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<br />'Summit' Continued from Page 1... <br /> <br />Local government is closest to the people and that is why Rebuilding California - From the <br />Ground Up begins with local governments. Delegates participating in this two-day summit will be <br />examining solutions as well as the topics with the greatest impact on the state-local relationship. <br />The historic event will be the first time leaders from the three local government arenas are <br />gathering to address the state's chronic dysfunction. <br /> <br />The summit will be hosted by the Cities Counties School Partnership, a joint effort of the League <br />of California Cities, California State Association of Counties and California School Board <br />Association. City, county and school leaders are convening the summit because local <br />government is the closest level of government to the people. Reforms must include restoring a <br />greater degree of local control over programs, taxation and spending decisions. <br /> <br />One example of the dysfunction of state government is that the state has taken upwards of $10 <br />billion in city property taxes to help meet state budget obligations to schools since 1991, yet state <br />spending on schools is among the lowest if not the lowest in the nation. With the current <br />economic downturn, the state government is facing Its day of reckoning, and the results are <br />deeply troubling. The summit will provide a forum for hundreds of city, county and school leaders <br />to discuss reforms to address these pressing problems and the way in which they can be <br />implemented. <br /> <br />Delegates will focus on a range of issues such as a constitutional convention, bonds and taxes, <br />state borrowing and mandates, personnel issues and creating greater transparency and <br />accountability to the voters. <br /> <br />Speakers will discuss ideas on how to modernize the state budget process as well as sales and <br />property tax systems and requiring periodic reviews of the State's governance. <br /> <br />Scheduled speakers include: <br /> <br />. Rich Gordon, CCS Partnership Chair, CSAC immediate past president, San Mateo county <br />supervisor <br />. Fred Silva, California Forward senior policy consultant <br />. Paula Campbell. CSBA president <br />. James Mayer, California Forward executive director <br />. James Wunderman, Bay Area Council executive director <br />. Bill Leonard, Board of Equalization member <br />. Dede Alpert, former state senator (invited) <br />. Judith Mitchell, League president <br />. Chris McKenzie, League executive director <br />. An expert in statewide survey research from Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin and Associates <br />. Paul Mcintosh, CSAC executive director <br />. Scott Plotkin. SCBA executive director <br />. Gary Wyatt, CSAC president <br />. Jim Madaffer, League immediate past president <br /> <br />Resources <br /> <br />The League has posted a number of resource documents for the summit on our Web site at <br />www.cacities.ora/2009summit. <br /> <br />. Joint Princioles (draft) <br />. Talkina Points <br />. FAQs <br />. Aaenda <br /> <br />Additional information about the summit can be found on the ees Partnership Web site at <br />www.ccsoartnershio.ora. <br /> <br />8A <br />Page 4 <br /> <br />2 <br />