California’s Fair Political Practices Commission recently
reorganized and — in some instances — relaxed the rules on when a
public official may accept free or discounted travel. The
changes…
The competency of both local officials and staff provides a basis
for establishing public trust and confidence. Elements of ethics,
public input and transparency also play a key role.
Artist and speaker Erik Wahl’s performance at the League’s recent annual conference inspired city officials to think creatively about the skills they may have that can be put to work in serving…
Many cities are experiencing very painful financial difficulties. Elected city officials grapple with budget challenges nearly every day. But cities are using a number of innovative approaches to…
In light of a recent court decision, cities should make sure
their practices are consistent with the due process rights of
parties involved in quasi-judicial proceedings.
The City of Santa Maria’s Listos program emphasizes sharing
emergency and disaster preparedness skills, using a culturally
appropriate curriculum that overcomes language and trust
barriers.
How does innovation occur in local government? What can local
officials interested in seeing their agencies engage in
innovation do to support innovation?
Rather than have a national “conversation” about race, President
Obama suggested, in effect, that we have millions of
conversations about it over the next few years.
The Institute for Local Government is offering several sessions
at the League of California Cities 2013 Annual Conference & Expo
to provide educational opportunities for city officials.
Most people are generally unaware of what lies beneath the
streets they travel on each day. Understanding the sub-surface
infrastructure is an important local government consideration.
Technology offers many ways for local governments to increase and enhance the transparency of their operations. A proactive approach is best when it comes to providing information to residents and…
Examining how other local agencies handle these issues provides a
helpful starting place for determining which approach best serves
your agency’s needs.
Disruptions in public meetings seem to be increasingly common.
This article offers tips for local agency officials on handling
conflict and strategies to help make meetings more productive.
Meetings can present a broad range of challenges for local
officials. A collection of useful materials offers practical
information on related topics that include chairing a meeting,
dealing with a…
