CCAC NOVEMBER 2023 | VOLUME 24 ISSUE 11 CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
Official Word CCAC
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR CCAC COMMITTEES MENTOR PROGRAM UPDATE N U T S A N D B O LT S PROGRAM UPDATES
REGION 4 LEARNS ABOUT ESSENTIALS OF RECORDS MANAGEMENT MEMBERSHIP UPCOMING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
www.californiacityclerks.org
CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE MARC A. DONOHUE, MMC
Greetings CCAC! The holiday season is in full swing! When do all of you put up your Christmas tree? Mine goes up the first weekend in November, but I’ve been told that’s too early, although it MA RC DO NO HUE doesn’t stop me from doing it every year! Things continue to stay busy in CCAC so let’s dive into some updates:
networking events, sharing new ideas and thoughts of future education sessions for our members, setting a goal to increase our membership by 20% over the next two years, and refining CCAC’s vision statement.
November 2023 Board Meeting The Board of Directors met on November 14 and took the following actions: • Amended CCAC Board Policy No. 109, Committees • Appointed Deputy Treasurer Denise Garzaro • Adopted a Fee Schedule for 2024 • Received and filed our September 2023 Financial Statement • Authorized the termination of the institute contracts for TTC, MMCA, and the MMCA Annual Conference Session (Advanced Academy) The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. We hope to see you virtually there!
CCAC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2024 CCAC Annual Conference Planning for the 2024 CCAC Annual Conference has now begun! The submission deadline for the call for presenters has just passed and the conference committee is gearing up to plan a wonderful conference for our members. This year’s annual conference will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego from April 3 – 5, 2024. The year’s theme is Reset, Reconnect, Reimagine! We’ll be announcing details about conference registration and education sessions in the near future.
CCAC Goal Setting The Board of Directors met in San Diego from November 2-3 for its annual Goal Setting meeting. We spent the two days celebrating our victories from 2023, analyzing and retooling our adopted Strategic Plan, reviewing CCAC policies and making recommendations for future revisions and new policies for the future, reviewing and making recommendations for education fees, increasing board member presence at future education/
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CCAC
CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
CCAC Elections – November 2023 Interested in serving on the CCAC Board of Directors? The nomination period for the annual CCAC election is now open! The following positions are on the ballot: 1. President 2. 1st Vice-President 3. 2nd Vice-President 4. Treasurer 5. Director of Communications 6. Director of Conferences 7. Director of Mentor Development 8. Director of Networking 9. Director of Scholarships The nomination period will close Wednesday, November 29. Consider running for a position and serving our membership! Legislative Director Vacancy As you may have already heard, our long time Board Member and Past President, Randi Johl, has submitted her resignation to the CCAC Board of Directors effective December 1, 2023. While we are sad to see her leave the board, we are excited to see her serve as the new Institute Director of our newly approved Education Institutes with California State University of San Marcos. I can’t thank Randi enough for all the years of service she has given our association and our members. With Randi’s resignation comes big shoes to fill. We are currently soliciting applicants for the Legislative Director role and expect to make an appointment prior to December 1st. Once an appointment is made, we’ll provide an update to the membership. Education Institute Update We are now in the planning stages of our first CMC Academy with California State University San Marcos in February 2024. We expect to launch
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registration for the academy in early December. Make sure to register early as its expected to fill up fast! Additional details about registration will be released in the coming days. These new education institutes are the only State approved institutes that qualify to earn 1 point for every 2 hours of education. Only institutes sponsored by a State association can qualify for this higher point value. Any other education institutes offered in the State will not be able to match this point value. Cal Cities New Law & Elections Seminar The registration for the upcoming New Law & Elections Seminar is now full! They do have a wait list going for those who are still interested in attending. The Seminar will take place from December 13-15, 2023, at the beautiful Mission Bay Hotel in San Diego. The schedule of education sessions has been released. Visit www.calcities.org for more information.
Pop with the President Thank you to everyone who joined us for Pop with the President on November 14. We had a great time updating the membership and giving away some great prizes (special shoutout to Tom Diebert with Netfile for giving away gift cards)! Save the date for the next one on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. This holiday season let’s remember to close the laptops, put the phones away and spend time with our loved ones. Work will always be there when you get back. Wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday. As always, please feel free to reach out to me at mdonohue@eastvaleca.gov or (951) 703-4421.
