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“Out of adversity comes opportunity” — Benjamin Franklin

2020 has been a year filled with adversity. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are felt across CSAC and its related organizations. Certainly, the CSAC Institute for Excellence in County Government has faced its share of recent adversity — and through partnership and perseverance, it has successfully transformed.

There is just one week left to respond to the Census! That is, unless current lawsuits force the Census Bureau to extend counting. As the countdown clock ticks, there is a lot on the line for California counties. The results of the census affect how billions of dollars are appropriated to state and local governments each year, and provide the population information counties will use when they redraw their supervisorial districts ahead of the 2022 elections. Never more has the importance of accurate counting been demonstrated than this year.

This guest blog post was written by Karen Baker and Justin Knighten, Co-Chairs of the Listos California Emergency Preparedness Campaign.

September is National Preparedness Month. To recognize the month, Listos California is teaming up with the California State Association of Counties to encourage all California Supervisors and county staff, especially those serving diverse and vulnerable communities, to take and promote the five free and easy steps to get ready for wildfire and other disasters like earthquakes.

CSAC is spotlighting this 2019 Challenge Award program, which was in place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click here to view a video about this program

There was a time when Shea never thought he would see his 20^th birthday due to his addiction. Now 18, he is looking forward to getting a college degree and living a drug-free life. That transformation did not come easy. It took a comprehensive criminal-justice program in San Luis Obispo County that provides structured treatment services to juvenile offenders.

CSAC is spotlighting this 2019 Challenge Award program which was in place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In rural counties, accessing services can often be a challenge due to distance or transportation issues. Take El Dorado County, for instance.  It’s an 80-mile stretch from El Dorado Hills to South Lake Tahoe, with numerous small, isolated communities well off the beaten path of Interstate 50, which traverses the County.

For more than 25 years CSAC has been celebrating county innovation through our Annual Challenge Awards. During that period we have spotlighted nearly 1,000 county programs. But when California shut down in March due to the COVID-19 crisis – and California’s 58 Counties turned their focus to protecting our communities — we felt it was important to delay this year’s program that was initially going to launch in April.

“Been a long time since I rock and rolled.” – Led Zeppelin

Ever since voters passed Proposition 25 back in 2010, state budgets have been pretty boring. I mean, sure, the Governor wants to save a little more, the Legislature wants to spend a little more, but all differences were resolved fairly easily and it all rolled along like smooth jazz or adult contemporary. Enya, even. This year, though, it’s back to rock ‘n’ roll.