western city july 2012

J U L Y 2 0 1 2 | T h e M o n t h l y M a g a z i n e o f t h e L e a g u e o f C a l i f o r n i a C i t i e s

www.westerncity.com

Draft Stormwater Permit Draws Cities Together p.14Spotlighting Energy Efficiency p.20

Sustainability’s Many Faces p.10

Platinum ($15,000+)

ABM2

AT&TAleshire & Wynder1,2

American Fidelity Assurance Company

Best Best & Krieger LLP1,2

Burrtec Waste Industries Inc.Global Water Fathom HdL CompaniesHoneywell Kaiser Permanente Keenan & AssociatesMuniServicesNorthern California

Regional CarpentersPG&ESmartCities Prevail.orgSolarcitySouthern California Edison1,2

Southern California Gas Co./SDG&E/The Sempra Energy Utilities1

State Farm InsuranceVisaWalmartWilldan Group

Gold ($10,000+)

Bank of AmericaBurke Williams

& Sorensen LLP1,2

Hanson Bridgett LLP1,2

Jenkins & Hogin LLP2

Lewis Investment Company2

Liebert Cassidy Whitmore1

Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai LLP1

Richards Watson & Gershon1,2

Union Pacific RailroadWells Fargo

League Partners

Thank you to our 2012

1 – Institute for Local Government supporter 2 – CITIPAC supporter

Join the Partners Program Today!Contact Mike Egan | (916) 658-8271 | [email protected]

Silver ($5,000+)

AthensCardenas Markets Inc.2

Charles Abbott Associates2

DW Development2

Dart Container Corp.Dokken EngineeringITRONInterwest Consulting

Group INC.JPMorgan Chase & Co.Kronick Moskovitz

Tiedemann & Girard1

Majestic Realty Co.2

Management PartnersMeyers Nave1,2

Northrop GrummanPrometheus Real Estate

Group Inc.2

Republic Services Inc.2

San Manuel Band of Mission Indians2

Starbucks TRANE2

Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations2

Union Bank

Bronze ($3,000+)

Amador Valley Industries2

AndersonPenna Partners Inc.

AtkinsBest Way Disposal2

California Dental Association-PAC

California Grocers Association

California & Nevada IBEW/NECA Labor-Management Cooperation Trust

Cerrell AssociatesColantuono & LevinDesert Valley Medical

Group Inc./Prime Healthcare2

Garaventa Enterprises2

Ghilotti Construction2

Jose Gonzales for Supervisor2

HMC + Beverly Prior Architects

Herum\Crabtree AttorneysHill International2

Holliday Rock Company

Library Systems & Services LLC

Management PartnersMorley Brothers LLCMorongo Band of

Mission Indians2

Bob Murray & AssociatesNational Community

(National Core)Neoteric Entertainment Inc.2

Pacific Code Compliance2

PARS/Phase IIPiper JaffrayRegis Homes2

Janice Rutherford for Supervisor2

San Bernardino Police Officers Association

Solution Strategies2

SummerHill Homes2

TY LIN International Urban Housing Group2

Basic ($1,000+)

Alcal2

Advance AmericaAlameda County Industries2

Alvarez-Glasman & Colvin2

Arnold and Associates2

Avery Associates2

Blue Line Transfer Inc.2

CH2M HillCalifornia Association of

Physician GroupsCalifornia Building Industry

AssociationCalifornia Contract Cities

AssociationCalifornia Hotel LodgingCalifornia Refuse

Recycling CouncilCalifornia Water

Service CompanyCheck into Cash CaliforniaChristiani Architects2

Civil Justice Association of California

Continental Development Corporation

Paul Cook for Assembly2

Cost Control Associates Inc.DiMare Van Vleck

& Brown LLCE&J Gallo

Ecology Auto PartsEmanuels Jones

and AssociatesFood 4 LessFresno Police Officers

AssociationGHD Inc.Giacalone DesignHall & Foreman Inc.Harris & AssociatesHydroPoint Data

Systems Inc.Johnstone MoyerJones & MayerJones Hall A Professional

Law CorporationKasdan Simonds Weber

& Vaughan LLP LaBarge Industries2

Largo Concrete2

Livermore Sanitation Inc.2

Marchetti Construction Inc.2

NASA Services2

Committee to Elect Gary Ovitt2

Pacific Code CompliancePacific Water Quality

AssociationParsons2

Peters Engineering2

PhilipsPrecision Concrete CuttingQuad Knopf2

RJP Framing2

Robson Homes LLC2

SNW Securities Corp.S&S Drywall2

Santa Monica Police Officers Association

ServeProSobrato Organization2

Southern California Concrete Producers

Southwest Water Co.2

Swinerton ManagementTeichert Construction2

Top Grade Construction2

Vali Cooper & Associates Inc.

Vulcan2

Waste Management2

Zero Waste Energy LLC

Partial list as of 6/1/2012

CONTENTS

3

14

2 10

20

23

27

6

7

8

Calendar of League Events

Executive Director’s Message Summer Reading: Food for Thought By Chris McKenzie

A new book reminds us how good

leaders seize crises to remake orga-

nizational habits.

City Forum New Program Offers Help With Planning for Energy Emergencies The California Local Energy Assur-

ance Planning program offers local

governments support in planning

for interruptions to energy supplies.

News from the Institute for Local Government New Resources: The Latest In Best Practices and More Local officials looking for tools to

help them serve their communities

now have access to a variety of

new resources.

Annual Conference PreviewCities Guiding Healthy Government By Lorraine Okabe

The League of California Cities

2012 Annual Conference & Expo

provides a unique opportunity for

city officials and staff to learn from

policy-makers and experts.

Sustainable Cities Sustainability’s Many Faces: Beacon Award Program Participants Create Vibrant CommunitiesBy Yvonne Hunter and Jessica Aviña Tong

Cities and counties throughout Cali-

fornia are demonstrating leadership

in creating vibrant, healthy com-

munities by adopting policies and

programs that support sustainability.

Draft Stormwater Permit Draws Cities Together in New CoalitionBy Pauline Roccucci

California city officials were stunned

when the State Water Resources

Control Board issued a highly

prescriptive 93-page draft permit

containing a number of stringent,

unfunded mandates.

Spotlighting Energy Efficiency in California CommunitiesBy Lindsay Buckley

Looking for ways to better maxi-

mize resources in economically

challenging times? Energy effi-

ciency offers a number of money-

saving advantages.

Job Opportunities

Professional Services Directory

Cover Photo: Portokalis/

Shutterstock.com

League of California Cities www.cacities.org2

Western City (ISSN 0279-5337) is published monthly by the League of California Cities, 1400 K St., Sac-ramento, CA 95814. Subscriptions: $39.00/1 year; $63.00/2 years; student: $26.50; foreign: $52.00; single copies: $4.00, including sales tax. Entered as periodical mail January 30, 1930, at the Post Office, Los Angeles, CA 90013, under the Act of April 13, 1879. Periodical postage paid at Sacramento, Calif.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Western City, 1400 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Western City Trademark Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. ©2012 League of California Cities. All rights reserved. Material may not be reprinted without written permission. This issue is Volume LXXXVIII, No. 7.

