Cal Cities leadership votes to back three November ballot measures

Among the supported measures is an initiative backed by district attorneys and a long-awaited climate bond

By Rachel Vincent, director of strategic communications and marketing

The Cal Cities Board of Directors last week voted to support three ballot measures, including Proposition 36. The district attorney-sponsored ballot measure would hold repeat retail theft offenders and serious drug traffickers accountable while incentivizing drug treatment for those with serious addictions.

"Protecting the safety and economic well-being of our communities is a top priority for Cal Cities," said Cal Cities President and Fowler Mayor Daniel Parra. "This proposition gives us an important tool for improving safety in our cities."

The Board also voted to support Prop. 4, a $10 billion climate bond. The measure would channel funding to communities for various programs aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change.

First proposed last year, Cal Cities pushed hard for increased funding to cities in a variety of areas. The bond reflects that advocacy, with funding for stormwater capture and reuse, local water conservation programs, state and local wildfire prevention, sea level rise mitigation and adaptation funding, and extreme heat mitigation.

"The Board's decisions reflect a robust, member-led process that will inform our organization's work in the months ahead," said Carolyn Coleman, Cal Cities executive director and CEO. "Cal Cities' advocacy at the ballot box is critical to ensuring cities have the resources needed to uphold the quality of life in California communities."

A measure aimed at increasing the state's housing supply also won the support of Cal Cities' Board. ACA 1 would lower the voter threshold to 55% for taxes and bonds used for affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, or public infrastructure. It's the same bar for bonds used for the construction, rehabilitation, and replacement of schools.

Board celebrates legal wins, doubles down on ongoing funding

The Board also celebrated a big legal win during its quarterly meeting: last month's decision by the California Supreme Court to strike a tax ballot measure off the November ballot. In a unanimous decision, the court agreed with Cal Cities, the state Legislature, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and other local government partners that the California Business Roundtable measure would amount to a revision of the California Constitution by reworking the "fiscal underpinnings of our government at every level."

Board members also heard updates on seven other significant recent legal wins, including the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on regulating sleeping and camping on public property. Earlier this year, Cal Cities urged the Supreme Court to reverse the lower court's decisions and provide greater clarity over such ordinances. The ruling restores an important community safety tool back to cities.

Echoing the Board, Executive Director Carolyn Coleman said Cal Cities would not "take the foot off the gas" and continue to seek a permanent home for homelessness funding for cities in next year's state budget.

Board updates member group guidance, recommits to greater diversity and equity

The Board focused on some important governance work, including approving an updated policy that provides guidance on how new member groups, such as the Coastal Cities Group, are created. Under the new policy, a member group is defined as one that connects city officials with shared characteristics or city officials from member cities with shared city characteristics.

Importantly, the Board also held a robust discussion on a proposal from four diversity caucuses to advance greater diversity and equity in Cal Cities. The Board recognized the huge strides made in recent years to diversify the Board and ensure greater inclusion of its diverse, statewide membership. But it also noted that more work remains.

At the conclusion of the conversation, the Board directed Cal Cities staff to work with the Board's Executive Committee to create a working group to review the proposal and come back to the Board with recommendations.

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