 |
Executive
Director, Sam Olivito • sam@contractcities.org
11027
Downey Ave
• Downey, CA 90241 • 562.622.5533
• Fax 562.622.9555
   |
| The Connection |
April 2010
| Inside
This Issue President's Message 51st Annual Municipal Seminar Associate Members Program February Board of Directors Meeting March Board of Directors Meeting California Task Force 2 Board of Directors Meeting Hosts Needed The Perfect Storm Is Your Municipality Considering Going Solar? Calendar of Events Feb/March Anniversary of Incorporations Click the books below to be taken directly to the The Duarte Library Teen Book Wish List and donate a book in honor of President Lois Gaston before our April 21st Board of Directors Meeting.  PLATINUM ASSOCIATE MEMBERS    GOLD ASSOCIATE MEMBERS     |
President's
Message
by Lois Gaston 
Spring has
arrived along with more
daylight. For many of us it is a reminder to update our calendars,
finish all those chores we put off in winter months and get moving.
Hopefully, you will put California Contract Cities
Association‘s
(CCCA) upcoming events at the top of your list. April 21 My city will host our Board of Directors meeting in Cooper Auditorium on the beautiful campus of City of Hope which is located at 1500 East Duarte Road in Duarte, CA 91010. We have planned a wonderful program including a mini-tour of the campus, an art exhibit and dinner. CCCA’s Annual Election of Officers will be held and the Board will also adopt the fiscal year 2010/2011 budget at this meeting. Each member city must have an elected official as a delegate or alternate cast the city’s vote. You are encouraged to donate a book for the Teen Section of the Duarte Library. For your convenience, click this link to be taken directly to the wish list of preferred books on Amazon. May 13-16 Plan to be in Indian Wells at the Renaissance Esmeralda for our Annual Municipal Seminar. I want to personally thank Vice President Laura Olhasso and the City of La Cañada-Flintridge and CCCA staff. They have planned a power-packed program, as indicated by the theme “The Economy: Woe to Dough?”. This is an experience that you cannot afford to miss. Hotel accommodations and exhibit booth spaces are limited. So act now and place your reservations. Download the Annual Municipal Seminar Information Packet which includes all you will need to register for this spectacular educational seminar. Thanks to Robert Sausedo, of Schneider Electric our March 17, 2010 meeting was held at the NECA & IBEW Local 11 Training site in Commerce. We received royal treatment from their Business Development personnel, namely Thomas Martinez, Executive Director, who arranged for an energy efficiency solutions presentation to be made by Bernie Kotlier, Director of Green Energy Solutions and Office Manger Sandi Dodson who made sure we had a delicious meal and plenty of space for our committees and members to meet. Another highlight of the meeting was a presentation by Chief Cecil Rhambo concerning the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s parolee monitoring program. This was also shared at our City Manager’s meeting last week. CCCA will continue to keep our member cities informed about how the monitoring of Active and Non-Revocable Parolees is being carried out. Randy Bomgaars, Chair of the Nominating Committee gave his report, and after no others were nominated from the floor, he presented the following slate of 2010-2011 Officer Nominees selected by the Nominating Committee: PRESIDENT...................................................... Laura Olhasso, La Cañada Flintridge VICE PRESIDENT.......................................................James R. Bozajian, Calabasas SECRETARY/TREASURER .........................................Diane Martinez, Paramount DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE.................................................... Steve Tye, Diamond Bar DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE........................................................Kris Valstad, Hercules We are fortunate to have such dedicated persons who help us plan for the future growth of CCCA. Special thanks to Randy and the rest of the Nominating Committee, Past President Margaret Finlay of Duarte, Budget & Audit Committee Chairperson Mario Guerra of Downey, City County Contracts/Legal Committee Chair, Douglas Stern of Rancho Palos Verdes and Selection Committee Chair Diane Martinez of Paramount . I am grateful to them and all of you who applied. The interest and leadership qualities of all of the applicants convinces me our organization will continue to be successful for many years to come. I urge all of our members to consider sharing your time and talents by working with a CCCA Standing committee. There is a lot of important work to be done to help our cities. California Contract Cities Association, in partnership with the League of California Cities and Independent Cities Association set out to collect signatures to qualify the Local Taxpayer, Public Safety and Transportation Act for the November ballot. We only have two weeks left as the last day to gather signatures for this ballot measure is April 15th. Thanks to many local elected officials and CCCA Staff, along with Councilmember Randy Bomgaars from Bellflower, Councilmember Mario Guerra from Downey, John Orepeza from Bell Gardens and CCCA staff who were on hand at Stonewood Mall in Downey, as well as all of those who volunteered at many other locations around L.A. County on Saturday, March 20th. Special thanks to Kristine Guerrero, Public Affairs Manager from the Leage of California Cities for all her help and commitment in making Super Signature Saturday a success. If you haven't already done so, please visit www.savelocalservices.com to request a petition or for more information on how you can help to Protect Local Services, and save your money from being taken by the State. Our public/private partnerships continue to grow through our Associates Members Program. We owe a debt of gratitude to immediate Past President Frank Zerunyan, Fran Mancia of Muni Services and Tony Olivito of CCCA staff. With their creative assistance we have rolled out this vital new service. Please extend an invitation to others you know who might benefit from sharing ideas and expertise. Use our website to download the 2010 Associate Members Program Brochure, to get additional information or contact Tony, Public Affairs Director at (562) 622-5533 ext. 6, tony@contractcities.org. As always, I am honored and humbled to serve as your president. This year has gone by so quickly, but our successes are numerous because the untiring efforts of our Executive Board, Standing Committees, CCCA Staff and your attendance at our events. We have followed our motto of R & R (Relationships and Revenues) by addressing many issues which will result in revenue savings such as the reduction of the Sheriff Surcharge for Sheriff Liability, Energy Summit which identified opportunities for reduction in energy