City Leaders Summit

Registration Open

8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Opening General Session

10:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Day one of the conference focuses on legislative advocacy. Join Cal Cities leadership and lobbyists for an update on high priority legislation that you will want to advocate on when you meet with legislative officers later in the day.

Lunch on Your Own

12:15-1:30 p.m.

The Shared Path to Preventing and Reducing Homelessness

1:30-5:00 p.m.

Cal Cities and the California State Association of Counties are holding a special joint convening on collective solutions for preventing and reducing homelessness. Attendees will hear from both state lawmakers and local leaders as they share their perspectives on this challenging topic, as well as the roles, responsibilities, and resources needed to address this crisis. 

Dessert and Coffee Break

2:45-3:00 p.m.

Legislative Reception sponsored by Cal Cities Partners

5:30-7:00 p.m.

After a full day of lobbying and education, relax and enjoy some light hors d'oeuvres and refreshments while networking with your colleagues.

Registration Open

7:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Networking Breakfast

7:30-8:15 a.m.

General Session

8:30-10:00 a.m.

Get Them to “Yes”! Persuasive Critical Communication Skills for City Leaders

Successful city leaders have the skill set to demand decorum during city council meetings, resolve conflict, set and achieve strategic plans, persuasively communicate with department heads, and powerfully lead community meetings. The key to transforming perceptions, decreasing division and conflict, and increasing community trust is through strengthening the communication skills of everyone in the organization. In this interactive and engaging keynote, attendees will learn how to improve their overall communication skills, receive coaching and guidance as they practice implementing these techniques during group exercises, and apply the concepts learned.

Opening Remarks:
Susannah Meyer, President, Mayors and Council Members Department and Vice Mayor, Brentwood

Keynote Speaker:
Tracy Miller, TM Consulting, Expert Communications Coach and Former Senior Assistant District Attorney

Tracy Miller is a former prosecutor with over 25 years of legal experience and was the highest-ranking woman in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. She led the daily operations of the 6th largest district attorney’s office in the nation, including supervising 155 attorneys and operating a 140 million dollar budget. Miller began her career as a law clerk for prosecutors Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden on one of the most visible cases in our nation’s history — the O.J. Simpson trial.  As a communications expert, Miller transforms leaders by strengthening their skills to positively impact their influence on public perception while retaining and motivating those in their organization, engaging in healthy conflict, setting expectations, and increasing morale.

Strategies for Local Governments to Prevent Organized Retail Crime

10:15-11:30 a.m.

Organized theft continues to be a challenge for local municipalities across California. This session aims to introduce new strategies to local leaders to effectively combat this issue. By coordinating the right stakeholders in the public and private sector, you can be a force for change to create a safer shopping experience for your constituents, protect your tax base, and make it harder for your community to be targeted.

Moderator:
Mike Karbassi, Council Member, Fresno

Speakers:
Jason Daughrity, Captain, California Highway Patrol
Michael, Organized Retail Crime Investigations Manager, Rite Aid
Rachel Michelin, President/CEO, CA Retailers Association

Future of Homekey: Motel Conversions Over the Next 10 Years

10:15-11:30 a.m.

Homekey has become a key way to prevent and reduce homelessness. In two years, the program has created nearly 13,000 housing units at an accelerated rate. If funding for Homekey expires, cities will need to find new, creative ways to continue building off the program’s success. Prior to Homekey, this expert panel produced hundreds of converted permanent supportive housing units, with these properties later serving as the framework for the State’s program. This discussion will explore the future of motel conversions from a state, regional, local, and developer perspective. Panelists will open their playbook to share lessons learned and innovative approaches to zoning, funding, and long-term operations and services.

Moderator:
La Shelle Dozier, Executive Director, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency

Speakers:
Timothy Lawless, Branch Chief, Homekey, Cal Department of Housing and Community DevelopmentMichael Massie, Chief Development Officer, Jamboree Housing Corporation
Grace Ruiz-Stepter, Housing and Community Development Director, Anaheim

Networking Lunch

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Reimagining Emergency Medical Services Through Mobile Integrated Healthcare

12:45-2:00 p.m.

