, the new Manager will bring a track record of effective organizational CITY leadership, strength in budget, finance and MANAGER administration, a strong background in economic William Avery & Associates development, and the ability to connect with Management Consultants the constituent community, businesses and regional government partners. Above all else, the City Manager must be a passionate public servant that 31/2 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Suite A embodies and models the highest level of honesty, integrity, and ethics. Los Gatos, CA 95030 408.399.4424 The ideal candidate for this role must be a creative and progressive leader Fax: 408.399.4423 that serves as a role model for the organization and the community. The background desired for this assignment includes public sector executive email: jobs@averyassoc.net www.averyassoc.net level experience as a City Manager, ACM/DCM, GM, or department head, and includes five or more years of management experience of represented and at-will staff. A Bachelor’s degree in a related field is required. To be considered, please visit our website at www.averyassoc.net/current-searches/ for a detailed job announcement and how to apply on the Avery Associates Career Portal.

deterrent to gang activity is cutting off the supply of recruits by helping our youth be successful and engaged in school and other activities,” says Police Chief and ProYouth Board Member Robert Masterson. The program offers nutrition, recreation, enrichment pathways, homework assistance, multicultural awareness and leadership development. Over $100,000 in community donations launched the pilot program, which is now funded primarily through grants. Other key prevention measures included working with Pacific Gas and Electric to install over 100 additional streetlights, a daytime curfew ordinance, expanded city and YMCA youth activities, workforce training, parenting education and formation of a community volunteer beautification program. In addition, an on-campus probation officer program jointly funded by the city, probation department and the high school and elementary school districts was established at the high school and middle school. The primary intervention measure is a youth diversion program, which is coordinated jointly with neighboring

City Manager

City of Mountain View, CA

ocated between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the San Francisco Bay, the City of Mountain View spans just over 12 square miles in the center of Silicon Valley. The City is home to 81,992 residents and many internationally known corporations and a thriving small business base. A full-service municipality that maintains a AAA credit rating and vibrant culture, Mountain View is supported by 649.75 employees and a FY2019-20 General Fund Budget of $145.4 million (total budget $524.0 million).

The ideal candidate will be a forward thinking and inspiring leader who offers demonstrated success in managing multiple high profile priorities simultaneously. He/she will be a personable and credible communicator and sophisticated negotiator who is skilled at facilitating high level decision making around complex issues. A broad background in local government and extensive management experience will be expected. Visit www.tbcrecruiting.com for detailed brochure and to apply online. Salary estimated to be in the range of $300,000 - $330,000. Salary is supplemented by a competitive benefits package that includes 2.7% @ 55 CalPERS retirement for classic members. All inquiries will be treated confidentially. This recruitment will close on Monday, November 11, 2019. Teri Black • 424.296.3111 Suzanne Mason • 562.631.2500

League of California Cities

www.cacities.org

cities and operated by Sun Street Centers, a local nonprofit agency. The program uses an individualized diversion plan to help youths avoid entering the juvenile justice system. The student, parents and a case manager collaborate to develop a three- to six-month plan that offers a path to success through education, community involvement, life skills training and counseling. King City installed an extensive citywide security camera system, consisting of over 100 camera views, which provides a significant enforcement effort. The city established a joint major crimes investigative unit with the Greenfield Police Department and also dedicated an officer to gang detail. In conjunction with these efforts, the city implemented a nuisance abatement program. In the re-entry category, the major goal was creating a one-stop recovery center to provide drug and alcohol rehabilitation, counseling, job and housing assistance and prevention services. In partnership with the city and Monterey County Behavioral Health Services Department,

Sun Street Centers developed the facility by rehabilitating a blighted motel and commercial building. “King City residents previously had to travel nearly 50 miles for addiction support services, which meant returning to their former lifestyle was the only option for many,” says Anna Foglia, CEO of Sun Street Centers. “Therefore, this facility is life changing and represents the compassion that exists in King City for those in need of assistance.” The public outreach component includes disseminating extensive public information and use of social media, a citizens’ police academy, neighborhood public safety meetings and officers assigned to each council district to work with residents on neighborhood problem-solving. The city also developed a block party program to provide opportunities for positive interaction with police officers and to encourage residents to work together on neighborhood safety. A substantial increase in witnesses providing information about incidents offers evidence of the trust and buy-in that King City has built with the community.