FSC is an independent, not-for-profit organization that promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management worldwide. Products with the FSC label are independently certified to ensure that they come from forests man-aged to meet the needs of present and future generations.

P

RINTED USIN

G

100%

WIND ENERG

Y

Supplied by Community Energy

leagueventsJULY19 – 20Board of Directors Meeting, Manhattan BeachThe League board reviews, discusses and takes action on a variety of issues affect-ing cities, including legislation, legal advocacy, education and training, and more.

SEPTEMBER5Policy Committee Meetings, San DiegoThe League’s policy committees review issues of interest to cities statewide and make recommendations to the League board of directors.

5Legal Advocacy Committee Meeting, San DiegoThe committee reviews and recommends friend-of-the-court efforts on cases of significant statewide interest to California cities.

5 – 7League of California Cities 2012 Annual Conference & Expo, San Diego Convention CenterThis conference offers dozens of educational sessions, numerous professional development opportunities, hundreds of exhibits and a chance to participate in the League’s policy-making activities at the Annual Business Meeting.

NOVEMBER28 – 30City Clerks New Law & Elections Seminar, San JoseThis seminar covers laws affecting elections as well as many aspects of the clerk’s responsibilities.

28 – 30Municipal Finance Institute, San JoseThe conference provides essential information for city officials and staff involved in fiscal planning for municipalities.

ExecutiveDirectorChris McKenzie

Second VicePresidentJosé CisnerosTreasurerSan Francisco

First VicePresidentBill BogaardMayorPasadena

PresidentMichael KasperzakMayorMountain View

ImmediatePast PresidentJim RidenourFormer MayorModesto

1400 K StreetSacramento, CA 95814(916) 658-8200Fax (916) 658-8240

Magazine Staff

Editor in Chief Jude Hudson (916) 658-8234email: [email protected]

Managing Editor Eva Spiegel (916) 658-8228email: [email protected]

Advertising Sales Manager Pam Maxwell-Blodgett (916) 658-8256email: [email protected]

Administrative AssistantAnita Lopez(916) 658-8223email: [email protected]

ContributorsDorothy HolzemKelly PlagKyra RossJoAnne Speers

Associate EditorsCarol MalinowskiCarolyn Walker

DesignPat Davis Design Group, Inc.

For photo credits, see page 24.

For the latest information on League conferences and events, follow us on Twitter @CaCitiesLearn.For legislative and policy updates and more, follow @CaCities.

Join us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/westerncitywww.facebook.com/LeagueofCaCities

For a complete list of the League board of directors, visit www.cacities.org/board.

Event and registration information is available at www.cacities.org/events.

Western City, July 2012www.westerncity.com 3

Summer Reading: Food for Thought

Executive Director’s Message by Chris McKenzie

In his recent book, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, author Charles Duhigg discusses

how habits are formed and how individuals and organizations can use this knowledge to effect a transformation.

According to Duhigg, “Most of the choices we make each day may feel like the products of well-considered decision-making, but they’re not. They’re habits. And

though each habit means relatively little on its own, over time … the way we organize our thoughts and work routines has enormous impacts on our health, productivity, financial security and happiness.”

A study by a Duke University researcher in 2006 showed that more than 40 percent of the actions people performed each day weren’t actual decisions, but habits. Once a habit has been estab-lished, it becomes virtually automatic.

Habits, says Duhigg, are “the choices that all of us deliberately make at some point, and then stop thinking about but continue doing, often every day.”

Duhigg examines both good and bad habits in his book. He points out that only in the past 20 years have scientists and marketers begun to understand how habits work and also how they change. Perhaps the most interesting development is our relatively new

understanding of the neurology of how habits are formed, how new ones can be created and old ones can be changed.

At the center of Duhigg’s book is the concept that habits can be changed if we understand how they work. He presents examples of how habits emerge within individual lives, the habits of suc-cessful companies and organizations, and the habits of societies.

Shaking Up the Status Quo

The book is thought-provoking in a number of ways. On an individual, personal level it offers some refreshing insights into the patterns of one’s daily life. On another level, it’s inspiring to read about how leaders who choose to create the right kinds of “keystone” habits in an organization can produce phenomenal, positive change. It also shows how good leaders seize crises to remake organizational habits. Duhigg points out that a crisis often provides the opportunity to do things that you could not do before, which leads me to some observations of my own.

continued on page 5

Solutions for Your City at Your Fingertips

Western City magazine is your premier source to recruit candidates for municipal jobs, learn about policy affecting California cities and find solutions for your city.

Don’t miss the latest issue of Western City magazine. It’s in your mailbox every month and always online at www.WesternCity.com.

You’ve come to rely on Western City magazine as your one-stop shop for resources, ideas, job listings and more. Now read it online at www.WesternCity.com where you’ll find the same great information plus special web-exclusive features.

Become a Fan! Type “Western City Magazine” in Facebook’s search box.

Take Western City magazine wherever you go — in print or online, it’s easy to stay up on the news, issues and ideas making a difference in California cities.

Call us today (800) 262-1801or visit us online at www.WesternCity.com

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Cities Demonstrate Leadership

While the State of California grapples with its perpetual fiscal crisis, in local governments we are seeing innovation that is to a large degree a direct product of coping with the economic crunch. As cities and other local governments seek better ways to deliver essential services in the face of ever-shrinking resources and provide taxpayers with the best value for their dollars, best practices are emerg-ing that offer new models for efficiency and effectiveness. You can read about numerous examples of such innovation in this issue of Western City, starting with “Spotlighting Energy Efficiency in California Communities” (page 20) and “Sustainability’s Many Faces: Beacon Award Program Participants Create Vi-brant Communities” (page 10).

And the article “Draft Stormwater Permit Draws Cities Together in New Coalition”

(page 14) illustrates the power of an im-pending crisis to bring local officials to-gether to seek solutions and compromise by working with state leaders to head off some disastrous stormwater regulations.

While solutions to the state’s budget defi-cit have yet to be reached, it’s heartening to see local leaders moving forward on so many fronts. Duhigg’s book reminds us all of the importance of re-examining what we do and reinventing ourselves and our cities. And as Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never, never give up.”

You can find many more examples of innovative city efforts at www.strong citiesstrongstate.com. If your city has something noteworthy to share, we want to hear about it. Contact your regional public affairs manager (www.cacities.org/regionalmanagers) to follow up. n

As local governments

seek better ways to de-

liver essential services in

the face of ever-shrinking

resources, best practices

are emerging that offer

new models for efficiency

and effectiveness.

Summer Reading: Food for Thought, continued from page 3

OAKLANDLOS ANGELES

SACRAMENTOSAN FRANCISCO

SANTA ROSAFRESNO

Meyers Nave provides the full scope of legal services to cities, successor agencies and special districts throughout California in 16 distinct areas of law, which are municipal and special districts law; climate change and green initiatives; crisis management; eminent domain; environmental law; labor and employment; land use; litigation; oil, gas and energy law; public contracts; public finance; public power and telecommunications; economic development, real estate and affordable housing; transportation and infrastructure; school law; and writs and appeals.