The City of Beverly Hills’ Nurse Practitioner Program is an innovative Mobile Integrated Healthcare solution that offers a holistic, patient-centered delivery model. In this session, attendees will learn how the Nurse Practitioner Program enables firefighter paramedics/EMTs to focus on emergent calls, positively impacts the community’s health, treats chronic conditions, and explores potential avenues for reimbursement through the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare.

Moderator:
Julian Gold, Mayor, Beverly Hills

Speakers:
Greg Barton, Fire Chief, Beverly Hills Fire Department
Marc Cohen, Medical Director, Beverly Hills Fire Department
Sean Stokes, EMS Administrator, Beverly Hills

Extended Speed Sessions

Navigating Housing Challenges Associated with Short-Term Rentals

12:45-1:15 p.m.

Short-term vacation rentals have boomed during and post pandemic. Many cities are struggling with how to identify and monitor activities at these properties while striking a balance for their community. Some cities opt to ban or create a cap on the number of short-term rentals while others do not. Learn best practices for every community and help to assure that cities are capturing revenue associated with this exploding industry.

Speaker:
Dustin Reilich, VP Sales & Government Relations, Deckard Technologies, Inc

Extended Speed Sessions

Best Practices in Addressing Illegal Dumping

1:25-1:55 p.m.

Illegal dumping of durable waste (e.g., auto parts, household appliances, mattresses, furniture, construction and home renovation waste, and electronics) is different from littering and requires distinct prevention and mitigation strategies. To help policymakers and other stakeholders better understand the significant environmental, economic, and societal harms that illegal dumping creates (both where the dumping occurs and in surrounding communities), this presentation identifies drivers of illegal dumping and explores public policy options to address the problem. Also, hear what several cities have accomplished through implementing pilot projects using these best practices.

Speaker:
Taylor Grimes, Special Projects Coordinator, Mattress Recycling Council

City Council and Staff’s Role in Workplace Investigations

2:15-3:30 p.m.

What if a department head brought a harassment complaint against a city manager directly to a council member? How do you handle the complaint and the department head’s requests for updates on the investigation? This session will take attendees through the required legal and policy processes and review what confidentiality means in this scenario. The presenter will also discuss the practicalities of providing public service during an ongoing investigation. 

Speaker:
Shelline Bennett, Partner, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore

Surplus Land Act and its Housing and Land Use Impacts

2:15-3:30 p.m.

California continues to face a housing crisis and the state legislature continues to pass laws to accelerate the production of affordable housing. The Surplus Land Act seeks to increase housing by requiring public agencies to follow a state-controlled process, including offering public property to affordable housing developers prior to selling or leasing property for other uses. Learn how this law impacts local land use and how to navigate the sale, lease, and use of public property to pursue public-private projects that produce economic development results while staying in compliance with state requirements. 

Moderator:
Larry Kosmont, Chairman and CEO, Kosmont Transactions Services

Speakers:
David Zisser, Assistant Deputy Director, Local Government Relations & Accountability, CA Department of Housing & Community Development
Matthew Cody, Of Counsel, Best Best & Krieger
Troy Brown, City Manager, City of Moorpark

Universal Inclusionary Housing

3:45-5:00 p.m.

This session will discuss expanding inclusionary housing requirements to cover existing rental properties. Many were exempted by the Palmer decision. One approach is with a parcel tax based on the number of rental units, offering inclusionary housing as an in-lieu option. The tax would exempt existing housing developments with affordable housing, significantly expanding affordable housing opportunities. Unlike rent control, it won’t affect the new housing starts, which are affected by the existing inclusionary housing regulations. Existing properties, previously protected from inclusionary housing requirements, have government-created lower operating costs.

Moderator and Speaker:
Stuart Kasdin, Council Member, Goleta

Speakers:
Ethan Walsh, Attorney, Best Best & Krieger LLP
Rob Wiener, Executive Director, California Coalition for Rural Housing

Partnering for Protection: Looking Past Jurisdictions to Provide School Safety

3:45-5:00 p.m.

The dreadful rise in school violence often brings unity through grief, but what happens if the city and its partners are united before something so horrific happens? Can it be prevented? Can they work cooperatively while respecting boundaries? Attendees will learn different tactics to cooperate across organizations to provide proactive strategies to address the rising violence in schools.

