Blogs

Water agencies collaborate to bring water to Yucaipa/Calimesa (California)

By Kristin Withrow posted 10 hours ago
This article first appeared in the, Yucaipa Calimesa News Mirror Reporter Oct 21, 2025 by By Adeniyi Latinwo Local and regional water leaders broke ground on the County Line Road Recharge Basin and Turnout Project on Tuesday, Oct. 14. It is a $3.1 million initiative designed to bring clean drinking water and drought resilience to the Calimesa region. The San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, and South Mesa Water Company are partnering on the County Line Road Recharge Basin and Turnout Project. The groundbreaking was located near 960 Fourth Street, Community Park. This regional water supply project will deliver ...

Federal Legislative Update: Week of November 3, 2025

By Morgan Leskody posted 6 days ago
House and Senate Action House The House is not in session. Senate This week, the Senate will seek to invoke cloture on the nomination of Eric Chunyee Tung to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. Tung is a former law clerk to both Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Early Signs of Progress as Shutdown Nears Record Length Last week, the Senate again rejected the House-passed short-term funding bill ( H.R. 5371 ), marking the 13th failed vote and extending the government shutdown into its fifth week. If the stalemate continues beyond Tuesday, it will become the longest federal government shutdown ...

Federal Shutdown Resources

By Morgan Leskody posted 6 days ago
Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, updates on new program funding and awards have been delayed. We have included the following resources to help you stay informed during this pause. CRS: Government Shutdowns and Executive Branch Operations: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (September 2, 2025) CRS: Government Shutdowns and Legislative Branch Operations: Frequently Asked Questions (September 30, 2025) LIH: Unlock a Second Operating Budget: How Optimizing Grants Management Delivers Results in Uncertain Times Webinar Recording and Summary NACo: What Counties Need to Know When a Government Shutdown Happens NEW! NACo: Federal Government ...

CSDA Member Implements Innovative Forecast-Informed Decision-Making Tool

By Morgan Leskody posted 6 days ago
CSDA Public Affairs Field Representative Colleen Haley presented a resolution for the implementation of FIRO at Lake Mendocino. Also pictured from left to right is Chair of the County of Mendocino Board of Supervisors John Haschak, Congressmember Jared Huffman (CD 2), Maureen Mulheren, Supervisor (District 2), County of Mendocino, Assemblymember Damon Connolly (AD 12) and James Gore, Director of Sonoma Water and Supervisor (District 4), County of Sonoma. Photo courtesy of Sonoma County Water Agency. By: Sonoma County Water Agency Leaders from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water), UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution ...

CSDA Coordinates District Tour for Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee Chair

By Morgan Leskody posted 6 days ago
By: @Colleen Haley In 2025, CSDA’s public affairs field coordinators conducted over 100 one-on-meetings, roundtables, or district tours with lawmakers and their staff in their legislative districts, connecting them with their local special districts. On October 24, 2025, CSDA Public Affairs Field Coordinator Colleen Haley coordinated a tour of the San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District for California State Assembly Committee on Water Parks and Wildlife Chair Diane Papan and her staff. San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District General Manager Brian Weber and Communications Director Rachel Curtis-Robles led Assembly Member Papan ...

2026 New Laws Series, Part 3: Certified Payroll Records Requests on Prevailing Wage Public Works Projects (AB 538)

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
By: Deborah Wilder, President, Contractor Compliance and Monitoring, Inc. AB 538 (Berman) , signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 11, 2025, imposes new obligations on special districts and other public agencies that award public works contracts. Starting January 1, 2026, upon receiving a request from the public for certified payroll records (CPRs) on a prevailing wage public works project, the public agency must solicit the CPRs from its contractor, redact appropriate information, and make them available to the requesting entity. A contractor must comply with requests for CPRs within 10 days of receiving written notice from a public agency that ...

SFWMD Celebrates the Expansion of an Important Water Storage and Water Quality Project in Glades County (Florida)

By Kristin Withrow posted 7 days ago
This article first appeared on the South Florida Water Management District website October 21, 2025. MOORE HAVEN, Fla. —Today, the South Florida Water Management District (District), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Glades County and many other state and local officials as well as stakeholders broke ground on the second phase of the Lake Hicpochee Project. The Lake Hicpochee Project is part of the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program and will provide benefits including reducing harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee Estuary, improving water quality and providing additional water storage capacity in the region. “I ...

