8:00 a.m.
Conference Registration Opens
8:00 - 8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast with the Exhibitors
8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
Opening Keynote: Command Your Mindset
Dr. Jannell MacAulay
No matter the situation — combat, carpool, or corporate deadline — stress and overwhelm manifest the same way in our bodies. We launch into survival mode, which leads to degradations in our focus, our relationships, and our career longevity. Jannell takes leaders and teams on a transformational journey of self-reflection, leaving you with actionable skills to master your internal environment, command your mindset, and elevate your performance. She will help you live a more present and connected life — increasing productivity, facilitating creativity, and improving performance with your teams both at work and at home.
10:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Break: Networking with the Exhibitors
10:30 - 12:00 p.m.
Breakout Session #1: Survey Says! How to Get the Most Out of Public Opinion Polls to Lead Your District and Pursue New Revenues
Edric Kwan, SCI Consulting Group
John Bliss, SCI Consulting Group
Adam Probolsky, Probolsky Research
Jacqueline C. Simon MA. BS. BA., North Monterey County Fire Protection District Board Vice President Protection Districts Board of Directors
Many special districts need voter approval to raise revenues. Having a clear picture of customer/resident/voter sentiment is critical to aligning your agency with those that you serve. Learn how and why a statistically accurate survey can mean the difference between a successful funding measure and a costly loss. As infrastructure costs continue to increase, many special districts are seeking the public’s approval of revenue measures. Conducting community surveys will provide valuable data to predict and impact the success of your funding request. Learn about the different ways that public opinion polls are conducted: mailers, online, phone, text messaging, and others. Explore how each format provides different legal and technical limitations. Understand how survey questions and statistically valid samplings are developed. Most importantly, hear about the results of public opinion polls from different special district case studies and their influence on the way revenue measures and other big policy decisions are informed by opinion research.
10:30 - 12:00 p.m.
Breakout Session #2: Are You A Destination Employer? Attract, Hire and Retain the Best
Stephanie Smith, Best Best & Krieger, LLP
Destination Employers are viewed by past, current, and potential employees as a place to establish and grow a career. Learn six organizational shifts that can eliminate staffing shortages for good. As workforce shortages continue, potential employees are more selective about where they work. Employers of choice may be difficult to get hired into, are well-known in the community or industry as a desirable place to work, and are a place where current employees feel almost as comfortable as they do at home. Getting hired by a destination employer is an accomplishment and a source of pride in one’s career, and a major goal for the top talent in the industry. Destination employers also experience little to no staffing shortages.
10:30 - 12:00 p.m.
Breakout Session #3: Powerful Leadership: Effective Tips for Stellar Supervisors
Oliver Yee, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
This program is designed to help special district supervisors grow and refine their skills to be effective, successful and productive managers. We will discuss the challenges supervisors are facing, including leadership, goal setting, effective communication, performance evaluations, ethics, discipline, and specific legal principles. The program will emphasize practice over theory.
12:15 - 1:15 p.m.
Networking Lunch with the Exhibitors
1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Breakout Session #1: Managing the Never-ending Crisis - Being An Adaptive, Resilient Leader in Uncertain Times
Panel Discussion:
Erica Manuel, Institute for Local Government
Tammy Rudock, CSDM, retired General Manager
Ryan Clausnitzer, CSDM, Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District
Lorenzo Rios, Clovis Veterans Memorial District
Special Districts have faced unprecedented challenges in the past three years. Now with the projected economic downturn, we expect the chaos, uncertainty, and massive disruption to continue. During times like this, a leader’s ability to navigate personal and professional minefields is critical. But the leadership qualities needed to accomplish that are changing as rapidly as the times.
This session will explore how special district leaders can use adaptive leadership strategies to manage change and prepare their teams to excel in an uncertain, rapidly evolving business landscape. We’ll highlight techniques to provide clarity, keep teams engaged, help you make strategic decisions, lead with empathy, and avoid burnout. We’ll also explore how to prepare your leaders to be resilient, focused, and strategic.
1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Breakout Session #2: Leadership Lessons: Prevailing Wage Obligations for Special Districts
Deborah Wilder, Contractor Compliance and Monitoring, Inc
Each year the California Legislature changes and increases prevailing wage obligations. Join us for this fast-paced discussion of what is required of special districts, from contract clauses to compliance auditing. This session will showcase best practices, as well as options for small, medium, and large districts. Our discussion will include the prevailing wage issues created by the California Supreme Court decision in Kaanaana v Barrett Business Systems.
1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Breakout Session #3: Positioning Your District for Success: Legislative Relations 201
Kyle Packham, CSDA
David beat Goliath and special districts can win in the State Legislature and Congress, if they exercise wisdom. Gain insights that will help your board and your community understand the benefits of taking action; walk through the key actions special districts of any size can take to position themselves for success; and discern the top priorities and next steps for you and your district.
3:15 - 3:45 p.m.
Break and Networking with the Exhibitors
3:45 - 5:00 p.m.
Breakout Session #1: Renewable Energy Projects & Inflation Reduction Act Subsidies
Panel Discussion:
Jeff Land, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.
Dan Mitchell, Centrica Business Solutions
Albert Reyes, Kutak Rock LLP
Kahl Muscott, Auburn Area Recreation and Park District
Bill Morton, Municipal Finance Corporation
This session features Kahl Muscott of Auburn Area Recreation and Park District discussing how they reduced energy costs and increased their sustainability by implementing a broad mix of energy efficiency measures and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed by Centrica Business Solutions and financed through the CSDA Finance Corporation. Members of the Centrica team along with consultants from the CSDA Finance Corporation will each discuss their roles in making this a successful project.
3:45 - 5:00 p.m.
Breakout Session #2: Leadership with an Agile Mindset
Nancy Wright, CPS HR Consulting
As a leader, guiding and supporting organizational change is part of your daily life. So how can you best manage yourself and others through these changes? Adopting an Agile Mindset is one fundamental approach. This presentation explains what an Agile Mindset is, how critical it is for leaders of an organization, and some of the associated leadership behaviors essential for achieving success.
3:45 - 5:00 p.m.
Breakout Session #3: Keeping Up With CalPERS: Common Compliance Findings and New and Emerging Interpretations
Michael Youril, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
Employers and employees are seeing challenges from CalPERS to long-standing practices regarding what compensation is reportable and employees who may be enrolled in membership. This session will cover several CalPERS reporting and compliance issues that agencies have encountered over the last few years, with a focus on recent developments and emerging interpretations your agency should know.
5:15 - 6:45 p.m.
Food & Wine Experience Reception
Sponsored by SDRMA