Moderator:
Frank Oviedo, Assistant City Manager, Santa Clarita

Speakers:
Larry Gonzalez, Chief of Police, Riverside Police Department
Steve Ellis, Administrative Director Student Safety and Security, Corona Norco Unified School District

Registration Open

7:45-10:30 a.m.

Networking Breakfast

7:45-8:45 a.m.

How Cities Can Fight Crime with Civil Litigation

9:00-10:15 a.m.

Drugs such as meth and fentanyl are a major problem in California. What happens when a property becomes a hotbed for drugs and criminal activity? What can city leaders do? The answer is a Drug Abatement lawsuit, codified at H&S 11570 et seq. This is a powerful civil tool that allows public agencies to shut down drug properties. The city can also recover its attorney fees and costs for the lawsuit making it cost-neutral for the city. 

Moderator and Speaker:
Ryan Griffith, Attorney & Receiver, Bay Area Receivership Group

Speaker:
Adam Abel, Assistant City Attorney, Santa Rosa

Why a Balanced Masculine and Feminine Leadership Approach Matters

9:00-10:15 a.m.

76% of employees are disengaged at work. Staff eventually leave because they don't feel seen, heard, or appreciated. Who knew the answer to this lies in a TV show called “Ted Lasso”? Ted Lasso's leadership style, which combines both feminine and masculine traits, is vital for organizations because it demonstrates the effectiveness of a holistic and inclusive approach to being a leader. Attendees will learn how to rise above the antiquated “Mad Men” way of managing and embrace a Ted Lasso standard of leadership where people are the priority.

Speaker:
Jeff Harry, Positive Psychology Play Speaker, Rediscover Your Play

Closing General Session

10:30 a.m.-noon

Citizens, Cities, Resilience: Engage the Never Give Up Mindset

Imagine what you could learn from a man who rescued his two small children when they were kidnapped to the Middle East. Attendees will learn about advocacy, resilience, perseverance, and how to overcome obstacles both professionally and personally.

Closing Remarks:
Susannah Meyer, President, Mayors and Council Members Department and Vice Mayor, Brentwood
Ali Sajjad Taj, President, League of California Cities and Council Member, Artesia

Keynote Speaker:
Scott Lesnick, Global Leadership Keynote Speaker, CSP, Certified Speaking Professional and Author

Scott Lesnick is an author, trainer, and global leadership keynote speaker who motivates audiences with powerful, entertaining messages and interactive sessions. His memoir “Kidjacked – A Father’s Story” and his book “Lifejacked: Life Lessons on Leadership” both received critical acclaim.  Lesnick has spent 24 award-winning years in sales and management at Shaw Industries, a Berkshire Hathaway Fortune 500 company. He earned a Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers Association — a designation given to roughly 17% of members worldwide — and served as the Dean of the Academy in 2016-17. Lesnick is a graduate of the University of Miami, Florida.

Adjourn

Noon

Registration Open

Opening General Session

League of California Cities Speakers
Melanie Perron, Deputy Executive Director, Advocacy and Public Affairs
Jason Rhine, Assistant Director, Legislative Affairs
Elisa Arcidiacono, Legislative Representative, Public Safety
Caroline Cirrincione, Legislative Representative, Community Services
Damon Conklin, Legislative Representative, Transportation, Communications and Public Works
Derek Dolfie, Legislative Representative , Environmental Quality
Johnnie Piñ a, Legislative Representative , Governance, Transparency, and Labor Relations
Nicolas Romo, Legislative Representative, Revenue and Taxation

Cal Cities News Conference

11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

City leaders will gather at the Capitol and urge lawmakers to draw on the state’s historic surplus for new housing programs, organic waste recycling, and unfunded mandates.  

Lunch on Your Own

12:15-2:00 p.m.

Cities' Role in Modernizing California’s Behavioral Health Continuum

2:00-3:30 p.m.

Listen to insight from legislative leaders on how cities can support counties in ensuring access to behavioral health services for all Californians. This discussion will focus on modernizing California’s behavioral health system to support unsheltered individuals in receiving housing, treatment, and care. 

