Everyone likes someone with a personality. The same is true of government agencies, and there’s no better place for an agency to establish a strong personality, a “voice,” than on social media. [pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]But to use it effectively, agencies need to build their reach and engage with their followers, […]
Creating Vibrant Communities Through Economic Development
The dissolution of redevelopment agencies coupled with the lingering recession has left many seeking new approaches to local economic development. Two new resources from the Institute for Local Government (ILG) provide practical tips on proven techniques that local leaders can use to enhance their communities’ economic prosperity and fiscal health. Making Prosperity Sustainable [pullquote align=”right” […]
Our Local Government Model: It’s Broken, So Let’s Fix It
PERSPECTIVES If you have tried something for a couple of decades and it is not working then you should try something else. I am not speaking about our form of local government (council/manager, strong mayor, etc) but rather the way we do our work regardless of the form. My hypothesis is that the local government […]
Sometimes “The Happiest Place on Earth” Can Get “Grumpy”: A Reflection on Customer Service
ORIGINAL CONTENT Last month my family and I spent a few days at “The Happiest Place on Earth.” By nearly every account, Disneyland was just that. Our time was filled with cheerful celebration, wild imagination, and endless entertainment. My parents traveled with my husband and me, along with our two daughters. My eldest daughter, […]
Introduction to the City Clerk
ORIGINAL CONTENT Throughout history, wherever there were meetings of chiefs or elders or guilds, there was someone to record what happened. That historic recorder became the Municipal Clerk. This is the function which we are most associated with: recording actions that happen in official meetings including minutes, resolutions, and ordinances. [pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” […]
Hayward Mayor Proposes ‘Work-at-home, Skip-a-shower Day’
Mayor Barbara Halliday said she has been known to forsake a shower, but only if she plans to spend the entire day at home. The idea is just another of many for residents to conserve water during the state’s enduring drought. “Maybe we can start a stay-at-home, work-at-home, skip-a-shower day?” Halliday joked Tuesday night as […]
State Water Board Chair: ‘It’ll be up to Local Water Officials to Enforce Rules’
IN THE NEWS In a California Report interview with State Water Resources Control Board Chair Felicia Marcus, the powerful state agency head told KQED Science Reporter Craig Miller that tighter restrictions on water usage will be handed down to water agencies in light of a near-certain record-dry March. Tighter restrictions mean tighter enforcement, with no […]
The League’s Message on Massage Businesses
IN THE NEWS At the start of the new year, AB 1147 (Bonilla) went into effect, giving back California’s cities and counties the authority to regulate massage therapy businesses. In the March 2015 issue of Western City, legislative representative Kirstin Kolpitcke provides a briefing on the legislation and what it means for municipalities. Read the […]
Western City: How Leaders Use Storytelling
IN THE NEWS This month’s issue of Western City features an article by League of California Cities Executive Director Chris McKenzie on how leaders use storytelling to inspire others and illustrate key points. McKenzie writes, “City leaders often must inspire people to accept and even support changes in their lives that they might otherwise oppose. […]