Our commitment to professional excellence and our deep roots in California’s communities enable us to consistently achieve exceptional results for our clients.

WWW.MEYERSNAVE.COM800.464.3559


New Program Offers Help With Planning for Energy EmergenciesCalifornia’s cities lead the nation

in disaster preparedness. But what

will your city do if a disaster knocks

out electricity supplies or interrupts

delivery of natural gas, gasoline or

diesel fuel? A new program, Califor-

nia Local Energy Assurance Planning

(CaLEAP), offers local governments

assistance and support in developing

a plan to deal with interruptions to

energy supplies.

protects public safety and health and helps to minimize economic losses.

How It Works CaLEAP’s voluntary planning effort dif-fers from traditional emergency manage-ment, planning and hazard mitigation efforts because it focuses on ensuring that the energy critical to essential services — like fire protection — is available despite any disruption. In addition, an energy assurance plan complements your com-munity’s existing emergency management and/or disaster response plan.

The CaLEAP program essentially helps local governments prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate events that affect energy supplies.

Local governments can use CaLEAP’s technical assistance to:

• Buildlocalenergyexpertiseandaware-ness of impacts and dependencies;

• Helpidentifyenergyvulnerabilitiesanddeficiencies of critical assets; and

• Exploreenergychoices,includingalter-native resources that are reliable, safe, diverse, affordable and environmentally acceptable.

Planning for Outages As a general rule, local communities should be prepared to keep essential services online for at least 72 hours if a disruption in energy occurs. With this in mind, the California Energy Commission launched CaLEAP in December 2011 to assist local governments in creating and implementing plans.

Communities already working with CaLEAP to develop energy assurance plans include Berkeley, Fresno, Hayward, Lancaster, Laguna Woods, Palo Alto, San Diego County, San Francisco, San Joaquin and Taft.

A few things are certain, especially during dry years in California. Energy disruptions will continue for some time, essential community services depend on energy supplies, and energy outages cause significant inconvenience and distur-bances to residents’ lives and economic health. Preparing an energy assurance plan will help local governments cope with the impacts of an energy disruption and provide critically important services when they are needed.

Learn More About CaLEAP

For more information, including project team contacts and how to get started, visit www.caleap.org. n

Sponsored by the California Energy Commission, CaLEAP is designed to help ensure that a community’s key assets continue to function during emergencies or disasters that impact energy. This

San Mateo • Santa Ana • Pleasanton • Sacramento • Salinas

Building Plan Review & Inspection

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Program & Construction Management

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(888) 794-2016www.csgengr.com

Working in Partnership with Local Communities


News from the Institute for Local Government

New Resources: The Latest in Best Practices and More

Have you checked out the Institute for Lo-cal Government (ILG) website at www.ca-ilg.org lately? It includes a variety of new resources to assist local officials in their ser-vice to their communities. ILG offers these as part of its mission to provide practical, impartial and easy-to-use materials, which are free and readily available online.

Local Government 101

Many local agencies are in the process of preparing orientation materials for newly elected officials in conjunction with the 2012 election cycle. With this in mind, ILG has added a number of new items to its resource section for newly elected officials at www.ca-ilg.org/new-local-public-service. These materi-als can save local agency staff time and cover topics including:

• Understandingthelaborrelationspro-cess;

• Howtochairameeting;and

• Howtoworkwithcolleaguestoaccom-plish your goals.

If your local agency has helpful orientation materials for newly elected officials, ILG welcomes the opportunity to see them and, if appropriate, adapt them for state-wide use. For more information, contact Randi Stephens, program coordinator, at [email protected].

Sustainability and Public Engagement

Understanding SB 375: Opportunities to Engage the Public in Regional Planning de-scribes options and best practices to engage the public in regional transportation plan-ning, especially as it relates to developing sustainable communities strategies. The electronic version is available free from the

ILG website at www.ca-ilg.org/sb-375-resource-center.

One chapter addresses the challenges of seeking public input when some members of the public have deeply held concerns about the underlying premises of the plan-ning process and SB 375’s requirements. Because it may assist local officials in any situation involving potentially contentious issues, this chapter is available as a stand-alone item at www.ca-ilg.org/sb-375-resource-center.

Other ILG resources to help familiarize local officials with SB 375 include:

• Understanding SB 375: Regional Plan-ning for Transportation, Housing and the Environment — a plain-language overview of SB 375’s requirements; and

• Understanding SB 375: Public Participa-tion Requirements — an explanation of SB 375’s requirements for seeking public input in developing sustainable commu-nities strategies.

These SB 375 resources and more can also be found at www.ca-ilg.org/sb-375- resource-center. For additional materials related to sustainability visit www.ca-ilg.org/sustainable-communities.

Realignment

Another new section on the ILG site offers resources on public safety realignment and re-entry. This information includes:

• Theevolvingrealignmentofstateandlocal responsibilities for public safety and community corrections throughout the state;

• Specificrealignmentandre-entryactivi-ties with an emphasis on cross-sector innovations;

• Theworkofre-entrycouncilsthrough-out the state that are coordinating local

efforts to support the successful re-entry of formerly incarcerated individuals into the community and to reduce recidi-vism; and

• Examplesofeffortstoinformandengage the public about realignment and re-entry plans and issues.

These materials are available at www.ca-ilg.org/realignment-and-reentry.

Ethics

Western City’s April installment of the “Everyday Ethics for Local Officials” column explains recent changes to the gift rules (www.westerncity.com/Western-City/April-2012/Understanding-Changes-to-the-Gift-Rules).

Local officials who want a more compre-hensive explanation of how the gift rules work can visit www.ca-ilg.org/GiftCenter. The best source of information on how these rules apply to specific situations is either the Fair Political Practices Com-mission (www.fppc.ca.gov) or your agency counsel.

ILG has updated its analysis of federal ethics laws reflecting the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision narrowing the applica-tion of the “honest services fraud” laws (discussed in a 2006 “Everyday Ethics” column). This resource is available at www.ca-ilg.org/document/making- federal-case-out-corruption.

Feedback and Suggestions Welcome

ILG welcomes suggestions and feedback on these resources; staff contact informa-tion is posted at www.ca-ilg.org/staff. You can also follow ILG on Facebook and Twitter. ILG is the nonprofit research affiliate of the League and California State Association of Counties. n


C TIESC TIESGUIDINGHEALTHYGOVERNMENT

LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES 2012 ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXPO

Annual Conference Preview

San Diego Convention Center, Sept. 5–7by Lorraine Okabe

Lorraine Okabe is assistant director of education and conferences for the League and can be reached at [email protected]. For more information about the conference, visit www.cacities.org/AC.

Plan now to attend! The League of California Cities 2012 Annual Conference & Expo provides a

unique opportunity for city officials and staff to learn from policy-makers and experts working

together to help cities guide healthy government. The conference offers timely topics and quality

content to help better serve your city, and the Expo showcases a wide range of products and ser-

vices designed to improve efficiency and save money.

