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9A - Zo CITIPAC KICK -OFF EVENT DRAWS CROWD IN SACRAMENTO City officials gathered in Sacramento last week brought more than just their political capital to the state capitol during the recent "Legislative Action Days" - they brought together some private financial support as well. At the inaugural event of the League of California Cities newly formed CITIPAC, mayors from the greater Sacramento region marshaled in their efforts to raise funds to help city government play a greater role in state- wide ballot measures. Led by Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo and West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon the CITIPAC event drew a crowd of roughly 50 people - donors, League of California Cities board members, city elected officials and supportive staff members alike. The CITIPAC event was the first of what will be many regional fundraisers throughout the state, all with the intention of building the political strength of cities in the state capitol. "This event is about building political capacity and stronger cities," remarked League President John Russo. "It will allow the League to play an active role in statewide ballot measure campaigns to protect city services and resources. Mayor Fargo and Mayor Cabaldon did a great job of building a coalition of mayors and other city officials in their region to help kick off this impor- tant event. " CITIPAC was formed by the League of Califor- nia Cities' Board of Directors with the purpose of raising private funds to support ballot measure advocacy by the League. The primary focus of those efforts will be the protection of city govern- ment revenues by constitutional amendment, but it also equips the League Board of Directors, which governs CITIPAC, to support or oppose ballot measures consistent with the League's mission which is focused on strong local government. CITIPAC's regional fundraising structure will provide support for the League's ongoing efforts at ballot measure advocacy. PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIALS GATHER IN SACRAMENTO TO DISCUSS INTEROPERABILITY A conference on emergency services interoperability was held in Sacramento Tuesday, drawing public safety officials and communications industry experts from around California. Interoperability, the idea that police, fire an other local or federal emergency response agencies need to reliably connect and cooperate, is at the forefront of discussions on Homeland Security throughout the country. The League praised the California House and Senate delegations last month for their efforts in securing additional Homeland Security funds for cities in the FY 2003 wartime Supplemental Appropriations bill, of which $109.5 million was set aside for commu- nications interoperability. Speakers at Tuesday's conference included California State Attorney General, Bill Lockyer; Dallas Jones, Director of the Governor's Office of Emer- gency Services; Corey Cummings, Chief of the California Department of Corrections; and James Lee Witt, President of James Lee Witt Associates and former director of the Federal Emergency Manage- ment Agency. As part of a panel of public safety officials moder- ated by Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy, Dallas Jones illustrated the need for interoperable communications in California. "With the threats we face every day, we depend on each other." It was widely agreed upon by speakers at the conference that technology and personnel are not barriers to interoperability. Fund- ing and leadership were citied as the main stumbling blocks, as James Lee Witt affirmed, "we already have a frontline homeland defense." Keynote speaker Bill Lockyer would echo this sentiment, and urged the audience to closely examine new technologies and keep the focus on statewide planning. Nationwide studies have shown that public safety officials have trouble in nearly one -third of their intra- agency communications. Interoperability has become a much discussed topic for not only Homeland De- fense and natural disaster response, but for pro- grams such as AMBER Alert and other crime investi- gations. For more information, please visit the Public Safety Wireless Network, a program jointly sponsored by the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury, at www.pswa.gov. PAGE 2 /PRIORITY FOCUS Visit the League's Official Web Site-- www.cacities.org