A New Day The results have been dramatic. Shootings have been reduced from a high of 32 in 2017 to zero since the last shooting on Feb. 16, 2018. Assaults decreased by 30 percent, burglaries by 27 percent and vehicle thefts by 26 percent since the program’s inception. Meanwhile, the number of cases solved increased by 45 percent. The city achieved these results while simultaneously decreasing its negative General Fund balance by over 50 percent in three years and implementing a number of other important programs and improvements. Mayor Mike LeBarre says, “It’s great seeing more people walking and jogging in the evening, kids playing in the park, beautification efforts underway throughout the city and increased community pride. Working as a team and prioritizing the community’s resources to meet their needs has been key to the success we are seeing.” Contact: Steve Adams, city manager; phone: (831) 386-5917; email: sadams@ kingcity.com. ■

A free after-school program engages youngsters, staff at Sun Street Centers offer support and recovery services, and King City Police Department staff watch video monitors showing security camera views throughout the community.

clockwise from top left

www.westerncity.com

Western City, November 2019

City Manager City of Duarte, CA

Located in the beautiful San Gabriel Valley, Duarte is a diverse and flourishing city of over 21,000 residents that is proud of its stable neighborhoods, quality schools, significant health care organizations, and impressive public safety record. Its suburban character allows residents to enjoy the pleasures of small town living with easy access to the cosmopolitan amenities of nearby Los Angeles. The seven City Council Members are elected by district for four-year terms. With a staff of 45 full-time and 30 part-time employees, the City of Duarte provides a full range of services, with contracted public safety and trash/recycling services. The FY 2019/2020 General Fund budget is approximately $18.2 million. Duarte has enjoyed stability in both the community and the organization. The City Council is seeking a strong communicator to Council, staff, and the community who brings outside-the-box thinking, innovation, enthusiasm, and energy and has ideas that will take the organization and community to the next level. The ideal candidate brings proven, hands-on leadership experience in a local government setting. Bachelor’s degree with major coursework in public administration, business administration, or a related field is required; Master’s degree is strongly desired. The City Council is committed to setting compensation at a level that is locally competitive and consistent with the high quality candidate it looks to recruit. The full compensation package is DOQE. Filing deadline is November 25, 2019. Contact Bobbi Peckham.

Police Captain City of Gilroy, CA

The vibrant, family-friendly City of Gilroy, with a population of over 55,000, is located approxiametly 25 miles south of San Jose. The city’s peaceful residential setting, award winning parks and recreational opportunities, excellent schools and easy access to the entire Bay Area has made Gilroy one of the most affordable and fastest growing communities in southern Santa Clara County. The Police Department, with 68 sworn and 37 professional staff and a budget of over $25 million, is divided into three divisions: Field Operations (Patrol); Special Operations (Investigations & Specialty Units/Teams/Policy/Training/Hiring/Legal Issues); and Administration (Records/Communications/Budget) each managed by a Police Captain. The selected candidate will be participative and collaborative as this Department truly operates as a team, and emotional intelligence will be just as necessary as technical competence to be successful. Bachelor’s degree and ten years of sworn law enforcement experience with a minimum of two years as a Police Sergeant required as well as both P.O.S.T. Advanced and Supervisory certificates within one year of appointment. Salary range is $148,620 to $198,192 (with an additional increase of 3% approved for July 1, 2020) with excellent benefits. Resume filing deadline is November 25, 2019. Contact Phil McKenney.

Economic Development Manager City of Santa Barbara, CA

Idyllically located on the central California coast, Santa Barbara comprises 21 square miles with a culturally diverse population of approximately 92,000. Visitors and residents alike have an abundance of world-class shopping, dining, resort accommodations, and miles of beautiful pristine beaches. With its spectacular mountains, sparkling-blue ocean, incredible landscapes, mission style architecture, and year-round sunny weather, Santa Barbara is one of the most beautiful places to live and work. The Economic Development program resides in the City Administrator’s Office. The Economic Development Manager will work with businesses, developers, commercial brokers, property owners, organizations, and City agencies to achieve economic growth objectives. The position is responsible for defining, developing, implementing, promoting, and sustaining the City’s economic development goals; innovative economic development programs, processes and policies; strategies that strengthen and enhance the downtown business and commercial sector; and attracting commercial activity. Ten years of recent progressively responsible experience in economic development, planning, or redevelopment, and a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college is required. The annual salary range of the position is $147,457 to $179,235, and the City provides a competitive benefit package. Filing deadline is November 25, 2019. Contact Tony Dahlerbruch.

