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9A Page 8 CIC from page 7 .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mento Bee, announcing the start of the 10-day campaign. Public Works Officers Join at San Diego Press Conference A similar press conference was conducted the following day in San Diego, where the League's Public Works Officers' Department was holding its annual conference. League Executive Director McKenzie again served as emcee for the event, joined by other CIC representatives and a number of public works officers. Campaign Countdown Continues CIC is also releasing Eye on Infrastructure Special Report, a supplement to Eye on Infra- structure, CIC's monthly newsletter. These special reports began publishing on March 1, and will continue to publish until the March 10 deadline of placing an infrastructure investment plan on the June 2006 ballot. To view these reports, visit the CIC website at www.calinfrastructure.ora. In addition, other press events are scheduled in the Bay Area and in the Coachella Valley next week, continuing the effort to encourage action on this issue by the Friday, March 10 deadline. City officials interested in these press confer- ences are urged to contact their League Regional Recresentatives, who are organizing the events. Those speaking including Jack Boda, Director, Mobility Manage- mentAnd Project Implementation, San Diego Area Governments; Brad Barnum, Vice President of Government Relations, Associated General Contractors; Lisa Rapp, public works director for the City of Lakewood; and Peter Rei. Trans- portation Committee Chair, County Engineers Association of California. Both Rapp and Rei stressed the urgency of getting an infrastructure package on the June ballot was critical to California's development. "We work every day to maintain safe roads, reliable water systems and well-maintained parks and schools," Rapp explained. "It can't be done without a significant investment, and we need that investment now.' Rei agreed, adding that safety is also a pri- mary concern. "Too many of our roads are crumbling and our flood-control measures are inadequate to keep our families and businesses safe. ø Rei said. "That's why we're calling on our elected leaders in Sacra- mento to create a strong plan that they can put before the voters in June and begin to offer long- overdue resources to meet our needs and the needs of the next generation.' The Importance of the March 10 Deadline: What You Can Do There is a real risk that if infrastructure bonds are not on the June ballot, election year politics will make it even more difficult to get a package for the November ballot. California cannot afford to wait. We all know that our state infrastructure is badly in need of significant investment - and working for this investment is a key League goal. The Field poll this week confirmed that voters support funding for infrastructure, and that they want their representatives to work together to achieve it. With infrastructure a top priority for the League, we are committed to working with all parties to ensure that timely action is taken on negotiating a bond package in time for the June ballot. The League urges cities to contact the governor and their legislators - thanking them for the work that they are doing, and encouraging them to continue to work together to pass a consensus infrastructure package by the March 10 deadline for getting a measure on the June ballot. PAGE 8 . PRIORITY FOCUS March 3, 2006 . Issue #9 Visit the League's Official Webslte..www.cacities.org