CSAC staff has developed a strong lineup of workshops for our upcoming Annual Meeting, focusing on issues that significantly impact California Counties. The conference is scheduled for November 28 through December 1 in Sacramento County. For a look at the conference schedule, click here.

The theme for the 2017 Annual Meeting is “Sharing the Vision,” examining the role California Counties play in creating public policy that reflects the diversity of all 58 counties and their residents. Register Today!

Our workshop lineup includes:

The Cannabis Gold Rush: Banking Challenges and Solutions

It’s been nearly a year since voters passed Proposition 64, legalizing the adult use of cannabis in California. In that time state regulators and local governments alike have been working around the clock to develop licensing and permitting programs to be ready for implementation on January 1, 2018. Despite this progress, cannabis remains a Schedule I drug at the federal level, creating a number of roadblocks to accessing necessary banking and financial services. This workshop will explore the challenges at the federal level and how local governments are working together to help facilitate tax compliance, cash collection and access to banking services.

Criminal Justice Reforms Workshop on County-State Collaboration

Over the last six years, California has undergone major reforms in the criminal justice system to improve offender outcomes, reduce recidivism,  and eliminate federal oversight of our state correctional system.  As counties have partnered with the state in making these efforts successful, we now embark on implementing another criminal justice reform, Proposition 57, the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act.  Proposition 57 includes a number of policy changes and gives counties and the state an opportunity to work together to improve the coordination of offender information and the release of offenders from state prison to county supervision.  This workshop will explore how counties and the state can enhance state and local synchronization as Proposition 57 is implemented throughout the state. 

Solutions & Tools to Address the Growing Crisis of Homelessness

Homelessness is an issue that impacts all of our counties – no matter the size or location. In response, CSAC and the League of California Cities have been working together as part of a Joint Task Force to develop solutions and tools to address this growing crisis. This workshop will provide an overview of the progress made by the Task Force; provide examples of best practices and collaboration at the local level; and spotlight case studies of opportunities and challenges faced by counties and cities as they implement local homeliness plans.

California County Roundtable

What’s Going On in Your County? That’s the question at the heart of the “California County Roundtable,” a workshop featuring county supervisors talking about what’s important right now in their counties — whether those are thorny problems, clever solutions, or something else they think other county officials should be thinking about.

After supervisors give their three-minute presentations, attendees will have the chance to talk at length about the issues that were raised and the connections they made with what’s going on in their own county.

Making Criminal Justice Work: Exploring Evidence-Based Practices

CSAC has been partnering with the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative since 2015 to support county leaders in evidence-based policy making in the criminal justice arena. The partnership’s focus is to improve public safety by implementing evidence-based programs that will produce the best outcomes for residents as well as the highest rate of return on a county’s investment in criminal justice, juvenile justice, or behavioral health. This workshop will equip county leaders in navigating evidence and cost-based data and how best to integrate it in policy and budget decision-making.

The Changing Federal Landscape: Implications on Major Policy Efforts

The November 2016 election of President Trump dramatically changed political landscape in Washington from business as usual to a new paradigm of hyper-partisanship. A year later, this workshop will explore what this means for major policy efforts including health care, tax reform and the Congressional budget and implications on local budgets and services.

CSAC Innovation Summit

The week will kick off with the sixth Annual CSAC Innovation Summit scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, November 28. This year the summit will focus on “Charting the Course for State-County Innovation and Partnership.” Counties deliver many critical services on behalf of the state crossing public safety, health and human services, housing and land use, general government, and more.  To be effective, the State-County partnership needs to center on counties having the authority, flexibility, and resources to deliver services in a manner that meets state priorities while also recognizing the priorities of local communities. It also requires service innovation that adapts to ever-changing technology.  Join a broad panel of State leaders in a robust dialogue about innovation, successful partnerships with counties, and what lies ahead in the sea of policy changes.  

So please accept this invitation to join us in Sacramento, for our Annual Meeting.