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9.4 7 <br />LOCAL UPDATE <br />City officials and others are doing a great job of <br />drawing attention to the importance of protecting <br />local services from state budget cuts. The following <br />are a few of the activities carried out under the <br />"LOCAL" banner (Leave Our Community Assets <br />Local" — the coalition jointly sponsored by the <br />League, the California State Association of Coun- <br />ties, and the California Special Districts Association. <br />Grassroots Activities <br />The group emphasized the importance of restoring <br />VLF, without trying to tie restoration to housing <br />development or other policy goals. Torakson <br />shared with the group his insights and predictions <br />on the status of redevelopment funding and other <br />issues. Several of the city officials used fact sheets <br />developed by the League illustrating that "Cities <br />are Net Donors", contradicting statements made by <br />the Governor and some state officials that 'local <br />government shared in the good times, and now <br />they must share in the pain." <br />Lodi Budget Briefing Draws Large Group of <br />Local Officials. League Regional Representative <br />Debbie Olson this week worked closely with Sena- <br />tor Chuck Poochigian's district office staff to put <br />together a state budget briefing in Lodi that was <br />attended by almost 100 Central Valley city and <br />county officials. State Legislative Analyst Elizabeth <br />Hill presented the LAO's perspective on the <br />governor's budget proposal and its implications on <br />the future fiscal health of California. <br />Speaking on the issue of the VLF, Ms. Hill <br />reiterated her belief that if the legislature does not <br />continue to backfill the loss of VLF revenues to <br />local governments, then the "trigger" should be <br />pulled. Also in attendance were Central Valley <br />Legislators Senator Chuck Poochigian and Assem- <br />blyman Alan Nakanishi. Both responded to numer- <br />ous questions from the audience regarding their <br />position on state budget woes. <br />Assembly Member Canclamilla attended <br />the League's East Bay Division Meeting last <br />week, and was very interested in hearing reports <br />on city officials' meetings with other legislators a <br />day earlier in Sacramento. "We also had a good <br />conversation about the League; reported League <br />Regional Representative Stacey Wells. <br />"Canciamilla said the League assignment was <br />always the one given by the mayor to the newest <br />council member, sort of a chore to serve. He said <br />it's clearly not that way anymore and was fairly <br />impressed by the crowd assembled.' Canciamilla <br />also provided his insights on the budget. <br />Senator Tom Torlakson Briefs East Bay <br />Division Feb. 19 in Sacramento. Surprised by <br />the large number of East Bay city officials (14) who <br />made the trip to the Capitol, the Senator cleared <br />his calendar to devote enough time for the meeting. <br />Peninsula City Officials Meet with Assembly <br />Members Mark Leno (San Francisco) and Joe <br />Simitian (Palo Alto). In two separate meetings, <br />involving officials from their respective cities, both <br />legislators expressed their support for restoring <br />VLF and redevelopment agencies' funding. They <br />shared their insights on the budget and even <br />lobbying strategies for cities on the budget pro- <br />cess. Other legislative meetings recently com- <br />plated by Peninsula Division city officials and <br />LOCAL partners include those with Assembly <br />Member Rebecca Cohn (Saratoga), Assembly <br />Member Manny Diaz (San Jose), Senator <br />Byron Sher (Stanford), Assembly Member Sally <br />Lieber (Santa Clara), and Assembly Member <br />Gene Mullin (San Francisco). <br />Peninsula Cable TV Plans Budget Show. <br />Four 1 -hour news segments are planned with <br />different panels, including one with elected officials <br />and one with city managers. These will be followed <br />by a 2 -hour town hall meeting. Plans are to air the <br />programs daily from mid -March through August. <br />The programs are intended to be sufficiently <br />generic so that other community cable stations to <br />run them. They will be made available to other <br />cities at the cost of reproduction (around $15). <br />League Regional Representative Rebecca Elliot will <br />assist with distribution through the other regional <br />reps. <br />Peninsula Cities Legislative Staff Receive <br />League BudgeVGrassroots Briefing. League <br />Revenue and Taxation Lobbyist Jean Korinke <br />joined League Regional Representative Rebecca <br />Elliot in provide a briefing on the budget, and <br />training on the League's new online Advocacy <br />Center. "It was a huge hit!" reported Rebecca, "as <br />Continued on Page 9 <br />Visit the League's Official Web Site-- www.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS /PAGE 7 <br />