CCAC
CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
V olunteers W anted for C C A C C ommittees
VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR CCAC COMMITTEES ASHTON R. AROCHO, MMC, 2ND VICE-PRESIDENT
There are always opportunities for members to get involved! Whether by joining a committee or assisting at the upcoming 2024 Annual Conference in San Diego, CA! If you are interested in volunteering to serve, please be sure to complete the volunteer interest form which can be found on the CCAC webpage. CONTACT INFORMATION: ASHTON R. AROCHO, MMC
ASHTON R. AROCHO
CITY OF WESTMINSTER E: AAROCHO@WESTMINSTER-CA .GOV
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CCAC
CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
V olunteers W anted for C C A C C ommittees
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CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
M entor P rogram U pdate
MENTOR PROGRAM UPDATE CA N D I C E A LVA R E Z , M M C , D I R E C T O R O F M E N T O R D E VE LO P M E N T
In the grand tapestry of our professional journeys, there are threads of guidance, support, and wisdom that weave together to create the path we tread. For many of us, these invaluable threads are our mentors – the beacons of insight, experience, and encouragement that light our way. As we approach the end of the year, I'd like to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to CCAC's mentors, who have played an integral role in our personal and professional growth. As we look back on the year and ahead to new opportunities, remember the mentors who have illuminated our paths and continue CANDICE ALVAR EZ to light the way. May their influence and support serve as a reminder of the power of mentorship and its immense impact on us all. THANK YOU, MENTORS, from the bottom of my heart, for your continued dedication and passion and for guiding our newest colleagues. You are a rock star, and I'm so proud and grateful to have you on our Mentor team. Following are updates on the status of mentor assignments from past trainings: Training
Assigned to Mentors
Pending Assignment
September 2023 TTC
19
1
October 2023 Nuts & Bolts
30
0
In October, I was given the opportunity to attend Nuts & Bolts and give a 30-minute presentation on Professional Advancement, which included providing resources such as IIMC and CCAC, discussing the benefits of having a mentor, and guidelines on how to obtain a CMC or MMC. I hope to have inspired at least some of the attendees to continue advancing in our incredible profession.
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CCAC
CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
M entor P rogram U pdate
Finally, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate our newly designated Certified Municipal Clerks and Master Municipal Clerks. These individuals have confirmed
their commitment to our unique and awesome profession, and I, along with their mentors, colleagues, and agencies, are so proud of their hard work and dedication.
CMC Sarah Santilena Godinez, CMC - Assistant to City Clerk - City of Monrovia, CA Nicole Deme, CMC - City Clerk, HR and Asst. to City Mgr. - City of Marysville, CA Fernando Munoz, CMC - Deputy City Clerk - City of Santa Fe Springs, CA Angelina Joya, CMC - Deputy City Clerk - City of Vallejo, CA Zeb Navarro, CMC - City Clerk - City of Oceanside, CA Jacqueline Castro, CMC - Assistant Clerk of the Board - Orange County Sanitation District, CA Melissa Boyer, CMC - City Clerk - City of Paso Robles, CA MMC Sylvia Lopez Cuevas, MMC - City Clerk - City of Rohnert Park, CA
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CCAC
CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
N uts and B olts P rogram U pdates
NUTS AND BOLTS PROGRAM UPDATES H O L LY M . C H A R L É T Y , M M C , D I R E C T O R O F P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T
Municipal Clerks new to local government are in high numbers as we continue to see the shift of seasoned clerks retiring and new clerks joining the profession. This year, this continued H OLLY CHAR LÉTY shift has shown a huge increase in the demand for the Nuts and Bolts program. Lucinda Williams (Fullerton) and Kerry Bigalow (Chula Vista), two members of our dedicated and hard-working core team just completed the facilitation of our final session for 2023. Seventy-five attendees gathered in Brea, CA on October 26 and 27 for a Halloween-themed event that provided new and aspiring municipal clerks essential information on the role of the municipal clerk. What is Nuts and Bolts? Nuts and Bolts is primarily based on the content in the Municipal Clerk’s Handbook, a resource offered as part of CCAC membership benefits. This two-day training offers an overview of most areas of responsibility for municipal clerks and is a great introduction to the profession. Topics include facilitating public meetings, notices,
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public hearings, boards and commissions, working with your legislative body, elections, the Brown Act, Political Reform Act, Public Records Act, professional development, and more. Trainers and Facilitators Putting on a two day training event is a lot of work and we have a great core team of facilitators who also provide training at these events. I want to acknowledge these individuals for all their hard work and dedication to the program this year. Without them, it would not be possible! • Dawn Abrahamson, City Clerk, Vallejo • Britt Avritt, City Clerk, Saratoga • Kerry Bigalow, City Clerk, Chula Vista • Lucinda Williams, City Clerk, Fullerton In addition, a special thanks to the rest of our 2023 training team! • Candice Alvarez, City Clerk, Lake Elsinore • Alexandra Castillo, Political Reform Consultant, FPPC • Joelle Fockler, City Clerk, Concord • Nicholas Ghirelli, Attorney, RPG Law • David Lim, Attorney, RPG Law • Bruce Meier, President, Records Control Services • Mark Numainville, City Clerk, Berkeley • Jennifer Woodworth, City Clerk, Hollister