New Conference Schedule Highlights This year’s conference schedule features a number of changes from previous years. On Wednesday evening, Sept. 5, the Grand Opening of the Expo Hall will be held in conjunction with the Host City Reception from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Expo will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6, and no competing events are scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. that day. The Expo concludes at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday and will not be open on Friday.

The General Assembly will be held on Friday, Sept. 7, from noon to 2:00 p.m. Delegates will vote on resolutions, and

new League board members will be sworn in during the Annual Business Meeting.

Throughout the conference, enjoy CityTalks — a new learning format consisting of 20-minute sessions. Each session features one speaker who will share great ideas to change attitudes and inspire creative approaches.

Featured Speaker: Marie Lopez Rogers Hear from the National League of Cities First Vice President Marie Lopez Rogers, mayor of Avondale, Arizona. Rogers is the city’s first Latina mayor. She has been widely recognized for her


Annual Conference Preview

dedication and accomplishments in local government. Rogers will address the conference during the Opening General Session on Wednesday, Sept. 5, which begins at 4:00p.m.

League Policy DevelopmentA key part of the League’s legislative efforts focuses on policy development. The resolutions process conducted during the conference provides one way that city officials can directly par-ticipate in the development of League policy. The deadline for submitting resolutions is Saturday, July 7. Policy committees will review resolutions on Wednesday, Sept. 5. The General Resolu-tions Committee will meet on Thursday, Sept. 6 to make recom-mendations. The General Assembly will convene at the Annual Business Meeting on Friday, Sept. 7 to vote on the resolutions brought forward for consideration.

Register Now to Attend Visit www.cacities.org/AC for registration options and more information. See you in San Diego! n

Peter Kageyama: Featured Speaker

Peter Kageyama has trav-eled the world learning and speaking about community development and grass-roots engagement.

His book For the Love of Cities explores in detail the value of emotional engagement with our cities, how that connection is created and nurtured and how it can be turned into a development resource for places. Kageyama has produced three Creative Cities Summits in Florida, Michigan and Kentucky. A self-described “recovering attor-ney,” Kageyama will share inspiring stories of community passion from throughout the nation during his General Session keynote address on Thursday, Sept. 6, beginning at 9:45 a.m.

The San Diego Convention Center provides a convenient location easily accessible from the hotels providing conference housing.


Sustainability’s Many Faces: Beacon Award Program Participants Create Vibrant Communitiesby Yvonne Hunter and Jessica Aviña Tong

Yvonne Hunter is co-director of the Institute for Local Government’s Sustainability Program and can be reached at [email protected]. Jessica Aviña Tong is a former program coordinator for the Institute for Local Government.

Sustainability is all about mak-

ing communities more livable

— creating healthy, dynamic

places to live and work while

simultaneously saving money,

energy and resources and

helping the local economy.

Cities and counties throughout

California are demonstrating

leadership in creating active,

lively communities by adopting

policies and programs that sup-

port sustainability. This diverse

range of activities brightens the

future of their communities.

Forty-one cities and counties are partici-pating in the sustainability and climate change recognition program known as the Beacon Award: Local Leadership Toward Solving Climate Change. These partici-pants reflect the diversity of local agencies working to save resources, reduce green-house gas emissions and create healthy

communities. The Beacon Award (www.ca-ilg.org/BeaconAward) is a program of the Institute for Local Government and the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collab-orative (www.CaliforniaSEEC.org).

The accomplishments of Beacon Award participants shine a bright light on the ability of California local agencies to vol-

untarily address sustainability issues. The range of policies and programs explored here provides a sampling of their efforts. (To learn about the energy-efficiency ac-complishments of Beacon Award commu-nities, see “Spotlighting Energy Efficiency in California Communities” on page 20.)

continued on page 12 www.ca-ilg.org

This Program is funded by California utility ratepayers and administered by Southern California Gas Company, San Diego Gas & Electric Company, Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Southern California Edison, under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

For a complete list of Beacon Award Program participants, please visit: www.ca-ilg.org/BeaconAward/Participants

Learn more at: www.ca-ilg.org/BeaconAward/ParticipantAccomplishments

Apple Valley

Beaumont

Benicia

Chula Vista

Glendale

La Mesa

Palm Springs

Palo Alto

Pleasanton

Rancho Cucamonga

Riverside

Sacramento

San Diego County

San Rafael

Santa Barbara

Santa Clarita

Simi Valley

Sonoma County

South Gate

Tulare

West Sacramento

Spotlighting InterimAccomplishmentsCongratulations to these leading communities that have completed steps toward achieving a Silver, Gold or Platinum Beacon Award (as of June 15, 2012).

Local Leadership Toward Solving Climate Change

Recognizing California Cities and Counties

Beacon Award:

10 BestPracticeAreas Energy

Efficiency

GreenhouseGas Emissions

BEACON AWARDCRITERIA

Water conservation is one of many sustainability practices.

www.ca-ilg.org

This Program is funded by California utility ratepayers and administered by Southern California Gas Company, San Diego Gas & Electric Company, Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Southern California Edison, under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

For a complete list of Beacon Award Program participants, please visit: www.ca-ilg.org/BeaconAward/Participants

Learn more at: www.ca-ilg.org/BeaconAward/ParticipantAccomplishments

Apple Valley

Beaumont

Benicia

Chula Vista

Glendale

La Mesa

Palm Springs

Palo Alto

Pleasanton

Rancho Cucamonga

Riverside

Sacramento

San Diego County

San Rafael

Santa Barbara

Santa Clarita

Simi Valley

Sonoma County

South Gate

Tulare

West Sacramento

Spotlighting InterimAccomplishmentsCongratulations to these leading communities that have completed steps toward achieving a Silver, Gold or Platinum Beacon Award (as of June 15, 2012).

Local Leadership Toward Solving Climate Change

Recognizing California Cities and Counties

Beacon Award:

10 BestPracticeAreas Energy

Efficiency

GreenhouseGas Emissions

BEACON AWARDCRITERIA


Water Conservation

To reduce the amount of water used for landscaped areas, Simi Valley, Woodland and Santa Clarita installed weather-based, water-efficient irrigation systems for city parks and open spaces. The systems not only reduce the amount of irrigated water used by about 25 percent, but they also save energy and staff resources.

Manhattan Beach and Glendale encour-age residents to conserve water by provid-ing free classes on water-smart irrigation and water-efficient plants. Manhattan Beach also offers residents free landscape audits that help identify opportunities to convert traditional gardens to California-friendly, drought-tolerant landscaping.

Sacramento’s Water Wise Garden at the city’s Water Conservation Office includes native and drought-tolerant plants, low-volume irrigation, mulch and other water-saving features. Educational signage

provides tips on ways residents can implement water-efficient practices while still maintaining a beautiful landscape. The Water Wise Garden is 44 percent more water efficient than the previous landscaping at the site and is open to the public year-round for viewing.

Waste Reduction and Recycling

Many agencies use partnerships to reduce and recycle waste. The City of Santa Barbara worked with the Santa Barbara Unified School District to implement a food scrap recovery program at elementa-ry schools and is expanding the project to secondary schools in the 2012–13 school year. Palm Springs started a compost pilot program for hotels and casinos, the larg-est producers of food waste in the city.