Moderator
Porsche Middleton, Mayor, Citrus Heights

Speakers
Karen Goh, Mayor, Bakersfield
Toby Ewing, Executive Director, Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission
Thomas Umberg, Senator, 34th District

Planning for the Communities of Tomorrow: The Intersection of Land Use and State Climate Goals

Registration Open

7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Networking Breakfast

7:30-8:15 a.m.

General Session

8:30-10:00 a.m.

Critical Communication Skills for City Leaders
City leaders who strengthen their communication skills will positively impact their ability to influence public perception while retaining and motivating their teams. Discover tips to strengthen your presentation and communication skills with fellow council members, city staff, and the community. Learn to hold teams accountable and how to use communication methods that prevent division. Leave the session with the tools to provide engaging, dynamic, and persuasive presentations and connect with any audience. 

Welcoming Remarks
Cindy Silva, President, League of California Cities and Mayor Pro Tem, Walnut Creek
John Minto, President, Mayors and Council Members Department, League of California Cities and Mayor, Santee

Keynote Speaker
Tracy Miller, CEO TM Consulting, Communications Coach, Retired Senior Assistant District Attorney

Concurrent Educational Sessions

10:15-11:30 a.m.

How Cities Can Fix Dangerous Properties and Increase Revenue
Almost every city has abandoned, fire-damaged, or otherwise dilapidated properties. However, a solution for these longstanding dilapidated properties exists under California Health and Safety Code (HSC) §§ 17980.6 and 17980.7. This presentation will explain how cities can utilize the receivership remedy to abate dangerous properties and simultaneously generate revenue.  

Speakers
Ryan Griffith, Attorney and Associate Receiver, Bay Area Receivership Group
Amanda Pope, Senior Counsel and Director of City Receiverships, Jones & Mayer

Finding Successors – Finding Future Leaders in your City Staff
As cities struggle to retain employees, an even bigger challenge is attracting and retaining city managers and city attorneys that can provide stability and leadership to a city despite the political landscape. Learn about the process of training city employees for the overall sake of the city management profession, as well as the development of a strong reputation and character of their city. 

Moderator
Karen Pinkos, City Manager, El Cerrito

Speakers
Damien Arrula, City Administrator, Placentia
Timothy Davis, Attorney, Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP
Rhonda Shader, Mayor, Placentia

Networking Lunch

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Concurrent Educational Sessions

12:45-2:00 p.m.

Emerging Issues and Cutting-Edge Solutions for Challenges Facing California Cities 
California's economic landscape creates a need for well-planned growth, sustainability practices, and innovative service delivery methods to navigate challenges and embrace opportunities. For the past two years, the city of Merced has accomplished its annual work plan to further the council's goals and priorities by leveraging resources through strategic collaboration with residents, community partners, and organizers. In this facilitated discussion, participants will consider three commonly shared challenges and share their own experiences. Discussion items will include engaging productively with community organizers, balancing the need for free enterprise and affordable housing, and encouraging social cohesion. 

Facilitators
Stephanie Dietz, City Manager, Merced
Matthew Serratto, Mayor, Merced

Lessons Learned in the Recovery After the Camp Fire 
On Nov. 8, 2018, the Camp Fire destroyed most of the Town of Paradise. Three years later, the Town is in the process of rebuilding a more resilient community. The Town has hit many roadblocks, creating hurdles in the recovery process throughout this time. This presentation will cover the recovery process and lessons learned while looking to the future at the obstacles still affecting the Town's recovery.  

Speakers
Steve Crowder, Mayor, Paradise
Colette Curtis, Recovery and Economic Development Director, Paradise
Kevin Phillips, Town Manager, Paradise  

Concurrent Educational Sessions

2:15-3:30 p.m.

Food for Thought: Ingredients for a Vital Downtown in a Post Covid Digital World
Downtown areas are at a crossroads, as consumer spending patterns and private investment shift in a post-COVID world, presenting challenges and opportunities for a new and vital future. Cities must understand new economic development platforms to generate revenues and foster economic growth. This includes accelerating the use of value capture tools, such as tax increment districts like EIFDs/CRIAs, to generate fiscal upside. Cities can also strategically use zoning and entitlements as “currency” in a digital world, capturing value in the shift from retail to residential/industrial and the reimagination of regional retail centers and corridors. Learn the components of new tools that can enhance revenue capture and reset a community’s economic future. 