“All about fit” Assistant City Manager

City of Oceanside, CA

Centrally located in the heart of the beautiful Southern California coastline, Oceanside (pop. 178,000) is a tourist destination with an outstanding location and climate, robust business environment, variety of housing options, and multiple resources. This full-service agency provides a vast array of services through 984 FTEs and overall budget of $575 million. Appointed by and supporting City Manager Deanna Lorson, the Assistant City Manager will lead the City’s Finance and Budgeting operations, as well as other functions/departments based on expertise. The City Manager is seeking a personable, solution-oriented and collaborative team player with department head experience in a full-service, customer-oriented municipal organization. Specific experience with assessment districts, tax measures, economic development/revenue generation, and enterprise funds is ideal. A Bachelor’s degree in Public or Business Administration, Finance, or a related field is required; Master’s degree is highly desirable. Annual salary range is $157,020 - $219,564 DOQ. Filing deadline is November 4, 2019. Contact Bobbi Peckham.

Director of Purchasing and Support Services

San Joaquin County, CA

San Joaquin County, population 745,000, is located in northern California’s Central Valley and encompasses 1,391 square miles of land and 35 square miles of water, including the San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Calaveras and Mokelumne rivers. The County encompasses seven cities (Stockton is the County seat) and offers a unique opportunity to enjoy California’s beauty and nature, music, arts and culture. The new Director, with a staff of 25, is responsible for a Division that provides central support services to County Departments, procures materials and services, provides mail/courier services, manages duplicating and print shop operations, and oversees records storage and recycling functions. The ideal candidate will have expertise in procurement and material management with a focus on customer service, and will be an excellent communicator and relationship builder who works closely with Departments to ensure success from procurement through contract completion. Bachelor’s degree and seven years of senior-level management experience in professional purchasing or supply management, preferably in a public sector setting, with either a CPM, CPSM, CPPO, CCCM, CFCM, or CPCM certification required. A Master’s degree is highly desirable. Salary range is from $116,355 to $141,403 with a comprehensive benefits package. Resume filing deadline is November 25, 2019. Contact Phil McKenney.

Executive Director

San Miguel Regional Housing Authority, San Miguel County, CO

Approximately one third of the San Miguel County, Colorado, population lives in some form of deed-restricted housing. The San Miguel Regional Housing Authority (SMRHA) serves as the administrative arm of three entities (San Miguel County, the Town of Telluride, and the Town of Mountain Village), enforcing deed restrictions and managing various housing programs on their behalf.The SMRHA is headquartered in Telluride, a world-class community of incomparable beauty, located in the San Juan Mountains of breathtaking southwest Colorado. The FY 2019 approved budget of $340,000 supports 3.5 FTEs, including the Executive Director. The Director reports to the three-member SMRHA board of directors: the county manager and two town managers. The next Director will be asked to bring the organization to a streamlined, efficient, high-functioning level within the first year. A four-year degree in a relevant field of study, such as business administration or management, and five years of management-level experience in housing-related or nonprofit organizations are strongly preferred. Comprehensive benefits. The hiring range is $85,000 to $105,000 DOQE. Filing deadline is November 4, 2019. Contact Andrew Gorgey.

To apply, please visit our website at:

Peckham & McKenney

www.peckhamandmckenney.com

Resumes acknowledged within two business days. Call (866) 912-1919 for more information.

Making It Personal: Linking Public Engagement to Public Safety, continued from page 15

This resulted in artificially low crime statistics that did not reflect the true nature of what was happening. “We recognized that there were multiple reasons that our residents might not report crime,” says Bedell. “They may not know which activity to report or how to report crime — or they may fear contact with the police.” In Gilroy, public safety officials knew they had to do something different to better connect with their Hispanic residents.