Sonoma County implemented a pilot composting program in its detention facilities, diverting approximately 1,200 pounds of food waste per month. The

program is the first vermiculture compost-ing (worm farm) program in a detention facility in the state. Inmates learn about green industry and acquire job skills, thus potentially reducing recidivism.

Pleasanton offers residents free electronic waste and pharmaceutical drop-off events twice a year. Each event collects about 700 pounds of pharmaceutical waste and 49,000 pounds of e-waste. South Gate partnered with its waste hauler to offer a free home delivery pro-gram for all residents in need of sharps disposal containers.

Green Purchasing

Besides adopting policies to buy recycled paper, green purchasing policies can be expanded to support local businesses. For example, Tulare’s Environmentally Prefer-able Purchasing Policy gives a 5 percent purchasing preference to bids from local vendors. By doing so, Tulare increases

left to right Community gardens allow resi-dents to grow and harvest healthy produce, and drought-tolerant plants conserve water.

The accomplishments of Beacon Award par-

ticipants shine a bright light on the ability of

California local agencies to voluntarily address sustainability issues.

Sustainability’s Many Faces: Beacon Award Program Participants Create Vibrant Communities, continued from page 10

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“Pervious concrete has the advantage of meeting multiple design requirements for storm water runoff management in Santa Barbara County.”

“We needed a material for the ADA compliant areas of the parking lot that would facilitate wheelchair access, accept code required striping and still allow the storm water to percolate.”— Brian Dougherty, FAIA, Dougherty + Dougherty Architects LLP

— Cathleen Garnand, Civil Engineering Associate, County of Santa Barbara Water Resources Division


number of stops at signals. This reduces idling and makes the trips faster.

Apple Valley adopted a multi-use trail plan and a bicycle system that include more than 31 miles of trails. New devel-opments incorporate adjacent bike paths that pedestrians can also use.

Community Design

Simi Valley’s Affordable Housing Stan-dards include incentives for projects that demonstrate strategies to reduce green-house gas emissions. Simi Valley also

investment in the local economy and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with shipping or travel from outside the city.

Several cities use recycled materials in community upgrades. La Mesa uses re-cycled tires or wood chips for playground upgrades and replacement. Chula Vista completed a pilot project that incorpo-rated recycled asphalt roof shingles into roadway pavement projects.

Sonoma County’s purchasing surplus pro-gram has reused 952 surplus office sup-plies and pieces of furniture since 2010, saving about $103,000. The county has also donated more than 1,200 surplus items to local nonprofit organizations.

Renewable Energy

San Rafael and Chula Vista require new construction to be solar ready by being pre-plumbed for solar hot water or pre-wired for solar photovoltaic systems.

Yolo County adopted an ordinance that sets criteria for siting and approving solar photovoltaic systems on agricultural and other open space lands in the county.

Public Transit’s Ad-ditional Benefits

Besides providing more trans-portation options to residents and commuters, access to public transit helps seniors maintain their independence even after losing the ability to drive, thus decreas-ing the isolation that they may otherwise experience.

Efficient Transportation

Pleasanton teamed up with the Liver-more-Amador Valley Transportation Authority to launch a new electric-hybrid bus service that connects riders to busy employment and shopping centers and mass transit stations. The limited-stop service uses innovative technology, such as bus signal priority, that reduces the continued on page 26

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Draft Stormwater Permit Draws Cities Together in New Coalition by Pauline Roccucci

Pauline Roccucci is mayor of Roseville and can be reached at [email protected].

City officials throughout California were stunned when the State Water

Resources Control Board issued its initial draft of the revised Phase II

small municipal separate storm sewer (MS4) permit on June 7, 2011. The

highly prescriptive 93-page permit, drafted to replace a 20-page permit

that had expired three years earlier, contained a number of stringent,

unfunded mandates that more than 200 smaller California cities would

be required to meet. The cities had just 30 days to respond to the draft

permit requiring them to implement new programs for public outreach,

water-quality improvement and monitoring, business inspections and en-

forcement. With no state money and Propositions 218 and 26 essentially

prohibiting cities from paying for the programs through fees, reimburse-

ments or tax increases, funding would have to come from the cities’

beleaguered General Funds.

continued on page 16


Draft Stormwater Permit Draws Cities Together in New Coalition by Pauline Roccucci


Looking at the Price

To assess the cost impact, two cities with strong water-quality programs put num-bers to the new requirements. In Rose-ville, staff conservatively estimated that implementation costs would initially more than quadruple, and in the long run more than triple the city’s stormwa-ter program budget — from $800,000 per year to $3.5 million in year one, with an average permit term cost of $2.9 million per year. Similarly, the City of Napa estimated implementation costs at $4 million the first year — an amount 10 times greater than the city’s current stormwater budget.

Businesses Face High Costs

While increased costs are enough to set off municipal alarms in a tough economy, the impact on local businesses raised equal concern. As written, the permit re-quired a long list of businesses to retrofit properties by installing stormwater treat-ment vaults and covering trash enclosures and loading docks. In addition, they would need to implement operational best management practices and comply with extensive reporting requirements. The implementation and business disrup-tion costs could cause a number of the state’s struggling businesses to close.

“We see these permits having significant implications on businesses across the state, affecting their pocketbooks and liveli-hoods,” says Courtney Kienow, director of government affairs for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. “We all want clean water, but there has to be a more realistic way to achieve that goal.”

Ken Denio, owner of Denio’s Roseville Farmers Market and Auction, estimates retrofitting stormwater infrastructure to meet the new standards on his company’s 70 acres could cost between $1.5 and $2 million. “The frequent inspections and record-keeping will also create ongoing expenses for us and the city. And I know we’re not unique,” says Denio. “Looking across California, this permit could break cities, put small businesses under and drive employers out of the state. Of course we’re in favor of clean water, but let’s work together to determine how to do it in a way that makes economic sense.”

Landscape architect Erik Justesen, chief executive officer of RRM Design Group in San Luis Obispo, summed up the is-sue in testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Job Creation and Reten-tion: “These costs are exactly the kind of government regulations that can put us out of business. And for what? Insignifi-cant and immeasurable improvements to water quality and better reports. The cost for benefit of this new program is just not there.”

Questioning Benefits Versus Costs

Expanding on Justesen’s points, staff at many cities questioned the scientific basis for certain permit aspects, includ-ing extensive water-quality monitoring; frequent, redundant business inspections; and an onerous process of categoriz-ing and inspecting catch basins. They also questioned the need to create a costly community-based social marketing program based on — and later validated by — statistically valid phone surveys and focus groups.

Heidi Niggemeyer, program manager of the Monterey Regional Storm Water Management Program, questions some of the mandates, but has a more tolerant view of the permit’s genesis. “The permit mirrors many of the points spelled out in the 2008 National Research Council Report to the EPA on urban stormwater management,” she says. “It’s a dream doc-ument that simply can’t be implemented in California. Many of the ideas are good ones, and they may be possible in states with stormwater utilities that collect fees or taxes to cover costs. But Prop. 218 prohibits collecting funds without a voter supermajority, which is all but impossible to achieve on an issue like water qual-ity. Without a funding mechanism, the permit becomes untenable.”