costs, and Educational Programs that provided timely information on economic developments. We have continued to reach out to our partners in the County having Supervisors Knabe and Yaroslavsky attend our Board of Directors Meetings, as well as Sheriff, Fire Chief, Public Works, Arts Commission, Los Angeles County and ISD staff. I look forward to seeing you on April 21st in Duarte for our Board of Directors Meeting and Election and in Indian Wells for our 51st Annual Municipal Seminar May 13-16th. Sincerely,  51st Annual Municipal Seminar The 51st Annual Municipal Seminar is next month! If you have not already registered, be sure to do so now. You can click here to view the Information Packet which includes all the necessary forms you will need regarding conference registration, hotel reservations, golf tournament registration, kids program info and seminar program schedule. You will not want to miss this years packed program of dynamic speakers, timely educational sessions and mandatory AB1234 training. Associate Members Program The Associate Members Program has become a reality and solidified the long standing public/private partnerships that have made California Contract Cities Association (CCCA) a success. The CCCA announced the launch of the program in February of this year, and the response from our business partners has been strong. Our desire is to see a program that benefits both our member cities and our Associate Members alike. If you have any questions regarding the Associate Members Program please visit our website or call Tony Olivito at 562-622-533 ext. 6. February
Board of Directors Meeting
Our February Board of Directors Meeting was held in the City of Downey at the Rio Hondo Events Center. Our hosts treated us to a wonderful evening, meal and even some small tokens of appreciation. In addition to the fun, our Board of Directors handled their usual business and settled in for the main event. LA County Supervisor Don Knabe addressed our group praising the efforts of our Executive Board leadership in the continuing work of relationship development with our partners, particularly around Los Angeles County. He also had very kind words for Laura Olhasso, Mayor of La Cañada Flintridge and CCCA Vice President. The entire city of La Cañada Filntridge has been a model of poise during this difficult year, enduring the fires, mudslides and flooding. Laura Olhasso, the City Council and City Staff have shown true dedication to their community through this ordeal. The
California Contract Cities Association Board of
Directors meets each month to discuss pertinent issues and hear from
speakers around the state involved in local government and the
contracting of municipal services. Our goal as always is to
enhance our relationships with our partners in local, regional and
state government while offering a networking opportunity for our member
cities and their local elected officials.
Click
on the photos below
to view slideshow.
March
Board of Directors Meeting
Our March Board of Directors Meeting was held in the City of Commerce at the Electrical Training Institute and was hosted by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors Association. Our first time hosts were very accomodating opening up their vast training facility for our event and providing a great presentation on energy efficiency given by Bernie Kotlier, Director of Green Energy Solutions. In addition, Chief Cecil Rhambo from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department shared a presentation on Non-Revocable Parolees and how the LASD is handling their cases. The evening was full of business with the Nominating Committee making its recommendation for the April 21st elections. For President, Laura Olhasso from La Cañada Flintridge; Vice President, James R. Bozajian from Calabasas and Secretary/Treasurer, Diane Martinez from Paramount. But, as always, there was ample time for networking and the sharing of ideas between the Board of Directors, Public Utilities, LASD, LAFD, special guests, PAC members and our Associate Members. We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting held in the beautiful City of Duarte at the City of Hope on April 21st - Click here for details. Remember this will be the last Board of Directors Meeting our President Lois Gaston will preside over. Her leadership and dedication to the Association has paid dividends through the resolution of the Liability Trust Fund issue, the creation of the Associate Members Program and many other initiatives that save the Association money while bringing opportunities to our member cities to weather these tough economic times. In lieu of plaques, certificates, etc. that would be presented to her at this last meeting by cities, friends of CCCA and guests, President Gaston would like to have books donated to Duarte Library (Teen Section), through the “Friends of Duarte Library”. To donate books selected by President Gaston and library staff, we kindly ask that each city, friend of CCCA and guest go directly to the "Friends of Duarte Library" wish list on Amazon.com to purchase your books for this great public purpose. Click
on the photos below
to view slideshow.
California Task Force 2 Recognition Ceremony On February 11, 2010 the members of the California Task Force 2 were honored by the office of the President of the United States, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, LA County Board of Supervisors, California Contract Cities Association President Lois Gaston and other local government leaders. President Gaston commended the members of Task Force 2 on a job well done and shared what an honor it was to live in a city that was served by the men and women of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The task force is a specially-trained and equipped 70-person Urban Search and Rescue Task Force consisting of Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters and paramedics rescue specialists, emergency room physicians, structural engineers, heavy equipment specialists, canine search dogs and handlers, hazardous materials technicians, communications specialists, and logistics specialists. This group of well trained individuals have made countless rescue efforts and were successfull in multiple rescues in Haiti on this current deployment. Click
on the photos below
to view slideshow.
Board
of
Directors Meeting Hosts Needed
Every month the California Contract
Cities Association
Board of Directors meet to handle the business of the association,
network with member cities and Associate Members and educate
our
membership with relevant topics and speakers. If your city is
interested in hosting a meeting please contact Sharon at our staff
offices via email
or by
calling 562-622-5533 Ext. 1. There are still available months
to
host this year and for 2011. |
| City | Date of Incorporation |
| City of Carson | 2/20/1968 |
| City of La Mirada | 3/23/1960 |
| City of Malibu | 3/28/1991 |
| City of West Covina | 2/17/1923 |