September 2021

Volume 22, Issue 6

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

1. President's Message
2. Events Calendar
3. Athenian Leadership Dialogue Update
4. New Website, New Job Posting Process, New Official Word!
5. Membership Update
6. Brown Act Legislation Status
7. Congratulations

CCAC President's Message
Anthony J. Mejia, MMC - CCAC President

“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth, not going all the way, and not starting.” - Buddha

I said it before and I’ll say it again, thank you Patrice Olds for your leadership in initiating our first, three-year Strategic Plan. You led CCAC down the road to deeply examine ourselves and to take the time to develop robust ideas that could turn us into a more streamlined and efficient organization. We took the time to professionally survey our membership to learn about their needs related to education, communication, and governance. I’ll always keep our friendship close to my heart.

This past year, the CCAC Board with the support of our members, took action to refine our Board structure to an efficient and manageable 13-member Board of Directors. We changed our membership dues from 10 different rates to a flat rate for all members. We expanded our contract with Smith Moore Associates for financial management, conference planning, membership support, communication support, graphic design services, and education programming support. We even have our first CCAC Executive Director, Elizabeth Caldwell, to serve as a one-stop shop for members. On top of that, we engaged our first professional lobbyist firm, Rene Public Policy Group, to serve as CCAC’s lobbyist under the direction of our Legislative Director, Randi Johl, and the Legislative Committee. And, with the help of SMA, we held our first Virtual Annual Conference. While it is no substitute for the in-person conference, our virtual conference was a dynamic experience with classes held over three weeks with a record number of attendees and certification points issued. And of course, it was my honor to award the City Clerk of the Year Award to Patrice Olds and Marc Donohue.

On a personal note, I want to thank everyone for their love and kindness when I lost my mom to COVID in January. I have long thought of CCAC and all of you as part of my chosen family and your support helped ease my suffering. And on a kindness note, I must give a shout out to Kimberly Rodriguez. If you don’t know her, you need to find her at the next conference. Her smile, happiness, and compassion create an aura around her, so she is easy to find. Kimberly - thank you for always being a cheerleader for CCAC and thank you for your friendship over the years.

I want to congratulate the returning and incoming Board of Directors. I wish Melissa Thurman, Marc Donohue, and Joelle Fockler great success as they work to further implement the structural changes that were approved this year and in developing their own plans for CCAC’s future.

Lastly, after almost 10 years of serving CCAC as Division President and Treasurer, Regional Director, Athenian Dialogue Coordinator, and now President, I’ve decided to withdraw from serving on the Board for the immediate future. It is because of the lovingkindness that I’ve witnessed in people like Kimberly, June Lemos, Pamela Miller, and Patrice Olds, that I will be taking time to cultivate the same virtues in myself. With that, I wish you all joy, happiness, and balance as we venture into tomorrow.

With gratitude,

Anthony J. Mejia, MMC
CCAC President

Events Calendar

TTC Series 400
September 15-October 6 - Virtual
Click here for more information.

Athenian Leadership Dialogue
October 22 - In-person
Click here for more information.

Nuts & Bolts Workshop
November 1-5 - Virtual
Click here for more information.

If you are interested in facilitating an upcoming virtual ALD, please contact Ashton Gout at agout@fontana.org.

Visit CCAC Events Calendar for all upcoming education opportunities.

Athenian Dialogue Update
Ashton Gout, CMC - Athenian Dialogue Coordinator

I wanted to take this opportunity and thank everyone who has participated in virtual dialogues during 2020 and 2021. Although the location changed, the dialogues and participation didn’t. We sold out of nearly every dialogue offered in 2021 and it’s all thanks to your, our members. 

As our agencies begin to re-open and we move into a post-pandemic world, the hope to return our dialogues to an in-person setting are hopeful and upon us. As your Athenian Dialogue Coordinator, I have been working behind the scenes to ensure that we hold at least ONE in-person dialogue before the end of the calendar year. 

Without further ado, please SAVE THE DATE for our first in-person dialogue scheduled for Friday, October 22, 2021, hosted by the City of Eastvale. This dialogue will be in discussion of Chip Gaines Bestseller, Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff, facilitated by your CCAC Secretary and the City of Irwindale’s Chief Deputy City Clerk, Laura Nieto, MMC. Registration will open upon IIMC approval. 