Though the permit is a regulation in all but name — it’s mandatory, enforceable and leaves cities subject to fines and open to third-party litigation for noncompli-ance — the state’s permitting process is not required to conform to the federal Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Because of this fine-line distinction, the State Water Resources Control Board was not required to conduct cost or economic impact analyses.

The permit is a regulation in all but name — it’s mandatory,

enforceable and leaves cities subject to fines and open to third-party

litigation for noncompliance.

Draft Stormwater Permit Draws Cities Together in New Coalition, continued from page 14


“In any business, we have to decide whether an action makes economic sense,” says Denio. “We determine if the benefits of the action outweigh the cost and how we’ll pay for it. My biggest heartburn on this permit is that the State Water Resources Control Board is not tasked with assessing costs or determin-ing the cost-benefit ratio and economic impact. Any government body that has the legal authority to mandate actions should be required to study and support the economic argument.”

The State Water Resources Control Board conducted very limited stake-holder outreach before releasing the first draft of the permit, and current rules prohibit stakeholders from talking

The City of Napa estimated implementation

costs at $4 million the first year — an

amount 10 times greater than the city’s

current stormwater budget. continued


directly to board members. The initial draft allowed stakeholder input through written comments submitted within 60 days of draft issuance, which was later extended to 90 days, and a three-minute presentation at the State Water Resourc-es Control Board hearing.

New Coalition Gathers Voices

As the full impact of the permit mandates on cities and businesses became clear and magnified by the limited ability to have a voice in the process, staff at the City of Roseville decided its geographic proximity to Sacramento made it the best candidate to help cities address the issue. Roseville staff proposed the idea of a Statewide Stormwater Coalition. The coalition soon attracted a number of municipal government and other orga-nizations that would be regulated under the permit, which could also cover school districts, higher education institutions, fairgrounds, harbors, ports, marinas, military bases and more.

The coalition’s first act was to secure bipartisan legislative support for a re-sponse extension. At the July State Water Resources Control Board public hearing, Assembly Member Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) requested a 60-day extension on

behalf of the Statewide Stormwater Coali-tion. Coalition members with budgets to make the trip did so. Those who couldn’t make the trip asked coalition members who attended to hold up signs and repre-sent them by proxy. In total, 40 signs rose to show the coalition members’ support. The board granted a 30-day extension giving stakeholders until Sept. 8, 2011, to respond to the draft permit. During the extension, the coalition worked tirelessly to get the word out to others who would be impacted by the permit.

The coalition also made its case to the Senate Select Committee on Job Creation and Retention on Oct. 6, 2011. Through testimony by Statewide Stormwater Coalition members, the coalition brought the permit issues and underlying pro-cess flaws to the Legislature’s attention. During the committee hearing, the State Water Resources Control Board admitted the need to substantially revise the permit and meet with stakeholders to evaluate the cost impacts of permit changes.

Tentative Success

The coalition’s efforts paid off. In May 2012, the State Water Resources Control Board released a new draft permit for public review with notable changes. The new draft omitted several permit sections, such as the industrial and commercial retrofitting requirements, and reduced complexity in other sections. Many re-quirements remain that will be challeng-ing for cash-strapped cities to implement without funding support, but it’s too early for the affected cities to provide full cost analyses. Public comments on the new draft are due by July 23.

Reforming the Permitting Process

Costs for the revised permit may be un-clear, but one thing became apparent to Statewide Stormwater Coalition mem-bers who fought for the changes. While some of the initial permit’s most onerous

The coalition

needs more cities,

businesses and other

organizations affected

by the permit to add

their voices to the call

for reform.

Draft Stormwater Permit Draws Cities Together in New Coalition, continued

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sections were simplified or removed, the time-consuming effort required to effect change underscores the need to over-haul the permitting process. Specifically, coalition members believe many future problems could be averted if the State Water Resources Control Board were required to:

• Meetwithallstakeholdersstatewidetofully understand their various view-points and concerns;

• Allowex-partecommunicationbetweenthe board members and permit stake-holders;

• Produceacostanalysiscoveringthecosts to cities, businesses and other af-fected entities;

• Includeonlyrequirementsthatarejus-tified by an economic analysis showing that the benefits will exceed the cost to implement the requirements; and

• Includeonlyrequirementsthatanexternal scientific peer review confirms will result in appreciable improvements to water quality.

These fundamental process changes would help eliminate well-intended but misguided permit drafts and create a more collaborative approach to permit development.

Join the Coalition

To bring about these process changes, the coalition needs more cities, businesses and other organizations affected by the permit to add their voices to the call for reform. To join or learn more about the State Stormwater Coalition, visit www.stormwatercosts.com or contact Sean Bigley, government relations analyst, at [email protected]. n

Staff at many cities questioned the scientific

basis for certain permit aspects, including an

onerous process of categorizing and inspecting

catch basins.


by Lindsay Buckley

As California’s communities seek ways to maximize

resources in economically challenging times, energy

efficiency offers a number of money-saving advan-

tages. Cities and counties are making great strides

in reducing energy use at agency facilities through

traditional building audits and retrofits. At the same

time, they are advancing community energy effi-

ciency through collaboration and outreach activities.

Other strategies, such as policies and long-range

planning, also support these efforts.

Lindsay Buckley is a program coordinator for the Institute for Local Government and can be reached at [email protected].

The Beacon Award program (www.ca-ilg.org/BeaconAward), spon-sored by the Institute for Local Government and the Statewide En-ergy Efficiency Collaborative (www.californiaseec.org), recognizes cities and counties in California that reduce greenhouse gas emis-sions, save energy and adopt sustainability policies and programs. Information from program participants demonstrates leadership in several areas of energy efficiency — in agency facilities, the local community, policy initiatives and planning.

Local agencies set an example of fiscal and environmental stew-ardship by addressing energy efficiency in facilities. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that energy savings of 35 percent are possible for many existing buildings. Accord-ing to the U.S. Department of Energy, energy costs can account for as much as 10 percent of an agency’s operations budget. Local agencies have tremendous opportunities to save money by reducing energy use through building audits and retrofits, as the following examples illustrate.

The City of Chula Vista implemented energy-efficiency measures at its two municipal aquatic centers to save natural gas used for heating water and reduce operating costs.


Using a performance agreement with an outside firm, the City of Tulare retrofitted all city buildings — where cost effective — with high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, double-paned windows, efficient fluorescent lighting, programmable thermo-stats and reflective roof coating.

Santa Clarita used American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for lighting retrofits in agency facilities. The retrofits save the city nearly 284,000 kilowatt hours a year, translating into annual savings of approximately $32,100.

Chula Vista installed new high-efficiency boilers at two munici-pal aquatic centers, resulting in more than 75,000 therms in annual natural gas savings. The city saves 300,000 kilowatt hours annually from heating and air conditioning energy efficiency up-grades at the city’s public works facility. Combined, the projects save the city about $97,000 annually.

Glendale recently finished a third round of energy efficiency upgrades in 23 city facilities. Retrofits included heating and air conditioning, lighting and vending machine upgrades. The city also installed equipment to transfer energy use to off-peak hours. These efforts reduced annual energy use by 2.3 million kilowatt hours and 47,000 gas therms, saving $180,000 per year.

