The CSAC Bulletin: September 8, 2016

The CSAC Bulletin for September 8, 2016

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September 8, 2016

In this Issue

Top Headlines
- CSAC Announces 2016 Challenge Award Recipients
- A Great Lineup of Workshops Planned for CSAC's Annual Meeting
- Our Sign/Veto Requests for Governor Brown

Policy Reports
- Two Series of Marijuana Regulatory Workshops
- Mariposa County Supervisor Kevin Cann Participates in PILT Fly-in
- Counties Host 2016 Water Discussion
- ACWA Regulatory Summit Slated for October
- BSCC to Hold Juvenile Justice Committee Meeting

CSAC News
- From Our Blog: How Bad is the Digital Divide in California?
- Take at Look at Upcoming Courses at the CSAC Institute

Job Openings

CSAC Announces 2016 Challenge Award Recipients

CSAC is proud to announce the recipients of the 2016 Challenge Awards, which recognize the innovation and best practices in county government. This year, CSAC received a record number of entries (279) and a record number of counties entering (41) in our four population categories. An independent panel of judges with expertise in county programs selected the award recipients.

Top honors in all population categories is going to Plumas County for its ”20,000 Live” program, an initiative to improve the quality of life in the county by bringing the entire community together for powerful, lasting change.

San Diego County is the recipient of the most awards: two Challenge and six Merit Awards. Los Angeles County will be receiviing two Challenge and four Merit Awards, while San Bernardino County is being recognized with one Challenge and three Merit Awards.

Other counties to receive multiple awards are Butte, Imperial, Riverside and Ventura.

Twelve counties will be receiving a total of 14 Challenge Awards. Overall, a total of 43 Challenge and Merit Awards will be presented to 23 counties.
Read more

A Great Lineup of Workshops Planned for CSAC's Annual Meeting

CSAC has planned a strong slate of workshops for our upcoming Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, Riverside County. The schedule kicks off with our 5th Annual Innovation Summit Tuesday morning and continues into Thursday. The topics include water, marijuana, public safety issues and more. For workshop details, read more.

To register online for the conference, click here.

Our Sign/Veto Requests for Governor Brown

Governor Jerry Brown has almost 800 bills on his desk awaiting his signature or veto. Dozens of those bills have a direct bearing on Counties and CSAC is asking for specific action on many of them. Please see the policy area links below for which bills we hope the Governor signs into law, and which ones we hope get vetoed!

Administration of Justice

Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources

Employee Relations and Administrative Services

Finance and Operations

Health and Human Services

Housing Land Use and Transportation

Two Series of Marijuana Regulatory Workshops

Several California agencies are working on regulations to manage the cultivation, sales and use of cannabis. Counties can have some additional input into potential regulations by participating in two series of workshops.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is developing regulations to establish cannabis cultivation licensing and a track and trace system, collectively referred to as the Medical Cannabis Cultivation Program (MCCP). For more on this effort and a list of workshops, please click here.

Concurrently, The Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation and Office of Medical Cannabis Safety is holding a series of pre-regulatory stakeholder meetings throughout the state, discussing general licensing requirements and specific concepts related to the regulation of medical cannabis dispensaries, distributors, manufacturers, testing laboratories and transporters. For the specific dates and locations please click here.

Mariposa County Supervisor Kevin Cann in DC for PILT Fly-in

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is holding a Washington, D.C. fly-in this week to advocate for the Payments-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILT) program. Mariposa County Supervisor Kevin Cann will represent California’s counties in a series of meetings on Capitol Hill. He, along with a number of other county officials from across the nation, are urging Congress to provide full funding for PILT in fiscal-year 2017 and beyond.
Read more

Congress Returns to Face Lengthy Legislative Agenda
FY17 Budget Will Be Top Priority

Members of Congress returned to Capitol Hill this week following a lengthy summer hiatus to begin a brief, albeit potentially busy, pre-election session. House lawmakers are scheduled to conduct legislative business through the month of September, while the Senate is expected to hold votes through the first week of October. Both chambers are slated to return to Capitol Hill following the November 8 elections for a lame-duck session.

For details about several federal issues, including the FY17 Budget, the Family First Act, Energy Bill Conference, Fee-to-Trust Reform, Drought Relief Legislation and more, please click the link below.
Read more

Counties Host 2016 Water Discussion
Updated Agenda Now Posted

The Counties of Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, and Yolo invite California County leaders to a roundtable discussion on water. Come share what’s happening in your region and hear how other regions are addressing critical water needs. To see the agenda, and to register for this free event please click the link below.
Read more

ACWA Regulatory Summit Slated for October

The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) is holding its annual Regulatory Summit on October 3-4 in Sacramento. Learn about the regulatory changes designed to address the challenges posed by increased amounts of renewable energy in the state’s energy mix and some of the innovative ways that water agencies around the state are taking advantage of new opportunities to provide energy grid services.
Read more

BSCC to Hold Juvenile Justice Committee Meeting

The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) is holding its Juvenile Justice Standing Committee meeting on Tuesday, September 13 at their main office located at 2590 Venture Oaks Way in Sacramento, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Topics of the meeting include a review of relevant 2016 legislation, the Governor’s Public Safety Initiative (Proposition 57) and Continuum of Care reform. For additional information and the full agenda please click here.

From Our Blog: How Bad is the Digital Divide in California?

By Lloyd Levine
In California in 2016, the state that practically invented the Internet, 30% of Californians (nearly 12 million people) do not have meaningful broadband at home, according to an August 2016 survey by The Field Research Corporation.

This article, part one of a two-part series, will look at the historical data on the Digital Divide and the new data from the recent Field Poll. This data will provide the context necessary to understand the problem and formulate appropriate public policy solutions.
Read more

Take a Look at Upcoming Courses from the CSAC Institute

The CSAC Institute for Excellence in County Government is offering some valuable courses over the next few weeks. Check out the details below and register today. These classes will fill quickly! Read on for details.

Download the Course Schedule for more details on all the classes offered by CSAC Institute and Register Now. Classes open to all county staff and elected officials. Classes are an affordable $129 each and include class materials and lunch. Discounts for multiple registrations.
Read more

Job Openings

Click here to see the latest county and local government job postings.