The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) has announced
the recipients of its 2019
Challenge Awards spotlighting the most innovative
programs developed and implemented by California Counties.
A special award – the California Counties Innovation Award – is
being presented to Riverside and San Bernardino Counties for
programs the judging panel deemed were the most innovative and
effective out of the 284 entries received this year.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019, marked the first meeting
of CSAC’s Homelessness Action Team. The group serves as
a working group to ensure a coordinated county voice on
addressing homelessness and emphasizing the vital role
that counties play in service delivery to those who are
experiencing homelessness. Given the scope of homelessness
in California, the team is comprised of Supervisors implementing
solutions in urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout
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.
One of CSAC’s core activities is giving California’s counties
opportunities to talk with each other about the issues that
matter most to them, but it can be easy for CSAC staff to forget
that we can benefit from that same type of opportunity.
For the past four years, NACo has been giving state association
staff a chance to do just that and I’ve been lucky enough to
represent California each year. The most recent forum for state
association staff took place last week at the NACo headquarters
in Washington, D.C. At that meeting, I joined staff from about
two dozen other states to compare notes about the challenges
counties are facing, not just nationally, but locally.