Sonoma County implemented 38 energy efficiency retrofit measures in 24 county buildings, including lighting retrofits in 20 buildings and heating and air conditioning upgrades in four facilities. This project reduced the county’s energy utility bills by 33 percent, translating to $1.6 million in savings annually, with a total savings of $38 million over the 25-year life of the project.

While cities and counties provide leadership through energy efficiency audits and retrofits at agency facilities, many opportu-nities exist to achieve energy savings in the broader community through collaboration and outreach activities.

Working with investor-owned utilities provides agencies with funding, expertise and marketing materials to conduct commu-nity energy efficiency programs. For example, Pleasanton worked with Pacific Gas and Electric to develop a program targeting business owners. It provides businesses with free energy audits, written recommendations, payback analyses and information on rebates and incentives. As a result, local businesses reduced energy use by more than one megawatt, approximately enough energy to power 300 homes annually.

Many Southern California agencies partner with Southern Cali-fornia Edison through the Energy Leader Partnership program. Palm Springs achieved 9 percent energy savings from 2005 levels in the community. Its partnership activities include marketing, outreach and education to connect the community with utility rebate and energy-saving incentive programs.

Through a formal local government partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric, Chula Vista receives resources to help identify unique ways to promote energy efficiency in its community. City staff attributes much of the program’s success to a positive work-ing relationship with San Diego Gas & Electric, as well as the resources the utility provides through the partnership.

continued


Adopting policies tailored to local condi-tions yields energy savings both in local agencies and their communities. Cities and counties use a variety of policies and ordinances to achieve energy efficiency in agency facilities, new construction and existing housing stock.

Green building ordinances are one of the most popular ways local agencies make gains in energy efficiency in the broader community. Palo Alto took a comprehensive approach when crafting its mandatory green building ordinances in 2008. The ordinances apply to public and private construction and require new projects to exceed the California Building Energy Efficiency Standards (also known as Title 24) by 15 percent. The ordi-nances have impacted 98,275 square feet of construction since 2008, with projects achieving an average 24 percent energy efficiency savings, surpassing the ordi-nance’s 15 percent requirement.

Simi Valley’s green building ordinance in-cludes a requirement that new construc-tion exceed statewide energy efficiency standards, also known as a “reach code.” The first such ordinance in Ventura County, it helped spur other sustainabil-

ity measures including increased require-ments for construction and demolition recycling and landscape water efficiency in new development.

The City of Santa Barbara’s 2008 energy efficiency ordinance also exceeds Califor-nia’s standards. The ordinance applies to any new construction, remodels greater than 100 square feet, and upgrades to indoor lighting, heating and cooling sys-tems, and heating or pumps in swimming pools, spas and water features.

Voluntary green building programs can also increase energy efficiency by pro-viding incentives and encouragement. Beaumont’s voluntary Green Building Program, adopted in 2009, offers expe-dited permitting for new construction and building renovation projects that meet its program standards.

La Mesa’s development review process encourages new development to incorpo-rate energy efficiency and green building concepts in the early stages of project development. The city provides support to homeowners and offers assistance on ways to improve energy efficiency.

Beyond green building policies, agen-cies are finding other innovative ways to increase energy efficiency. San Rafael requires home performance audits for any

residential remodel that costs more than $50,000 in order to educate homeowners about energy retrofit opportunities. With funding from Southern California Edison, South Gate plans to develop policies for benchmarking and retrocommissioning city facilities. Benchmarking compares a facility’s energy use to similar facilities in order to assess opportunities for improve-ment; retrocommissioning identifies improvements to help make the building and equipment operate as efficiently as originally designed.

Local agencies can also promote and guide energy efficiency through long-range planning activities, such as General Plans. For example, San Rafael’s General Plan Conservation Element and Santa Barbara County’s General Plan Energy Element both address energy.

South Gate is developing an Energy Ac-tion Plan through its partnership with Southern California Edison. Energy Action Plans comprise energy use data, energy reduction goals and activities to achieve those goals.

The City of Riverside’s Public Utilities Department adopted an Environmental

Energy savings of 35 percent are possible for many existing buildings.

continued on page 25

Spotlighting Energy Efficiency in California Communities, continued

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ad into the magazine, you can post it on the Western City website right away.

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Western City magazine’s job opportunity section is the source for job seekers looking for positions in local government. When you place a job opportu-nity ad in Western City magazine, it will be posted at no additional charge on our website.

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City Manager, City of South Gate, CAThe City of South Gate, California (population 94,400) is located just 12 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles and is the 16th-largest city in Los Angeles County. South Gate is now seeking a City Manager to oversee a FY 2011/2012 combined budget of $131.8 million and 284 full-time employees. An individ-ual with excellent management skills who demonstrates respect for and values staff, department heads, and labor organizations while maintaining accountability within the City would do well in this position. A straightforward and honest candidate who will present the City Council with balanced information on issues in the City will be highly valued. Candidates for this position must possess a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, or a closely related field and significant, progressively responsible experience in municipal management. The salary for the City Manager is open and dependent upon qualifications. If you are interested in this outstanding opportunity, please apply online at www.bobmurrayassoc.com. Please contact Bob Murray at (916) 784-9080 should you have any questions. Brochure available. Closing date July 27, 2012.

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Photo/art credits Page 3, Fotohunter/ShutterstockPage 6, Brian Weed/ShutterstockPage 8, logo, Jenifer ForsythePage 9, San Diego, Christopher Penler/ ShutterstockPage 10, Pedro Nogueira/ShutterstockPage 12, Alison Hancock/ShutterstockPage 13, center, Allicat Photography/ ShutterstockPage 13, right, Tomi Murphy/ShutterstockPages 14-15, Portokalis/Shutterstock

Page 17, bottom & top, Joyfull/ShutterstockPage 17, center, Robert Crow/ShutterstockPage 18, Emmanuel R. Lacoste/ShutterstockPage 19, bottom, Alan Linn/ShutterstockPage 19, top, Katharina Wittfeld/ShutterstockPages 20-21, courtesy City of Chula VistaPage 22, Nadirco/ShutterstockPage 25, left, Mark Cinotti/ShutterstockPage 25, right, courtesy City of Santa ClaritaPage 27, left, courtesy City of PleasantonPage 27, right, courtesy City of Santa Clarita

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City ManagerCity of Pismo Beach

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Assistant Director of Utilities, San Diego, CAThe City of San Diego (population 1.3 million) is located on the Pacific Ocean near the U.S./Mexico border. The City of San Diego, through the Public Utilities Department, owns and operates the Water and Wastewater Systems; the Water System serves the City and certain surrounding areas, including retail, wholesale, and reclaimed water customers. The City is now seeking an Assistant Director of Utilities, Business Support Branch who will be responsible for the management and performance of the departmental divisions of Long-Range Planning and Water Resources, Finance and Information Technology, Customer Support, and Employee Services and Quality Assurance. A Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Engineering, or the equivalent is required, as well as ten or more years of executive-level man-agement experience. A Master’s Degree in the above fields and five or more years experience in Water and Wastewater executive-level management are desirable, but not required. The salary for the position is flexible up to $140,000 and dependent upon the qualifications and experience of the selected candidate. If you are interested in this outstanding opportunity, please visit our website at www.bobmurrayassoc.com to apply online. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call Mr. Bob Murray or Mr. Wesley Herman at (916) 784-9080. Brochure Available. Filing deadline July 20, 2012.

