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<br />8A <br />Page 12 <br /> <br />These calls were followed up by an emergency meeting with the League's board of directors on Wednesday, <br />Aug. 13. Board members were given an up-to-date budget briefing and urged to make the state budget a top <br />priority for their cities. <br /> <br />McKenzie impressed upon the board members how their participation in calling legislators, holding them <br />accountable about the impact that "loans" or seizures would have on their constituents, and the ongoing <br />impact to the state's structural deficit. <br /> <br />Call to Action: City Officials Make Your Voices Heard! <br /> <br />It is absolutely critical for city leaders make the state budget the priority for the coming weeks to ensure a <br />successful budget outcome. City officials should take action and continue to urge legislators to draft a budget <br />that does not seize local government revenues, transportation or redevelopment funds. <br /> <br />The League strongly urges city officials to engage in this budget fight. At this time, it is essential that city <br />officials stay in close contact with their League regional public affairs managers. They are providing daily <br />updates to their regions and the League may request participation in certain key activities in the coming <br />days. In the meantime, city officials can take six steps to help ensure a positive budget resolution for cities. <br />The action items are: <br /> <br />1. Ask community leaders to call legislators to oppose "loans" or raids - provide a concrete list of <br />impacts to them; <br /> <br />2. Call your legislator and stress your city's opposition to "'oans" or raids of local funds. Be specific <br />about the impacts; <br /> <br />3. Call the Governor [(916)-445-2841] and thank him for his support and ask that he continue to <br />oppose "loans" or raids of local government funding, transportation funding or redevelopment funds. <br />Be specific about the impacts; <br /> <br />4. Let your local news media know what is being contemplated by state leaders and how it would <br />hurt your city. Talk with editors about the legislature considering these fiscally irresponsible moves. <br /> <br />5. Invite community leaders and citizens to a TOWN HALL MEETING and talk publicly about what <br />legislators may do with specific impacts to your city. Notify the news media. Thank legislators who <br />oppose borrowing or local government raids. <br /> <br />6. Schedule time on your next council meeting agenda to discuss this issue, its impact on your city, <br />and your continued opposition. Ask your legislators for a commitment to fiscal responsibility and not <br />to harming local services. <br /> <br />Priority Focus will continue to report on all budget developments. Urgent updates will be sent directly to city <br />officials as events occur. <br /> <br />'HR 3221' Continued from Page 1... <br /> <br />The potential for H.R. 3221 to offer California's cities some relief from the foreclosure fallout couldn't have <br />come sooner. The latest statistics regarding the current foreclosure landscape in California are staggering. <br />California continues to lead the nation in foreclosures. In June 2008 alone, California had 61,107 <br />foreclosures. <br /> <br />The League has spent significant time analyzing the bill, and is drafting a white paper detailing the specifics <br />of the legislation which will be distributed in the near future. Cities throughout California stand to gain from <br />the legislation as money is appropriated in the coming months. <br /> <br />Several of the key topics covered by the legislation include: <br /> <br />3 <br />