Developing New Approaches In both Piedmont and Gilroy, more effective community outreach created better public safety outcomes. The two cities, only 76 miles apart, could not be more different demographically. For both cities, however, the Institute for Local Government’s Think, Initiate, Engage, Review and Shift (TIERS) program became a catalyst for change and an avenue toward improved public safety. The Institute for Local Government (ILG) developed the TIERS public engagement framework to help local agencies reach out to their communities. ILG offers training in the TIERS program so any local government agency can apply the program to its specific situation and engage its constituents in meaningful twoway communication.

spin on the ubiquitous “Coffee with a Cop” program. Again, taking stock of the interests and passions of the community, staff collaborated with several residents to launch the “Coffee, Cars and Cops” annual car show. This program provides opportunities for the public to engage with law enforcement personnel while having coffee and enjoying classic and rare automobiles. Several staff members from the City of Gilroy also attended a TIERS training. “During the training, we discussed our engagement strategy with our Latino, Spanish-speaking population and that we would need to first build their trust before they would feel comfortable reporting crime,” says Bedell. “Based on this, we developed two engagement project plans, focused first on building trust and second on reporting criminal activity.” Officers met one on one with residents, businesses and local organizations to help them better utilize police services, encourage reporting of criminal activity and discuss the role of the Police Department, including their commitment to treat everyone fairly regardless of status. Sergeant Paco Rodriguez of the Gilroy Police Department summarizes the city’s efforts by saying, “We realized we couldn’t wait for the community to come to us — we had to go to them.”

“My colleagues, Planning Director Kevin Jackson and Planner Pierce Macdonald-Powell learned about the TIERS training while they were in the process of dealing with their own public engagement challenges and communicated the opportunity for all department heads to attend the training,” says Piedmont’s Chief Bowers. “The interactive training provided concrete frameworks with the ability to tailor various approaches to public engagement, depending on the issues at hand. It enabled us to discuss and work through our real-world projects and efforts in small groups and then apply the various public engagement tools to those efforts.”

The Ripple Effects of Community Outreach

In Piedmont, the TIERS training led participants to adopt some typical tools — like a sustainable social media program — but it also resulted in some unique methods of reaching out.

Gilroy has also benefited from its effort to engage the community. “Our engagement efforts increased the trust and communication between the Spanish-speaking community and our Police

Chief Bowers in Piedmont agrees that effective community engagement requires a proactive approach. “The Police Department is interacting with the public in a way that it never has before,” he says. “What stands out is the acknowledgement and appreciation the public has conveyed about how we are connecting with them in the community. By employing a multifaceted public engagement program, we enhanced our legitimacy and credibility with the public because they understand the Police Department has a true desire to be transparent and informative.”

“We attached our efforts to existing community groups and activities,” says Chief Bowers. “Some examples include piggybacking on existing community walking groups and establishing a Dog Walker Watch program to connect with the community through their robust love of dogs.” Piedmont also put its own

“We realized we couldn’t wait for the community to come to us — we had to go to them.” — Sergeant Paco Rodriguez of the Gilroy Police Department

League of California Cities

Gilroy Police Department K9 Scotty meets residents during a recent Coffee with a Cop event.

www.cacities.org

above The

Piedmont Police Department uses existing programs, such as National Night Out, to talk with neighbors about emerging and local issues related to public safety; right Piedmont officers chat with a resident at a neighborhood meeting, where the informal setting offers a relaxed, friendly environment.

Additional Resources Online For links to related resources and more information on this topic, read the online version of this article at www.westerncity.com.

Department,” Bedell says. In addition, the department now has more accurate data about criminal activity, which helps to better plan policing strategies and prepare for the future. Bedell also believes that outreach efforts have had a ripple effect throughout the community. “Engaging the community has a multiplier effect,” she says. “Residents who are involved in meaningful engagement with local government share their experience and knowledge with their sphere of influence, widening the positive effects of the engagement efforts.”

support of a shared vision for our town. We have seen the benefits of engaging our community and are committed to continuing our efforts to further develop our strategies using the lessons we’ve learned.”

While much of the public engagement effort starts with city staff, elected leaders take note as well.

Learn more about ILG’s public engagement resources at www.ca-ilg.org/engagement.