Moderator
Blanca Pacheco, Second Vice President, Mayors and Council Members Department and Mayor, Downey

Speaker
Larry Kosmont, Chairman and CEO, Kosmont Companies
Damien Arrula, City Administrator, Placentia

Foundations of an Equitable and Inclusive Community
Participants will be guided through a series of motivational concepts and exploration of how their personal values, and the values related to their work as public servants, lead to a vision for their cities as truly inclusive communities. This research-based and human-centered approach will leave participants inspired and equipped with the foundational elements for creating equity and inclusion within your cities. Learn how everyday behaviors and community interactions of mayors and councilmembers are tied to a true and clear vision of equity. Community leaders will learn to create the human connection and mindfulness that will foster equitable outcomes for those we serve. 

Speaker
Berké Brown, Partner, Fogbreak Justice

Concurrent Educational Sessions

3:45-5:00 p.m.

Intergenerational Collaboration and the Next Generation of City Leadership 
In this session, participants will explore core values and motivations for entering public service all while learning how to leverage our different generational perspectives. Speakers will discuss how to confront complex local government challenges, and how crossing multigenerational bridges can best serve communities.

Moderator
Tessa Rudnick, Council Member, El Cerrito  

Speakers
Eli Hill, Council Member, San Rafael
Devin Murphy, Mayor Pro Tem, Pinole
Rita Xavier, Mayor, San Pablo

Water Quality Solutions for your Community: The True Source Control Story
As local communities struggle to comply with stormwater permits, this session will focus on water quality, stormwater challenges and solutions, and how True Source Control may ultimately offer the most effective and economical approach to the elimination of many pollutants that impair local waterways.

Moderator
Derek Dolfie, Legislative Representative, Environmental Quality, League of California Cities

Speakers
Karen Cowan, Executive Director, California Stormwater Quality Association
Dorene D'Adamo, Vice Chair, State Water Resources Control Board
Vicki Kalkirtz, Senior Planner, San Diego

Registration Open

7:45 a.m.-noon

Networking Breakfast

7:45-8:45 a.m.

Concurrent Educational Sessions

9:00-10:15 a.m.

Build It, They Will Come: Creating an Excellent Workplace Culture
Some of the biggest challenges facing executives, include creating a culture that attracts the best employees while simultaneously retaining and rewarding them. The next generation of leaders view organizational culture as one of the most crucial factors in working for and staying with a company. In this presentation, participants will be inspired to recognize the powerful differentiator of organizational culture for local governments, the seven layers of culture, and how to influence positive change at each level with practical and tactical solutions to build thriving workplace cultures. 

Speaker
Dr. Maria Church, CEO, Government Leadership Solutions 

Land Use and Zoning - Who is Making the Decisions?    
For the last several years, the amount of housing legislation has increased, while the affordability gap continues to widen. Despite the flurry of new regulations, the trend of more expensive housing doesn’t seem to be slowing. Seemingly, a constant with the laws is an erosion of your ability to make decisions on new housing projects. You are frustrated, the public is frightened, and developers are often confused. Despite appearances, all is not lost. There are still ways you can guide development and make sure what is built fits your community. This session will focus on practical solutions and methods of using your General Plan, zoning, and even CEQA to ensure that new developments suit your community.  

Moderator
Lori Ogorchock, Immediate Past President and Department Director, Mayors and Council Members Department and Council Member, Antioch

Speakers
Eric Nelson, Planning Commissioner, Dana Point 
Mark Teague, Managing Principal – Environmental Services, Placeworks

Closing General Session

10:30 a.m.-noon

Stop Shoulding Yourself: Strategies for High Performers
Are you too busy to take care of yourself? Too busy to be a mentor? Too busy to sleep? Too busy to be attending this session right now? Then this is exactly where you should be. This session is geared towards high performers leading busy, hectic lives, but who sense there’s something “more” they could be doing with their days. Leaning on the idea of incorporating “micro strategies” for building capacity, or improving success and satisfaction, attendees will receive practical training for making courageous changes along with strategies for leveling up their careers and personal lives through authenticity and alignment.   

Adjourn

Noon

*Schedule subject to change