New alert system warns drivers when emergency vehicles are coming (Oregon)

By Kristin Withrow posted 9 days ago
This article originally appeared in KGW* news on October 7, 2025 by Libby Dowsett. Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue has implemented the HAAS Alert system on 18 vehicles and plans to expand it to all of its frontline vehicles by the end of 2026. TUALATIN, Oregon — Within minutes of firefighters turning on their flashing lights, a transmitter on their dashboard alerts nearby drivers to watch out — they’re coming through. As Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue raced to a two-alarm house fire in Tualatin on Monday night, firefighters said many of their engines were already sending alerts to drivers, warning them that fire crews were coming up behind ...

2026 New Laws Series, Part 2: Additional CEQA Exemptions and Reforms

By Morgan Leskody posted 13 days ago
By: Harold M. Freiman, Partner, and Sarah Salvini, Associate, Lozano Smith On June 30, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed two budget trailer bills, AB 130 and SB 131, that include substantial and immediately effective changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). These bills add new express exemptions and revise existing exemptions, streamline review procedures for certain projects, and narrow the scope of the administrative record for a CEQA project. The new exemptions are in addition to existing exemptions that remain available under CEQA for various projects. On October 11, 2025, the Governor signed an additional bill, SB 158, ...

Federal Legislative Update: Week of October 27, 2025

By Morgan Leskody posted 13 days ago
House and Senate Action House The House is not in session. Senate This week, the Senate is expected to debate and vote on three tariff-related resolutions that would end national emergency declarations previously used by President Trump to impose duties on imports from Brazil and Canada, as well as on certain global trade categories more broadly. The chamber may also consider legislation to pay military personnel and to compensate TSA employees and air traffic controllers. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) may also seek unanimous consent to advance his bill ( S. 3024 ) to temporarily restore funding for the SNAP program. Federal Government Shutdown ...

Grants Update: Week of October 27, 2025

By Morgan Leskody posted 13 days ago
New Grant Opportunities Department of Justice FY 2025 Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Program WHAT DOES IT FUND? This program reimburses states, units of local government, and federally recognized Indian tribes, for up to 50 percent of the cost of body armor vests purchased for law enforcement officers. Click here for more information. WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible entities are jurisdictions that employ law enforcement officers, including general-purpose units of local government, federally recognized Indian tribes, and state governments. TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? Unspecified WHEN IS IT DUE? December 19, 2025 Federal ...

Federal Legislative Update: Week of October 20, 2025

By Morgan Leskody posted 20 days ago
House and Senate Action House The House is not in session. Senate The Senate is expected to hold another procedural vote this week on the House-passed short-term funding bill, marking the 11th attempt to advance the measure since the government shutdown began. Separately, senators will consider legislation to provide pay for federal employees who continue to work during the shutdown, including active-duty military personnel and essential civilian staff. The measure is unlikely to reach the 60-vote threshold but has drawn bipartisan attention as frustration grows over missed paychecks and mounting operational disruptions. Shutdown Enters ...

CSDA Files Amicus Briefs on behalf of Special Districts – 2nd and 3rd Quarter Update

By Morgan Leskody posted 20 days ago
As the year end approaches, CSDA remains engaged monitoring legal cases of interest for special districts. In its effort to represent the interests of independent special districts wherever policy is made – including the courts – CSDA has tracked dozens of cases and has acted in key cases described below that may influence the operations or governance of public agencies. CSDA receives counsel on its amicus efforts from the Legal Advisory Working Group , comprised of attorneys throughout the state with extensive experience representing special districts. For more information on other important cases that prompted CSDA action earlier this year, review our 1st ...

Bridging Budget Gaps: Leveraging PFAS Cost Recovery for Special District Funding

By Kristin Withrow posted 20 days ago
By Ken Sansone, Senior Partner & Kyla Tengdin, Education & Outreach, SL Environmental Law Group Water, airport, fire, sanitary and waste management districts can be impacted by PFAS contamination without knowing it. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are also called “forever chemicals” due to their environmental persistence and resistance to traditional water treatment. Manufacturers failed to warn consumers and the U.S. government of the risks associated with PFAS exposure, which include certain cancers, thyroid disorders, ulcerative colitis, infertility and more. As a funding strategy to help mitigate damage and support related projects, ...

