League of California Cities
City Advocate Weekly
2009 Issue #25   July 2, 2009
CONTENTS
Editor's Note
New State Fiscal Year Begins with Budget out of Balance
Invitation To Local Government Summit On Governance And Fiscal Reform July 17-18, Sacramento
Letters Needed Opposing Federal Legislation Limiting Local Taxing Authority Over Mobile Phones
American Clean Energy and Security Act Moves to the U.S. Senate
Federal Stimulus Funding Workshops Scheduled—Register Now!
Observations on PERS Rates and Impacts of Pension Obligations on Local Budgets
Upcoming Events
SUBSCRIBE

Enter your email address in the box below to receive an email each time we post a new issue of our newsletter:


Add Remove
Send as HTML
 

ARCHIVE
2009 Issue #24
June 26, 2009
Vol. 1 Issue 184
2009 Issue #23
June 19, 2009
Vol. 1 Issue 183
2009 Issue #22
June 12, 2009
Vol. 1 Issue 182
2009 Issue #20
May 29, 2009
Vol. 1 Issue 20
2009 Issue #19
May 22, 2009
Vol. 1 Issue 179
2009 Issue #18
May 15, 2009
Vol. 1 Issue 178
2009 Issue #17
May 8, 2009
Vol. 1 Issue 177
2009 Issue #16
May 1, 2009
Vol. 1 Issue 176
2009 Issue #15
April 24, 2009
Vol. 1 Issue 175
2009 Issue #14
April 10, 2009
Vol. 1 Issue 174

[MORE]
NEWS
Editor's Note

For a printable copy of City Advocate Weekly (previously Priority Focus) please visit the League Web site.

 


 

New State Fiscal Year Begins with Budget out of Balance
July 1 came and went without a resolution to the state budget crisis. Democrats, Republicans, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger now remain staked out in scattered positions. Little clarity exists on how a political and fiscal chasm – appearing at times as wide as the Grand Canyon – can be bridged. City funding remains vulnerable through a variety of pending budget proposals and scenarios. Legislative leaders and Governor continue discussions, while legislators headed home for the holiday weekend.
[FULL STORY]
 

Invitation To Local Government Summit On Governance And Fiscal Reform July 17-18, Sacramento
City officials are invited to attend and participate in a historic summit meeting of city, county and school officials in Sacramento, July 17-18 at the Hyatt Regency to discuss and debate the emerging proposals to reform California’s governance and fiscal systems.
[FULL STORY]
 

Letters Needed Opposing Federal Legislation Limiting Local Taxing Authority Over Mobile Phones
California cities, which are already facing historic budget deficits and the potential of additional state raids on local funds, may be surprised to learn some members of Congress are actively pushing legislation that would further limit local revenue authority.
[FULL STORY]
 

American Clean Energy and Security Act Moves to the U.S. Senate
Last Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 219-212 to pass HR 2454, legislation aimed at creating clean energy jobs, achieving energy independence, reducing global warming pollution and transitioning the U.S. into a clean energy economy.
[FULL STORY]
 

Federal Stimulus Funding Workshops Scheduled—Register Now!
With the state expected to receive more than $85 billion in federal stimulus funding in the next two years, the California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth will be hosting conferences on how to transform California's share of federal stimulus funding into new jobs.
[FULL STORY]
 

Observations on PERS Rates and Impacts of Pension Obligations on Local Budgets
Public agencies are expecting an increase in the cost of providing employees with CalPERS pension benefits because of the impact the challenging economy has had on the system. The June 15 issue of the PERS Public Agency Coalition’s Alert included some observations on the situation that may be of interest to City Advocate Weekly readers. Instead of reprinting the entire piece, we are printing a selection of points that provide at least a partial answer to these pension questions that were made in the original article.
[FULL STORY]
 

Upcoming Events

July

7          The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Financing Opportunities for California’s Public Agencies.  Deadline to apply for Strengthening Communities Fund.  The fund will provide one-time, two-year awards of up to $250,000 to state, city, county and Indian/Native American tribal governments to strengthen nonprofit organizations and increase a nonprofit’s involvement in projects that are designed help turn our economy around.   For details, see the City Funding Book on the League’s Web site.

 

8          The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth, in cooperation with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Recovery Task Force, is hosting a series of three conferences focusing on transforming Californias share of federal stimulus funding into new jobs.  The conferences are:

·         Central Valley, Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - California State University, Fresno

·         Southern California, July 22, 2009 - Anaheim Convention Center

·         Bay Area, Thursday, July 23, 2009 - San José State University           

 

9          The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  The federal Department of Justice (DOJ) has released the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program FY 2009 state and local solicitations. State applications were due June 25, 2009; local applications are due July 9, 2009. Note: these are the annual JAG solicitations, which are separate from ARRA JAG solicitations. State and local JAG allocations can be found online. 

 

10         The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The federal Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will host a Webinar at 12 noon, Pacific Time, at http://www.workforce3one.org.  The Webinar will discuss the application process for a newly announced program:  State Energy Sector Partnership (SESP) and Training Grants.  This program will make approximately $190 million available to Local Workforce Investment Boards or regional consortia of Boards, and One Stop Career Center delivery systems are eligible to compete in partnerships with State Workforce Investment Boards.  The funds will be used to help develop a national workforce that is ready to meet the demands of the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries. A portion of the funds will be reserved for communities or regions undergoing auto industry-related restructurings.  Applications are due on October 20.

 

14         1:00 p.m. - EPA’s ENERGY STAR program hosts regular webcasts. State and local officials and staff, facility managers, and energy managers will learn how government officials can leverage EPA’s Portfolio Manager tool to assess the energy use of buildings and identify best improvement opportunities. Please register for ENERGY STAR webcasts on their Web site.

 

17         Summer Recess begins on adjournment, provided Budget Bill has been

passed

 

21         The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Financing Opportunities for California’s Public Agencies. Applications due to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Capital Fund Recovery Competition grants in the Energy Efficiency category.  Applications for the other three categories of these grants are due by August 18.  (For more information see the section on Public Housing Capital Fund in the City Funding Book on the League’s Web site.)

 

22         The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth, in cooperation with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Recovery Task Force, is hosting a series of three conferences focusing on transforming Californias share of federal stimulus funding into new jobs.  The conferences are:

·         Central Valley, Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - California State University, Fresno

·         Southern California, July 22, 2009 - Anaheim Convention Center

·         Bay Area, Thursday, July 23, 2009 - San José State University

 

23         The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth, in cooperation with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Recovery Task Force, is hosting a series of three conferences focusing on transforming Californias share of federal stimulus funding into new jobs.  The conferences are:

·         Central Valley, Wednesday, July 8, 2009 - California State University, Fresno

·         Southern California, July 22, 2009 - Anaheim Convention Center

·         Bay Area, Thursday, July 23, 2009 - San José State University

 

Upcoming League Events:

September

16-19    League of California Cities’ Annual Conference and Expo, San Jose (Registration Opens Early May) 

 


[FULL STORY]
 
Published by League of California Cities
Copyright © 2009 League of California Cities. All rights reserved.
E-MAIL TO A COLLEAGUE
RSS Feed
Powered by IMN