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<br />'NLC Conference' Continued from Page 1... <br /> <br /> <br />(From left to right) Jim Madaffer, League immediate past president and San <br />Diego council member; Ken Cooley. League first vice president and Rancho <br />Cordova council member; Ron Loveridge. NLC first vice president and <br />Riverside council member; Rep. Laura Richardson; Judy Mitchell, League <br />president and Roiling Hills Estates council member, and Chris McKenzie, <br />Lea ue executive director. <br /> <br />stimulus dollars coming to cities across the nation. <br /> <br />9A <br />Page 2 <br /> <br />Conference sessions focused on <br />a variety of federal issues critical <br />to cities including infrastructure <br />investment, public safety, energy, <br />climate change, transportation <br />and the mortgage crisis. The <br />California delegation was led by <br />Judy Mitchell, League president <br />and Rolling Hills Estates council <br />member and Ken Cooley, <br />League first vice president and <br />Rancho Cordova council <br />member. <br /> <br />NLC First Vice President and <br />Riverside Council Member Ron <br />Loveridge opened the <br />conference to a roaring <br />applause, where NLC President <br />Kathleen Novak, mayor, <br />Northglenn, Colo. discussed the <br />struggles of cities today and the <br />hope for the future with economic <br /> <br />Conference attendees also heard from a number of agency secretaries, including Steven Chu, <br />secretary, U.S. Department of Energy; Lisa P. Jackson, administrator, U.S. Environmental <br />Protection Agency; Shaun Donovan, secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban <br />Development; Ray LaHood, secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation; and, Janet Napolitano, <br />secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The officials all stressed a desire to continue <br />and strengthen their collaboration with local governments across the nation. <br /> <br />Congressional Meetings and Policy Briefings <br /> <br />The League's officers met with Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Reps. <br />Jackie Speier. (D-12th) and Laura Richardson (D-37th) and other members ofthe California <br />Congressional Delegation briefing them on the League's federal priorities. <br /> <br />Meeting with Sen. Feinstein, the League's officers discussed issues ranging from California cities' <br />Neighborhood Stabilization priorities to municipal bond market assistance for local governments <br />throughout the nation. <br /> <br />Sen. Boxer commented on California's position as a leader on many fronts including climate <br />change. She told the League's officers that she understands the importance of infrastructure <br />investments to support transportation that will be funded through the stimulus package and wants <br />to make sure the roll-out of stimulus dollars goes without problems. <br /> <br />In their meeting with Rep. Richardson, the League's officers focused on the organization's <br />priorities for SAFETEA-LU reauthorization. Rep. Richardson expressed her commitment to <br />improve transportation systems, especially as it relates to good movement. <br /> <br />Rep. Richardson is a former Long Beach council m~mber and League alternative board member. <br />She says she credits much of her success in adjusting to Congress to her local government <br />experiences and said she uses this to infonn her decision-making at the federal level. <br /> <br />The League's legislative staff developed four issue papers on the League's 2009 federal priorities <br />for the California delegation to use in their meetings with members of Congress. The papers <br />focused on the following: <br /> <br />2 <br />