“The future is bright for Gilroy — and working together only makes it better,” says Mayor Roland Velasco. “Meaningful public engagement provides a vehicle for working together with our community and cultivates collaboration, pride and unified

Editor’s Note: The tragic mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival on July 28, 2019, highlights the need for an engaged and informed public. Because the incident was still under investigation as Western City went to press, it is not included in this article. ■

Bobbi C. Peckham • Phil McKenney

Peckham&McKenney www.peckhamandmckenney.com

Roseville, CA

www.westerncity.com

866.912.1919

Western City, November 2019

William Avery & Associates, Inc. Labor Relations / Executive Search / Human Resources Consulting 31/2 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Suite A Los Gatos, CA 95030 408.399.4424 Fax: 408.399.4423 email: jobs@averyassoc.net www.averyassoc.net

HELPING LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEADERS POWERFUL SOLUTIONS, PROVEN RESULTS Sales Tax

Property Tax

Business Tax

Economic Development

Cannabis Consulting

Software

Lodging Tax and Short Term Rentals

888.861.0220 | hdlcompanies.com

managementpartners.com Budget Strategies ∙ Service Sharing Organization Analysis ∙ Performance Management Process Improvement ∙ Strategic Planning Executive Recruitment ∙ Facilitation/Team Building

E XPERIENCE , T ALENT , COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE San Jose ∙ Orange County ∙ Cincinnati ∙ 408-437-5400

This space for lease For advertising information, call (800) 262-1801

SPECIALISTS IN CLASSIFICATION, JOB EVALUATION AND COMPENSATION

Building Partnerships

Building & Fire Life Safety Planning | Public Works | Engineering

Reach New Clients

915 L Street, #C-102, Sacramento, CA 95814

Construction Management Post-Disaster Development Recovery 4LEAFINC.COM

League of California Cities

5663 Balboa Ave., #399, San Diego, CA 92111-2705

For advertising information, call (800) 262-1801.

Brentwood Village, 149 S. Barrington Ave., #726, Los Angeles, CA 90049-2950 1-888-522-7772 • www.compensationconsulting.com Offices in various major cities

www.cacities.org

Contact: Allan Crecelius or Sandra Comrie

12707 High Bluff Dr., Ste 200 San Diego, CA 92130 Tel 858.259.3800 fax 858.792.7465 acrecelius@rewardstrategy.com

Exceeding clients’ expectations since 1987. Classification | Compensation Special Surveys | Performance Management

matrix consulting group

Over 130 Public Agencies across California put their TRUST in us, because we check all the boxes when it comes to managing their investments.

1650 S. AMPHLETT BLVD., SUITE 213 SAN MATEO, CA 94402 650.858.0507 • www.matrixcg.net Offices in CA, AZ, IL, MA, NC, OR & TX

Management and operations studies Feasibility studies User fees and cost allocation Police • Fire • Public Works • Utilities Parks & Recreation • Administration Planning & Building

CALTRUST.ORG (888) 225-8787

Sponsored by the League of California Cities

WRITTEN TESTS This space for lease For advertising information, call (800) 262-1801

Over 70 stock tests available for jobs in public agencies. Toll Free (877) 22-EXAMS exams@donnoe.com www.donnoe.com

www.westerncity.com

Western City, November 2019

What are your city’s top three issues? Read more “On the Record” at www.westerncity.com.

Delray Shelton Council Member Merced

Sylvia Robles Council Member Grand Terrace

Rick Bonilla Council Member San Mateo

League of California Cities

Homelessness, the need for more parks and the lack of job opportunities.

Economic development, unfunded pension liabilities and increasing our public safety contract services without a tax measure.

Housing, transportation and building a new wastewater treatment plant.

Cleland Hoff Council Member Mammoth Lakes

Francisco Ramirez Council Member Hanford

Pat Nolen Vice Mayor Corcoran

Short-term rentals depleting housing stock, a shortfall of services for tourism-related needs and the seasonal impact of weather and traffic on roads and infrastructure.

Cannabis, zoning and parklands.

Water, affordable housing and the need for a hospital.

www.cacities.org

Representing California public agencies for over sixty years.

Coastal Construction Election Law Eminent Domain Environment & Natural Resources

Housing Authorities Housing Successors Joint Powers Authorities Labor & Employment Litigation

Municipal & Public Agency Law Public Finance Real Estate School Districts Special Districts

Successor Agencies Telecommunications Transportation Waste Management Water Districts

888.479.4529