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and Economic Effectiveness Effort Plan (also known as the E4 Plan). The E4 Plan outlines strategies to foster Riverside’s economic development by:

• Stabilizingutilityrates;

• Offeringdiscountedeconomicdevelop-ment and business retention electric rates to large-scale customers or specific industries;

• Encouraginguseofrenewableenergytechnologies; and

• Providingbusinessincentivesandenergy efficiency programs.

Although Riverside has a municipal electric utility, many of the E4 Plan’s strategies may be employed by other cities and counties. For example, in partnership with investor-owned utilities local agen-cies may promote low-income and water efficiency programs, digital meter instal-lation, and building audits and retrofit recommendations.

As cities and counties face continued budget challenges, local agency best practices include identifying ways to save money and operate more efficiently. The efforts of cities and counties participat-ing in the Beacon Award program offer models of energy efficiency projects and leadership at the local level that can be replicated by other local agencies. n

Energy costs can account for

as much as 10 percent of an

agency’s operations budget.

More Resources Online

For additional information and links to related resources, read the online version of this article at www.westerncity.com.

Spotlighting Energy Efficiency in California Communities, continued from page 22

phone 916•784•9080fax 916•784•1985


Chief Ranger/Parks Director, Monterey CountyThe Monterey County area, with its moderate Mediterranean climate, is a multi-cultural and diverse society set in a picturesque coastal location. Monterey County is now seeking a Chief Ranger/Parks Director to oversee a FY budget of $13.6 million and 54 employees. The Chief Ranger/Parks Director is an at-will employee, appointed by and reporting directly to the County Administrative Officer, and is a key member of the County’s executive team. Candidates for this position must: meet the minimum standards for peace officers in the State of California; possess a Bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Park Administration, Conservation, Business or Public Administration, or a closely related field; and have at least 5 years’ experience in community recreational development and/or park administration, with at least 3 years in a management capacity. The salary range for the Chief Ranger/Parks Director is $116,400 - $136,680, depending on qualifications. Step increases can be awarded every two years beyond the top of the advertised ranged, based on satisfactory performance. If you are interested in this outstanding opportunity, please apply online at www.bobmurrayassoc.com. Please contact Judy LaPorte at (916) 784-9080 should you have any questions. Brochure available. First application cutoff date July 13, 2012.

Santa Clarita workers retrofit

street lights.

Director of Maintenance ServicesCITY OF ARROYO GRANDE, CA

Located on the beautiful central coast, the City of Arroyo Grande, California (population 17,252) is offering a unique opportunity for an experienced professional to serve as its first Director of Maintenance Services. The newly formed Maintenance Services Department will oversee maintenance of parks, streets, water, sewer, facilities and the vehicle fleet.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced professional with strong values and outstanding management, technical and interpersonal skills. Any combination of experience and training equivalent to five years of increasingly responsible parks, streets, or utility maintenance experience as a supervisor or superintendent and a bachelor’s degree in a related field is required.

Arroyo Grande is a special place to live and work – offering a friendly small town atmosphere, outstanding climate, beautiful environment and excellent recreational opportunities.

Salary for the position is $7,057 - $8,582 per month plus CalPERS 2.5% at 55 retirement and competitive benefits package. For a brochure and job application, call (805) 473-5410 or visit the City’s website at www.arroyogrande.org. Filing deadline: Friday, August 10, 2012



Using Open Space

Conserving and maintaining open space provides multiple community benefits. Parks and open spaces offer community members places to walk, sit or play, as well as aesthetic beauty.

Over the past decade, Riverside planted more than 110,000 trees through its Tree Power Program, increasing its urban forest and community shade cover. These additional trees resulted in saving more than 16.2 million kilowatt hours of elec-tricity, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 24.6 million pounds, or 12.3 tons, and directing $500,000 in economic investment to local nurseries.

Using community open space for gardens can provide additional health benefits. Palm Springs and Palo Alto promote healthy eating by allowing residents to grow and harvest their own vegetables and herbs in city-provided community gardens. Glendale offers its residents four community gardens and three farm-ers markets, which help provide locally grown food.

Conclusion

The achievements highlighted here reflect the diversity of California com-munities, as well as local officials’ leader-ship in creating policies and programs tailored to local needs. Their creativity serves as an inspiration.

To learn more about these and other ac-complishments of Beacon Award program participants, visit www.ca-ilg.org/Beacon-Award/ParticipantAccomplishments.

maintains a citywide database of vacant and underutilized infill sites to monitor the city’s growth and change, includ-ing annual reporting on the number of infill sites that were developed during the previous year.

Palo Alto allows mixed use on com-mercially zoned parcels and small retail services in residential projects, thus mak-ing walking and biking to and from retail services more feasible for residents.

Sustainability’s Many Faces: Beacon Award Program Participants Create Vibrant Communities, continued from page 13

Public Transit’s Additional Benefits

Besides providing more trans-portation options to residents and commuters, access to public transit helps seniors maintain their independence even after losing the ability to drive, thus decreas-ing the isolation that they may otherwise experience.

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Fire ChiefCity of Palo AltoWidely recognized for being innovative and well managed, the City of Palo Alto (pop. 65,000) is seeking a new Fire Chief. Known as the “Birthplace of Silicon Valley”, Palo Alto is a global center of technology where ideas change the world. The City is desirous of attracting a transformational leader who can guide the Fire Department in designing an updated and sustainable vision consistent with current and projected service demands.

Palo Alto’s Fire Chief must have demonstrated success in effectively leading change. The ideal candidate will be a talented mentor and coach who is capable of developing the skills and knowledge of a relatively “young” workforce that is eager to contribute. He/she will have eight years of relevant local level experience including at least five years of management and supervisory experience in a comparable setting. A Bachelor’s degree is required. A Master’s degree and/or Executive Fire Officer certification is preferred.

Salary range goes up to $197,940 and is supplemented by an attractive benefits package. A detailed recruitment brochure and application instructions are available at www.tbcrecruiting.com. This recruitment will close at midnight on Sunday, July 15, 2012.

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California Green Communities is a registered trademark of USA Green Communities, Inc., a non-profit corporation

Pictured: Santa Clarita Transit Maintenance Facility

To learn more, log on to www.cagreencom.org

Proving there are infinite ways to improve a city’s quality of life, the City of Santa Clarita

answered a California Green Communities’ challenge by reducing City water use by about

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Santa Clarita also recently completed a solar array expansion project that allows the previously

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Protecting the environment remains a high priority for the City of Santa Clarita whose efforts,

which began shortly after cityhood in 1987, have yielded tremendous results.

CA_Green_SantaClarita.indd 1 6/11/12 3:44 PM

western city july 2012

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