CCAC
CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
N uts and B olts P rogram U pdates
Plans for 2024 As we move into 2024, I want members to know that we have listened and heard your feedback and recognize the increased demand for the program. I am happy to announce that effective January 2024, we will be providing one session per quarter! This will increase the opportunity to attend the seminar from 3 sessions to 4 sessions annually. Two sessions will rotate among North, Central and South locations; and two virtual sessions will be offered each year. In order to plan ahead, moving forward this training will consistently be offered during the first full week of February and May, the fourth full week of August and the 3rd full week of November. For 2024, the dates are as follows: 2024 Nuts & Bolts Dates Date
Location
2/8/24 - 2/9/24
Rancho Cordova (North)
5/9/24 - 5/10/24
Hollister (Central)
8/29/24 - 8/30/24
Virtual
11/21/24 - 11/22/24
Virtual
Member Fee
Non-Member Fee
$200
$250
Finally, I want to welcome two new core members to our planning and training team for 2024! Joelle Fockler, City Clerk, Concord Jennifer Woodworth, City Clerk, Hollister For more information please visit the CCAC website or contact the Professional Development Director at pdd@californiacityclerks.org.
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CCAC
CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
R egion 4 L earns A bout E ssentials of R ecords M anagement
REGION 4 LEARNS ABOUT ESSENTIALS OF RECORDS MANAGEMENT MELISSA HERMANN, CMC, CITY OF TULARE CHIEF DEPUTY CITY CLERK
On November 3, Region 4 (South San Joaquin Valley) held the Essentials of Records Management training. The training was hosted by the City of Clovis and held at their Police and Fire ME LISSA HER MANN Headquarters. There were 46 attendees including a large number from the City of Clovis. Kudos to Karey Cha, City Clerk for the City of Clovis, for including someone from every department in their city, a strategic move on her part since they will be going through an update to their records program next year. John Holt, City Manager of the City of Clovis, spoke with the group before turning it over to the trainer. John shares a unique perspective as he served as a city clerk for about nine years. He shared how important city clerks are to cities and communities and how hard their job is, words that were very much appreciated. Attendees were greeted by me and Karey as they checked in. It was nice to be able to put faces with names! As they checked in, they received a goody bag provided by the City of Clovis. Karey also made sure everyone received a printout of
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the presentation and had plenty of snacks and drinks available to them throughout the training. The training was very well received. Let’s be honest; records management is not the most exciting topic. Bruce Meier, President and CEO of Records Control Services, Inc., did an amazing job keeping us all engaged and wanting more, leaving the “records are boring” notion at the door. His energy made it easy to sit in a room for four hours learning about records management. Not an easy feat! Bruce covered everything from the basics of what a record is, records lifecycle, and categorizing to developing policies, procedures, and record retention schedules. A survey was sent to attendees prior to the training to gauge where their organization was in regard to records management. This helped attendees see where they were currently at and gave them a goal to set for their organization. Following the training, we made our way over to a different conference room set up with delicious finger foods and wine. The beautiful charcuterie boards were from a local business, Cork & Knife, and the wine was brought in by our amazing event sponsor, NetFile. This was a great opportunity for the group to unwind and get to
CCAC
CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
R egion 4 L earns A bout E ssentials of R ecords M anagement
know each other a little better. The room was filled with great conversation and laughter. I would be remiss if I didn’t give a huge shout out to those that made this event such a success. Thank you to the amazing Karey Cha for hosting and making many of the arrangements. She was so easy to work with and made sure every detail was taken care of. A big thank you to Bruce for sharing his knowledge and experience of records management. And lastly, the largest thank you to our sponsor, NetFile! Tom was asked about sponsoring and quickly agreed to sponsor the entire event. NetFile covered all the expenses, ensuring any money brought in by the registration fees stayed with the Association. He even showed up with $49 Starbucks gift cards to use as giveaways, not to mention sat through the training and stayed for the networking event. How lucky are we to have such a great partner like NetFile?! Hopefully this event is just the beginning of many events held in Region 4!
