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Brenda Fotos, State Legislative Affairs Manager for SMUD, received the Ralph Heim Exceptional Outreach & Advocacy Award by the California Special Districts Association (CSDA) during the association’s 50^th anniversary Annual Conference and Exhibitor Showcase, which was held in Anaheim September 25-28, 2019.

Over the past 30 years, SMUD State Legislative Affairs Manager Brenda Fotos has been a tireless advocate for local government and special districts. Brenda has used her vast institutional knowledge and political instincts to ensure positive outcomes for SMUD and the special district community.

Brenda served as a consistent and integral member of CSDA’s legislative committee for decades, regularly providing feedback on bills and amendments, participating in CSDA work groups, and helping to develop CSDA policy principles. She has contributed to improvements in governance, local flexibility, and service improvements for communities served by SMUD and other special districts throughout California.

Brenda worked with CSDA on AB 340, the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA). This seminal bill substantially reformed the PER system, and Brenda identified priority issues, collaborated broadly, and was able to assist CSDA in achieving positive outcomes on several aspects of the law. Brenda was also able to help defeat legislation (AB 672 in 2017) that would have severely limited a utility’s ability to recover costs associated with power theft. She skillfully navigated political landmines, worked with allies and CSDA, and ultimately stopped the bill from moving forward.

Nominations for this award were submitted by special district board members/trustees or district management staff. The criteria for this award include a demonstration of exceptional engagement with the public, Legislature, and/or other key stakeholders to promote the individual’s district and the entire special district community, particularly on matters related to CSDA’s grassroots advocacy and public outreach efforts. Additionally, the individual may have initiated or contributed to significant grassroots or public outreach communications efforts that are appealing and include creative, thorough, and highly relevant content.

The outreach and advocacy award is named after long-time CSDA Legislative Advocate Ralph Heim who contributed significantly to CSDA and special district advocacy efforts for nearly 30 years. As someone who always represented CSDA and its members extremely well and with strong integrity, Mr. Heim and his work in outreach and advocacy serves as a great example of excellence in this area.

The California Special Districts Association is a 501c(6), not-for-profit association that was formed in 1969 to promote good governance and improved core local services through professional development, advocacy and other services for all types of independent special districts.

About SMUD

As the nation’s sixth-largest community-owned electric service provider, SMUD has been providing low-cost, reliable electricity for more than 70 years to Sacramento County (and small adjoining portions of Placer and Yolo Counties). SMUD is a recognized industry leader and award winner for its innovative energy efficiency programs, renewable power technologies, and for its sustainable solutions for a healthier environment. SMUD’s power mix is about 50 percent non-carbon emitting. For more information, visit SMUD.org.

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