How to Get Involved
Welcome to the League of California Cities!
Local city officials are the reason California's cities are resilient and diverse communities where our residents can live, work, and play. Cal Cities is here to help ensure you are the best city official you can be for your community.
To help you get started with Cal Cities, the resources below outline your membership benefits and how you can engage with and get the most out of your membership.
Learn More About Cal Cities
Membership and Benefits
Get access to unmatched advocacy, updates about the latest policy issues, cutting-edge professional development, and more.
Members' Roadmap
New to Cal Cities or want to get the most from your membership? We’ve created a roadmap to help you get started.
2024 Advocacy Priorities
We stand ready to work collaboratively with the state and federal governments and other stakeholders to accomplish our strategic advocacy priorities.
News
The League of California Cities engages with city officials through a variety of channels to keep them informed on the issues that matter most to cities.
Western City Magazine
Dive deeper into big policy issues and trends and receive practical ideas for city officials in the monthly digital Western City magazine.
Cal Cities Delivers
Cal Cities delivers major victories for cities year after year – protecting local control, securing billions of dollars in new funding, and preserving existing city resources.
Get Involved
Departments
Functioning as professional societies with educational and networking opportunities, municipal departments play an essential role in forming Cal Cities policy and programs. Each department is represented on the Cal Cities’ board of directors and policy committees.
Regional Divisions
Representing virtually every city and town in California, Regional Divisions are at the core of our advocacy efforts. City officials — both elected and career — help develop region-specific programs and carry out grassroots activities that support chosen legislative, regulatory, and ballot measure goals.
Caucuses
Caucuses advocate for equitable state policies within Cal Cities’ internal committees and departments, ensure that the unique needs of their respective communities are responded to, and promote the advancement of officials from traditionally marginalized communities.
Coastal Cities Group
Composed of 61 cities located within California's coastal zone, the Coastal Cities Group (CCG) collaborates on sea level rise mitigation efforts, land use regulations, and other issues of mutual interest.
Rural City Information Exchange
Rural communities often face different challenges than their urban counterparts and, even when the issues are similar, the solutions can differ dramatically.
Policy Committees
City officials actively debate, shape, and steer Cal Cities’ policy-making process and advocacy efforts. Over 400 officials collectively add their expertise and guidance to Cal Cities through one of seven policy committees.
Advocacy Tools
Cal Cities provides up-to-date information about the legislative process, lobbying, and which bills are scheduled for hearings. Hone your advocacy skills by diving into our Advocacy Tools.
Mission, Vision, and Beliefs
Our mission is to expand and protect local control for cities through education and advocacy to enhance the quality of life for all Californians. Our vision is to be recognized and respected as the leading advocate for the common interests of California's cities. Learn more about Cal Cities' core beliefs.
City Clerks New Law and Elections Seminar
December 11-13, 2024
The Meritage
875 Bordeaux Way, Napa, CA
Thank you for joining the League of California Cities for the 2023 City Clerks New Law and Elections Seminar in San Diego!
Designed for city clerks and staff members of all tenures from throughout the state, the City Clerks New Law and Elections Seminar expands an individual’s knowledge on a wide range of topics relevant to the city clerk’s role within their city and fosters relationships and communication with peers. The opportunity for city clerks to learn from and network with each other provides invaluable support.
The seminar took place Wednesday, Dec. 13 - Friday, Dec. 15 at the San Diego Mission Bay Hotel, where more than 300 city clerks and staff from across the state explored current topics of importance and engaged in networking opportunities.
Save the date for the next seminar on Dec. 11-13, 2024 at the Meritage Hotel in Napa.
For questions, please contact event program manager, Kayla Boutros.
Seminar Information
View the 2023 City Clerks New Law and Elections Seminar program here.
2023 Seminar Session Materials
- Core Responsibilities of a Filing Officer
- Elections 101
- Elections - Beyond the Basics
- Navigating the Transition
- New Laws for District Elections - Santa Monica and FAIR MAPS Act Changes
- New Law and Election Update - Cohen and Hutchings
- New Law and Election Update - Pina
- Political Reform Act - Beyond the Basics
- What's New with the Brown Act
- When Decorum and Civility Do Not Work Then What
Previous Seminar Session Materials
- 2022 Legislative Reference Guide To California Election Laws
- Cal Cities 2022 Legislative Report
- Creating Greater Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Through Language Access - Fuentes
- Federal Resources for Elections
- FPPC New Law and Election Update and More! - Hackert
- How to Get Things Done When You’re Not the Boss
- New Law and Election Update and More!
