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Ø/-I,ð WASTEWATER PERMITS: STATE LAW PERMITS CONSIDERATION OF ECONOMIC FACTORS On April 4, 2005, the Califomia Supreme Court issued its opinion in the case of City of Burbank v. State Water Resources Control Board. The case involved the issuance of wastewater permits to the. cities of Burbank and Los Angeles in 1998. One of the primary issues presented in the case was whether a regional water quality control board, when it requires a wastewater treatment facility to do more than the "maximum extent practicable" to control storm water pollutants under federal law, must take into account the economic costs of complying with such restrictions before including the restrictions in wastewater permits. In its decision, the Califomia Supreme Court stated that both California law and federal law require regional water quality control boards to comply with federal clean water standards. In the event a regional board imposes pollutant restrictions more stringent than those required by federal law, California law permits the regional board to take into account economic factors, including the facility's cost of compliance with those restrictions. The Court ordered that the case be remanded to the trial court to determine whether any of the numeric limitations in the permits are "more stringent" than those required under federal law. If so, such restrictions should be subject to "economic considerations" by the board before inclusion in the permits. . The League would like to thank John Harris of Richards, Watson & Gershon for writing the friend-of- the-court brief on behalf of the League. FINANCE PROGRAM from page 2 . . . . . . . For more information on the VLF Program - including a more detailed description of the pro- gram, a schedule for the second round, documents, cost estimates and the online application - please visit the California Communities website at www.cacommunities.com (click on 2nd Round of VLF Gap Loan Financing Program) or call California Communities' Program Managers James Hamill or Lorna Henri at (925) 933-9229 ext. 216 or ext 219, respectively. HELEN PUTNAM A WARD from page 1 . . Now is the time to get your deserved recognition by applying for the 2005 California Cities Helen Putnam Award for Excellence. It's an opportunity to thank your employees and collaborators, gain the appreciation of your residents and feel proud of outstanding contributions made to better your city. The Helen Putnam Award recognizes the excellence of California cities as demonstrated by beneficial innovations, resourceful efficiencies, improved public service and overall enhanced public trust and support. Categories for the 2005 Helen Putnam Awards 1. Effective Advocacy,-Intergovernmental Relations and Regional Cooperation 2. Housing Programs and Innovations 3. Enhancing Public Trust, Ethics and Com- munity Involvement 4. Community Services and Economic Development 5. Planning and Environmental Quality 6. Internal Administration 7. Public Safety 8. Public Works, Infrastructure and Transpor- tation 9. Ruth Vreeland Award for Engaging Youth in City Government 10. League Partners Award for Excellence To qualify, entries must demonstrate that your city offered a program or service that has proven measurable success within a minimum of one year of actual implementation. The submission deadline is May 14, 2005. Applications were recently mailed to all cities. The application is also available to download on the League's Website at www.cacities.orQ/ helenputnam. Winners will be announced in October at the Annual Conference in San Francisco. Award winners will be recognized with a press release sent to your hometown media and featured on the League's Visit the League's Official Web Sitenwww.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS/PAGE 3