This summer, I was honored to be invited to San Joaquin County to witness something that hasn’t happened in California in more than a dozen years — a ceremony celebrating a new California city, Mountain House.

Thirty years ago, Mountain House was a quiet, unincorporated agricultural community. Today, it is one of the fastest-growing cities in the state. With a population under 10,000 in 2010, its population grew to 24,499 in 2020, an increase of 153% over the decade. 

The ceremony on July 1 was standing room only, with city officials from across the region, residents, and business leaders in attendance. As I glanced around the room, what I saw in the eyes of everyone was a reminder of what a determined group of individuals can accomplish. Those who called Mountain House home wanted more than their unincorporated status provided. They wanted local control. So local leaders came together and united as a city to change their circumstances.   

The Mountain House story is about tapping into our collective power and uniting behind a vision. This is precisely the core of what we do at the League of California Cities and how we came to be over a century ago. 

For 126 years, Cal Cities’ North Star continues to be our ability to uplift and amplify the collective voices of cities to shape and influence good public policy outcomes for cities. In the last year, like the many that came before, we relied on a “whole of Cal Cities” advocacy approach, leveraging our united voice in the courts, at the ballot box, and in the Legislature to ensure cities can drive their own destinies and have enough tools in the toolbox to tailor solutions to the challenges their communities face. 

Our successful effort against the dangerous Taxpayer Deception Act, a ballot measure that presented an existential threat to local funding and services, is an excellent example of this. We ultimately prevailed when the California Supreme Court found the measure unconstitutional and it was not placed on the November ballot. However, we were concurrently prepared to defeat it with an opposition campaign powered by a formidable grassroots effort and by convincing the Legislature to pass a measure that could have blocked its passage on the ballot. 

We also mobilized city officials to send a message to lawmakers and the Governor about the unintended consequences of AB 98 (Carrillo, Juan), a bill that will harm local economies by placing severe restrictions on new or expanding warehouses and was only daylighted in the final days of the session. The Governor ultimately signed the bill into law, despite our fierce opposition and hearing the concerns of more than 700 city officials, business leaders, and environmental justice groups.

Furthermore, we secured vital funding — over the Governor’s opposition — in the final budget package to help cities prevent and reduce homelessness. And, after a year-long stalemate, we played a key role in convincing lawmakers to do more to support public safety in our communities, culminating in a 10-bill package designed to reduce retail theft.

In all of Cal Cities’ advocacy achievements this year and in previous ones, city officials stand out as the secret sauce of our success: They are the problem solvers at the local level who get things done and know what their communities need. Their engagement in the advocacy process is a sparkplug that ignites our work in the state and federal capitols, as well as the courts. 

The state of Cal Cities is strong because we haven’t forgotten where it all started — with a group of individuals who came together back in 1898. They wanted more for their communities and were willing to speak with united voices to drive policy solutions to help their communities.   

The collective voice of all 483 cities and towns in California is where our strength lies. United, we advocate for the needs of cities and drive solutions to common city challenges. Cal Cities is in service to each and every one of our cities, and I continue to be excited about our future. I look forward to seeing you all in Long Beach for this year’s Annual Conference and Expo.