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INITIAL ANALYSIS FROM 'CITIES FOR HEALTHY KIDS' FOCUS GROUPS RELEASED A series of four focus groups was conducted in February as part of the League of California Cities' "Cities for Healthy Kids. project. The focus groups were held in Riverside, Burbank, Berkeley and Fresno, and explored the views of city officials - elected and staff - about using cities as conduits to identify and enroll eligible children in no- or low-income health insurance programs. A number of observations at the meetings, including the following: City elected officials and staff believe that cities can playa role in the effort to enhance awareness among parents and families in their communities about the availability of low and no cost health insurance for their children. . Confident that cities are trusted sources of infonnation that can tap and leverage numerous resources and relationships, focus group partici- pants said that cities can serve as effective con- duits of infonnation on the issue. Further, theY assumed many cities will be receptive to the Cities for Healthy Kids effort because city leaders across the state are becoming increasingly focused on the health and wellness of their residents and are incorporating these values into their city missions or goals. How to proceed next is the question the League is considering. According to the analysis of the four focus groups, the question resulting from the research project may not be whether to roll out a "Cities for Healthy Kids. statewide effort, but rather how. Some focus groups participants advocated that the League of California Cities develop pilot pro- grams in a few targeted cities "to see what works and what doesn't work,. while others endorse launching the program as soon as possible to all interested cities. Others recommend doing both simultaneously. The League's Community Services Policy Committee will review the analysis and make a 9A Page 4 recommendation to the League board of directors. "Cities for Healthy Kids. is a cooperative project between the League, the California Teachers Association and the California Association of Health Plans, with funding from the WeliPoint Foundation. Visit the Community Services section of the League's website (www.cacities.or9) for a full copy of the analysis from the focus groups. ......................... INFRASTRucrURE: JUNE DEADLINE PASSES, NOVEMBER BALLOT TARGETED The deadline for an infrastructure package to appear on the June ballot has passed. with no consensus among legislators on what that package should ultimately include. Legislative discussions on an infrastructure plan continue however, and there is talk of working to place a package on the November ballot. Senate Republicans met this week to talk about a bond package that would include funding for transportation, housing, flood protection and education-the points where there was bipartisan agreement on the previous proposals. The Senate Republicans are also consulting Senate Democrats to negotiate a package that would appeal to both factions of the legislature. In addition, the Big Five (the governor, Senate President pro Tem Don Perata, Senate Minority Leader Dick Ackerman, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez and Assembly Minority leader Kevin McCarthy) met March 22 to discuss next steps to placing some sort of bond on the November ballot. Discussions apparently focused on levees, flood control, and transportation. The governor has made it clear that he is committed to getting money for levees and flood control in a bond. Both the Senate and Assembly have passed bills that include funding for levees ranging from $1 billion to $1.5 billion. It appears promising that the momentum built up to place an infrastructure package on the ballot continues, although at this point it would be for the November ballot, rather than the June ballot. While it is still unclear what a consensus package would include, it is encouraging that legislative leaders are continuing to work to invest in California's infrastructure. PAGE 4 . PRIORITY FOCUS March 24, 2006 . Issue #12 VIsit the League's Official Webs/te-,www,cacities.org ,