New Website, New Job Posting Process, New Official Word!
Jessica Blair, MMC - CCAC Communications Director

Over the past few months, CCAC has been working hard on transitioning to a new website and turning over management of many CCAC functions to Smith Moore and Associates. Thanks to the membership for your patience during this process! Please see below for important announcements about changes to processes.

The City Clerks Association of California (CCAC) is proud to launch its newly redesigned website for its members and sponsors! Take a look around and let us know what you think! 

Interesting in posting a job to the CCAC Jobs Board? We have moved our job board to an online process, so please visit the link below to submit your posting, and let us know if you have any questions.

https://www.californiacityclerks.org/networking/

Debuting in November, our new Official Word! CCAC will now feature a magazine-style electronic newsletter that will go out bi-monthly. Interested in submitting an article or feature content? Contact Communications Director Jessica Blair at jblair@hmbcity.com. Keep an eye on our social media channels as well for increased and improved content!

Membership Update
Ashton Gout - Membership Director

The CCAC Board of Director unanimously approved the following changes to membership dues, effective July 1, 2021:

• Flat rate of $200 per member
• Membership now remains with the member

Based on membership surveys, most members indicated their support for a simplified membership dues structure and a rate increase to fund enhanced services and programs. We are also transitioning to a new membership management platform, YourMembership. 

The new platform successfully launched on August 30, 2021, allowing members to join and renew their memberships. This platform will simplify the registration process, invoice/receipt retrieval, and online payments. In the coming months, you will hear more from the CCAC Board about reducing Educational Workshop and Athenian Leadership Dialogue registration fees.

We appreciate all your patience and understanding during this process. If you have questions, please contact us at ccacinfo@californiacityclerks.org.

Brown Act Legislation Status - AB 339 and AB 361
Randi Johl, JD, MMC - CCAC Legislative Director

The last day for the legislature to pass bills was September 10th and the Governor has until October 10th to act on passed bills. Two bills, AB 339 (Lee) and AB 361 (R. Rivas), which seek to modify existing Brown Act standards for remote meetings, were approved by the Legislature and are on the Governor’s desk for signature. A brief explanation and text/status link of the bill is below.

AB 339 creates standards for public participation and access for jurisdictions of at least 250,000 people to join and comment at open and public city council and county board of supervisors meetings, in-person and remotely, between January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023. Its provisions have been met with opposition from local government stakeholders because it lacks flexibility for local governments to conduct Brown Act compliant meetings in the event of technological failure or public disruption, or to manage comments in a way that ensures officials can come to a decision on the matters being considered in a reasonable time. (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB339)

AB 339 Fact Sheet

AB 361 adopts language similar to the Governor’s Executive Order easing Brown Act requirements to allow local agencies to meet remotely. This bill gives local agencies the authority to host virtual meetings until January 1, 2024, and for state agencies until January 31, 2022. It is important to note that even under the state of emergency, the legislative body must, in order to continue meeting subject to this exemption to the Brown Act, no later than 30 days after it commences using the exemption, and every 30 days thereafter, make the following findings by majority vote:

• The legislative body has reconsidered the circumstances of the state of emergency; and
• Either (1) the state of emergency continues to directly impact the ability of the members to meet safely in person; or (2) state or local officials continue to impose or recommend measures to promote social distancing.

The bill was recently amended to include an urgency clause, meaning its provisions would be in effect immediately upon adoption. The bill received two-thirds votes and is on the Governor’s desk for signature. (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB361)

AB 361 Fact Sheet

Congratulations
Jessica Blair, MMC - CCAC Communications Director

We're pleased to inform you that the following individuals have earned either the prestigious Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) or Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) designation from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC):

• Annie Alexander, MMC - Sr. Executive Asst/Board Secretary - Yorba Linda Water District, CA
• Sarah Coffey, CMC - City Clerk - City of Pacifica, CA
• Sandra Delgado, CMC - Records Management Analyst - City of Thousand Oaks, CA
• Richard Iglesias, CMC - Assistant City Clerk - City of Cudahy, CA
• Clay James, CMC - Assistant City Clerk - City of Livermore, CA
• Kristine Lawler, CMC - City Clerk - City of Ukiah, CA
• Jennifer Lee, CMC - Assistant City Clerk - City of Laguna Hills, CA
• Leticia Miguel, MMC - City Clerk - City of San Leandro, CA
• Thai Nam Pham, CMC - Deputy City Clerk - City of Emeryville, CA
• April Sousa, MMC - Board Secretary/Administrative Assistant - McKinleyville Community Services District, CA

Sponsors (click image)