2013 Conference Materials

Lake Tahoe, where California meets Nevada, is renowned for the clarity of its water and the stunning panorama of surrounding mountains.  The Lake’s beauty and the region’s winter and summer recreational opportunities attract millions of visitors each year. Learn about the history of the Tahoe region and the challenges of community development in an area of great beauty and environmental sensitivity. THERE IS NO MATERIAL TO DOWNLOAD FOR THIS SESSION. Special guest speakers include: Carolyn Wallace Dee, Mayor, Town of Truckee; Tony Lashbrook, Town Manager, Town of Truckee; Paul Thompson, Deputy Planning Director, Placer County and Kim Boyd, Director of Programs, Tahoe Resource Conservation District

As LAFCo Commissioners and Staff, you are in a position to influence and affect state legislation through positive relationship management and effective advocacy. This session offers diverse perspectives on how to best use those relationships for your LAFCo and CALAFCO. Learn from veterans who have the inside track. This fireside-chat style format led by Bill Chiat promises to be insightful, lively, and interactive. THERE IS NO MATERIAL TO DOWNLOAD FOR THIS SESSION
Panel: Bill Chiat, Dean & Program Manager, CSAC Institute; Simón Salinas, 3rd District Supervisor, Monterey County; Eugene Montanez, Council Member, City of Corona and  Kathleen “Casey” Kaneko, Retired Lobbyist

State Law empowers LAFCos with the authority to initiate the consolidation, dissolution, or merger of special districts.  Commission-initiated reorganizations are, however, relatively infrequent due largely to cumbersome requirements in State Law and resistance from the governing bodies and staff of special districts.  In some instances, there exists a lack of political will and resources on the part of LAFCos to undertake these reorganizations.  This session will focus on three recent examples of Commission-Initiated consolidations, dissolutions, and mergers.

Some healthcare districts used to operate hospitals that have since been sold or closed, while others have never operated one. Roughly 30 healthcare districts do not operate hospitals but provide a range of other services. Some programs include comprehensive medical clinics, ambulance services, assisted living facilities, childhood obesity prevention, chronic disease management, grant making, nutritional counseling, physical education, and substance abuse programs.

Water is what makes our cities and towns livable and makes harvesting of crops and raising livestock possible.  We wrestle with sharing and using water in a fair and equitable manner.  We struggle to develop new supplies while the population continues to increase and our agricultural lands are less productive.  This session will focus on the Delta and its critical role in California’s overall water supply; other alternative water supplies; water management issues; and the challenges facing today’s water providers.

Hear from the Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research on recent changes in State law regarding CEQA and CA General Plan Updates. Guest Speaker:  Ken Alex, Director, OPR. THERE IS NO MATERIAL TO DOWNLOAD FOR THIS SESSION

There is a renewed demand for more transparency and oversight in local government.  However, ethics laws have their limits in determining ethical conduct.  This session reviews the special ethical dimensions of being in public service, as well as the distinction between ethics and ethics laws.  Hear from the FPPC’s Chief of Enforcement how to handle unique situations as public servants and how to avoid potentially problematic situations. Learn where the FPPC is heading in terms of both regulations and enforcement under California’s Political Reform Act. 

Resort communities have to deal with increased service demands to accommodate influx of its tourist population during peak weekends or during peak seasons.  This session looks at how different service providers in resort communities respond to the increased demand for services.

This informative session covers LAFCo basics and is ideal for new commissioners and staff as well as experienced attendees seeking a refresher.  Panel: David Church, AICP, Executive Officer, San Luis Obispo LAFCo (Moderator); Bob Braitman, Executive Officer, San Benito LAFCo; Carol Cooper, Assistant Executive Officer, Sonoma LAFCo and Marsha Burch, Attorney.

To cherish and celebrate the past 50 years of LAFCo – this session will take everyone back to when it all started and how it has evolved through the years. 

This session showcases current LAFCo efforts from across the state to encourage the orderly formation of local governmental agencies, preserve agricultural and open space land resources, and discourage urban sprawl. We will also explore LAFCo’s future direction for the next 50 years. Panel: Sblend Sblendorio, Commissioner, Alameda LAFCo (Moderator); Mary Jane Griego, Commissioner, Yuba LAFCo; Pete Constant, Commissioner, Santa Clara LAFCo; John Withers, Commissioner, Orange LAFCo; Matt Beekman, Commissioner, Stanislaus LAFCo and Frank Mecham, Commissioner, San Luis Obispo LAFCo.

LAFCos goals are to promote orderly, logical development, discourage urban sprawl and preserve agriculture and open space. This session will explore the current land use patterns seen in our communities, our changing demographics and markets, and what future trends we might expect, including a discussion of the elements and causes of urban sprawl and ways to discourage it.

This session highlights the new laws and legislation affecting LAFCo.  Panel:  Harry Ehrlich, Co-Chair, CALAFCO Legislative Committee; Kris Berry, Co-Chair, CALAFCO Legislative Committee; Pamela Miller, Vice Chair, CALAFCO Legislative Committee and Misa Yokoi-Shelton, Associate Consultant, Assembly Local Government Committee

Learn how to facilitate proper debate protocol in your Commission; the rights and obligations of the Commission and those of the public during a Commission Meeting. 

This session will focus on the Senate Bill 244: Land Use, General Plans and Disadvantaged Communities Technical Advisory released by OPR in February 2013 and how LAFCos can incorporate this guidance into their decision making process. The panel will also discuss the SB226 CEQA guidelines related to the statewide standards for infill projects and other major OPR initiatives of interest to LAFCos. Panel: Michael McCormick, AICP, Senior Planner, OPR (Moderator); Seth Litchney, GPG Update Manager, OPR; Scott Morgan, Deputy Director of Administration, OPR and Louise Bedsworth, PhD, Senior Researcher, OPR