- Strategies for Creating Dynamic Multi-Generational Teams - Smith
- Wearing Multiple Hats How to Manage a PIO Role
- When Discourse Fails and Recalls and Initiatives are on the Horizon
- Calling All Residents, Please Apply!
- Do You Speak My Language? Language Inclusivity and Belonging in My Community
- Media Engagement In Tumultuous Times - Gomez
- Media Engagement in Tumultous Times - Oviatt
- New Law and Election Update and More! - Castillo and Hackert
- New Law and Election Update and More! - Hutchings and Cohen
- New Law and Election Update and More! - Perron
- The Engineering of Public Records Processing
Speaker Center
In the Speaker Center, you can find resources for all speaker-related details including deadlines, , presentation guidelines, layout, and structure, speaker agreements, and presentation submission directions.
Should you have any questions, please contact the education department.
Important deadlines
Dec. 4: Submit your final presentation to Cal Cities within the “My Speaking Session” of your MyCalCities Portal.
Our goal is to provide exceptional educational experiences, networking opportunities, and innovative tools that will make attendees and their cities more successful. Studies show that adults learn best when they are actively involved in the process rather than passively listening or watching. Most seminar attendees are knowledgeable about the subject, and therefore are interested in hearing what others know and what their experiences have been. Accordingly, we urge you to plan your presentation with these suggestions in mind.
The most common complaints on session evaluations from prior seminars are:
- "The presentation was a 'sales' pitch for a particular product or service."
- "I couldn't read the slides."
- "One speaker took so much time that the others were not able to give their full presentations."
- "I'd like more practical knowledge."
Please consider the following as you prepare for your presentation:
- Relevant content for experienced audiences that stretches thinking and provides new approaches.
- Content that is delivered in an engaging way and draws on the experience of the attendees.
- Examples and case studies of real success (and successful failures).
- Try to add stories, anecdotes, testimonials, or demonstrations that emphasize your point. We all remember a good story, and thus more easily the lesson with it.
- Provide tools and information that the audience can implement.
- If there are other speakers in your session, coordinate with them in advance to decide your speaking order and ensure that all presentations fit into the assigned time allotment. If you do not have the contact information for your co-presenters, please contact us at education@calcities.org.
- Selling from the podium creates conflict of interest problems. Education sessions at the Public Works Officers Institute should never be an advertisement. Therefore, presentations may not include any commercialism for specific products or consulting services.
The League of California Cities encourages our presenters to use the most engaging educational platform possible when speaking at the City Clerks New Law and Elections Seminar. We recognize that each session has a unique format and presentation style based on the preferences of the speaker(s) and content being presented, but the following examples are provided as a general guideline in planning your session.
Panel Discussions: 90 minutes, with up to 3 speakers
Presider (5 minutes)
- Welcome
- Frame session
- Introduce speakers
Speaker(s) #1, #2 and #3 (25 minutes)
- Summary of relevant experience
- Learning objectives
- Core session content
- Summary of key points
Presider (10 minutes)
- Facilitate Q&A
- Final comments
Single Speaker Session: 90 minutes, 1 speaker
Presider (5 minutes)
- Welcome
- Frame session
- Introduce speaker
Speaker #1 (75 minutes)
- Summary of relevant experience
- Learning objectives
- Core session content
- Summary of key points
Presider (10 minutes)
- Facilitate Q&A
- Final comments
As a reminder, sessions may not include any product/service demonstrations or commercial presentations for specific products or consulting services. Please contact the education department with any questions, concerns or assistance needs you may have.
Cal Cities by the Numbers
476 Member Cities
57 Board Members
16 Regional Divisions
10 Municipal Departments
5 Diversity Caucuses
Cal Cities Bylaws
Cal Cities staff, boards, departments, finances, committees, and divisions are governed by an extensive set of bylaws.
FPPC Compliance
The League of California Cities is a “publicly funded nonprofit organization” for purposes of Government Code section 84222.5. This statute imposes several requirements, including posting Cal Cities’ FPPC ballot measure campaign filings on its website.