Ensuring success at the ballot box requires a big tent

Message from Cal Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman 

It was wonderful to see so many of you at last month’s League of California Cities Annual Conference and Expo. With more than 2,000 attendees, 100 speakers, 50 educational sessions, and 222 exhibitors, the conference was our largest gathering since 2014!

This conference was a great opportunity to be reminded of the power of collective action. Cities are the lifeblood of California and this statewide organization. Together, we move California forward and improve the quality of life for all residents. Our 124-year history of securing funding for our communities and upholding local authority demonstrates that power.

Now that the conference is over, I wanted to take this time to share some updates and next steps.

During the annual conference General Assembly, voting delegates approved changes to our bylaws that advance our commitment to being a more inclusive and member-engaged organization. 

The General Assembly also considered a petitioned resolution involving local land use control, the Our Neighborhood Voices Initiative (ONV Initiative).

Before heading to the General Assembly for consideration, the General Resolution Committee (GRC) voted by a large majority to refer the petitioned resolution to Cal Cities policy committees for review. The next day, the General Assembly voted to support the GRC’s decision.

The policy committees will begin their review in January and report their findings and recommendations to the Cal Cities Board for consideration. 

The annual conference was not the first time a Cal Cities body had considered an ONV initiative involving local control. Earlier this year, the Housing, Community, and Economic Development Policy Committee and the Environmental Quality Policy Committee, as well as the Board, considered a previous version of the initiative. After a careful and lengthy review, the Board voted unanimously with one abstention to take no position on the initiative.

While reaffirming its strong commitment to protecting local decision-making authority over land use and zoning, the Board identified several issues with that version of the ONV initiative. It would create a disjointed patchwork approach to land use, complicate the management of potential disasters and emergencies, pit jurisdictions against one another, and undermine environmental justice, public health, and fair housing goals.

As part of its deliberations, the Board directed Cal Cities to explore the feasibility of a ballot measure in 2024 to reform state land use laws and bring recommendations to the Board for consideration.  

As we know well from our track record of success at the ballot box, winning requires millions of dollars and a broad-based coalition of allies. We cannot go it alone. Exploring the feasibility of a measure involves many activities, including polling voters, conducting focus groups to understand voter sentiment, projecting the cost of a winning campaign, identifying coalition partners, and assessing the ability to fundraise given what else may be on the ballot. It also involves identifying the opposition and assessing the resources they will try to leverage against us to win.

These inquiries will be part of our review as we move forward and will inform the staff recommendation to the Board in the spring. Cal Cities is already anticipating the California Business Roundtable ballot measure will qualify for the 2024 ballot, which will be the biggest threat to local taxing authority and local control our cities have ever faced. Since late last year, when we first learned of this measure, we began building a formidable coalition to defeat this measure and are now working with very powerful groups in opposition. And our coalition continues to grow.

Following the annual conference’s General Assembly, members have shared frustrations and concerns with me about the rules of conduct for the meeting, as well as the timing of it as part of the conference footprint. I’ve also received suggestions on ways to improve the overall member experience during the General Assembly. 

I value the feedback we’ve received and look forward to working with Cal Cities leadership in the coming year to identify ways to enhance the General Assembly experience for our members in time for next year’s annual conference. 

Thank you for all you do for Cal Cities. Please feel free to contact feedback@calcities.org with any feedback or questions.