The California State Association of Counties® (CSAC), the
statewide organization representing all 58 counties, elected its
officers for 2020 at its 125th Annual Meeting in San
Francisco City/County. The new officers were officially installed
Thursday evening.
President – Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett
First Vice President – Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore
Second Vice President – Siskiyou County Supervisor Ed
Valenzuela
Immediate Past President – Humboldt County Supervisor
Virginia Bass.
CSAC hosted an In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Training
Wednesday for counties in partnership with the County Welfare
Directors Association (CWDA) and the California Association of
Public Authorities (CAPA). More than 200 county staff and public
authority staff from nearly every county gathered in Sacramento
for a full day of training about the new IHSS Maintenance of
Effort (MOE) that was enacted by Senate Bill 80 (Chapter 27,
Statutes of 2019).
The enactment of the new County IHSS MOE was the culmination of
two years of effort by CSAC — in partnership with counties,
county affiliates, and other stakeholders — to advocate for a
more sustainable fiscal structure for counties to manage IHSS
costs and continue to deliver vital services on behalf of the
state.
The Employee Relations policy area falls under the jurisdiction
of the Government Finance and Operations (GFO) Policy Committee
and is responsible for all issues related to public employment
and retirement. Specific issues areas are pension benefits and
pension system administration; labor relations; issues regarding
county negotiations with employees; workers’ compensation; and
other risk management issues facing public employers.
In 1895, representatives from 14 different California
counties gathered in San Francisco to celebrate a brand new
organization.
In media coverage of that first meeting, the Sacramento Union
Democrat reported that the California Supervisors Association
“will become actually a more important body than the Legislature.
It will do more for the State than the Legislature can, for it
will not make laws, of which there are too many now, but it will
study how to make the State and its communities better, stronger,
more economic and prosperous, and all the people more happy.”
Earlier this month, CSAC returned to the City/County of San
Francisco. 125 years later, I am happy to report that while our
name has changed, our representation has swelled, with full
representation of all 58 counties as members of CSAC.
Throughout the Annual Meeting last week, the
125th anniversary was highlighted in a number of ways.
Balloons decked the entrance to our main session hall, a selfie
station with an anniversary logo drew crowds, and Supervisors and
county staff sported commemorative lapel pins that will be
available at CSAC events throughout 2020 — so be sure to pick one
up.