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CCAC
THANK YOU
CCAC
2023 VENDOR OF THE YEAR
Hosted e-filing systems Form 700 Campaign Statements Lobbyist ordinance filings
Contact: Tom Diebert diebert@netfile.com
www.netfile.com
CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
M embership
MEMBERSHIP MICHAEL MACDONALD, CMC, CPMC DIRECTOR OF MEMBER SERVICES
In our ongoing dedication to fostering a vibrant and connected community, we extend a friendly reminder to all members who have recently transitioned to new agencies: Please take a moment to update your profiles on the CCAC platform. It's an easy step that ensures our records are accurate and up to date. M ICHAEL M ACDO NALD
Remember, your membership remains with you, not your agency. Updating your profile with current agency information is crucial for several reasons:
1. Communication: Ensuring that your contact details and agency information are current enables us to reach you with important announcements, updates, and opportunities relevant to your professional development. 2. Networking: Keeping your agency information up to date helps you connect with peers and colleagues within your new organization, fostering a stronger sense of community and collaboration. 3. Continuity of Service: If you are involved in any committees, projects, or other collaborative efforts within CCAC, having accurate agency details ensures the smooth transition of responsibility and maintains the continuity of services. Updating your profile is a breeze. Simply log in to your CCAC account, locate your contact information, and update it with your new agency details. Your proactive approach ensures that we can stay connected and provide you with the best possible CCAC experience. In other exciting news, the Membership and Inclusivity Committee (MIC) has been hard at work! Over the last several months, we've had two productive meetings, gearing up for a regular schedule in 2024. While the committee temporarily paused during the transition of management firms, we are eager to resume our efforts in creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members. Thank you for being an essential part of our dynamic community. Your involvement and commitment make CCAC the thriving organization it is. Wishing you a joyous and Happy Thanksgiving!
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CCAC
CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
UPCOMING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
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UPCOMING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES H O L LY M . C H A R L É T Y , M M C , D I R E C T O R O F P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T
Check out these upcoming education opportunities through CCAC! You can always find up-todate information on the CCAC website community calendar. For questions, please feel free to email pdd@californiacityclerks.org
Where
When
Topic
San Diego
12/13-12/15/2023
Cal Cities New Law and Elections Seminar
Sold Out – Waitlist Open
Virtual
1/9/2024
Pop with the President
Join Here!
Virtual
1/24/2024
New Mentor Training
Open for Registration
Virtual
1/26/2024
Athenian Dialogue: Year of Yes
Save the Date
Rancho Cordova
2/8-2/9/2023
Nuts and Bolts
Registration Coming Soon
San Marcos
2/20-2/23/24
CMC Institute
Registration Coming Soon
San Diego
4/3-4/5/2024
CCAC Annual Conference Reset, Reconnect, Reimagine
Registration Coming Soon
CCAC
CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
monthly municipal clerk book club
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CCAC
CCAC NOVEMBER 2023 | VOLUME 24 ISSUE 11 CITY CLERKS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
Official Word CCAC
www.californiacityclerks.org