Last week, CSDA held its annual Special Districts Legislative Days (SDLD) where district leaders from all over the state came to Sacramento to hear from some of the leading voices on those issues most important to special districts. Themed “Focused Services and Fiscal Sustainability,” SDLD featured prominent speakers

Following SDLD, Steve Hoagland, Director for the Ambrose Recreation and Park District exclaimed, “This single event is the most valuable activity you could attend for the cost involved. Where else could you meet with peers, hear amazing speakers, meet and talk with legislative leaders and gain a wealth of knowledge?”

In response to recent media and legislative attention, CSDA released a series of informative fact sheets at SDLD, entitled “delivering Communities’ Core Services.”  The fact sheets focus on the following areas:

• Local Values Are District Values
• It's About Quality, Not Quantity
• Accountable, Open and Public
• Local Investment of Local Property Taxes
• Prudent Reserves For a Sustainable Budget

These fact sheets can be used as valuable tools when discussing core local service delivery and to help dispel the myths sometimes associated with special districts statewide.

Speakers at SDLD included California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, Chief Deputy Director of Budget for the Department of Finance Michael Cohen, Assembly Members Cameron Smyth and Rich Gordon, and a panel featuring some of the preeminent figures in the public employee pension reform debate.

For more information on SDLD 2012, please look for an in-depth recap in the California Special District magazine issue coming out next month.  Registration will open soon for SDLD 2013, so please visit csda.net for more information in the coming months.