2026 New Laws Series, Part 1: CA Supreme Court Denies Elected Officials Right to Sue as “Employees” Under Whistleblower Statute

By Morgan Leskody posted 20 days ago
By: Alexander Volberding, Partner, and Nicole A. Powell, Associate, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore On July 7, 2025, the California Supreme Court issued a decision in Brown v. City of Inglewood , ruling that elected officials are not considered “employees” under California’s whistleblower statute, Labor Code Section 1102.5. The ruling affirms the holding of the Court of Appeal, which concluded that elected officials may not seek whistleblower relief under Labor Code Section 1102.5 because they are not “employees” under that statute. The case stems from Plaintiff Wanda Brown, the former elected City Treasurer for the City of Inglewood (“City”), reporting concerns ...

Grants Update: Week of October 20, 2025

By Morgan Leskody posted 21 days ago
Federal Shutdown Resources Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, no new relevant grant opportunities have been announced this week. We have included the following resources to help you stay informed during this pause. For additional guidance, please reach out to your TFG Client Manager. CRS: Government Shutdowns and Executive Branch Operations: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (September 2, 2025) CRS: Government Shutdowns and Legislative Branch Operations: Frequently Asked Questions (September 30, 2025) LIH: Unlock a Second Operating Budget: How Optimizing Grants Management Delivers Results in Uncertain Times Webinar Recording and ...

Federal Legislative Update: Week of October 13, 2025

By Morgan Leskody posted 27 days ago
House and Senate Action House The House is not in session this week. Senate The Senate returns this afternoon for yet another vote on the House-passed stopgap spending bill, which would fund the government through November 21. This marks the eighth attempt to advance the measure. So far, only three Senate Democrats have backed the GOP proposal, and there’s little sign that additional support is emerging. Shutdown Update: Still No Resolution in Sight Pressure on lawmakers to end the federal government shutdown has eased somewhat in recent days, even as the broader impacts of the lapse in funding continue to build. In past shutdowns, ...

Governor Newsom Vetoes 123 Bills, Including CSDA-Opposed ADS Measure

By Morgan Leskody posted 27 days ago
By: @Lilia Hernandez On Monday, October 13, the deadline for acting on bills passed by the State Legislature, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 7 (McNerney) , following intensive opposition from CSDA, special districts, and local government coalition partners. SB 7 was one of just 123 bills vetoed by Governor Newsom in 2025. According to data shared by Capitol lobbyist Chris Micheli, Governor Newsom vetoed 13.4 percent of the 917 bills that reached his desk in 2025. Last year, he vetoed 15.7 percent. Meanwhile, the 42-year average veto rate among all California governors is 15.8 percent. SB 7 would have regulated public employer use of automated decision ...

SDRMA Announces the Annual Innovation Award Program

By Morgan Leskody posted 27 days ago
SDRMA is excited to announce the launch of the annual Innovation Award Program. This program was designed to spotlight the innovative safety and risk management solutions developed by SDRMA members. It is a great opportunity to highlight how our Districts are making a difference, whether it’s improving employee safety, reducing liability, or addressing other risk concerns. Click here for more information. The announcement and application are also available in MemberPlus under the Risk Control dropdown. For questions, please reach out to Henri Castro, Interim Chief Risk Officer at hcastro@sdrma.org #Advocacy News #FeatureNews

2026 New Laws Series Preview

By Morgan Leskody posted 27 days ago
By: @Kyle Packham Next week, CSDA will kick-off its annual New Laws Series. Every year, CSDA helps members get a step ahead by convening leading legal and public policy experts to overview newly enacted laws that will have the most significant impact on the work of special districts and the communities they serve. Our multi-week series for New Laws of 2026 is a must-read for leaders from all types of special districts with topics ranging from prevailing wage, to permitting and planning, to newly required training and of course the biggest revamp of the Brown Act in decades. The full line-up of topics covered in CSDA’s forthcoming New Laws Series will ...