6/22/09State Transportation Chief Hired As New CEO of OCTA Will Kempton, head of the California Department of Transportation for the past five years, has been tabbed to become the new chief executive officer of the Orange County Transportation Authority.
Kempton, pictured at right with Gov. Schwarzenegger, will begin at OCTA August 3rd. He brings a broad understanding of transportation programs and policies that span the ranks of government from the local to the federal level. His expertise will ensure Orange County remains a leader in providing transportation solutions for its visitors and residents. “This is a very challenging time for every public agency in California. Finding a new CEO for OCTA with Will Kempton’s transportation knowledge and experience at a time like this is a grand-slam home run for us and for everyone in Orange County,” said OCTA Chairman Peter Buffa. “Will is one of the most respected leaders in transportation in the country, with a rock-solid reputation that will serve us well. We are very excited about having him join the OCTA team.” A 35-year veteran of the transportation industry, Kempton replaces Art Leahy, who left in March to head the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 06/09/09 Advocacy Committee Discusses the State Budget  Jeff Corless, Chief of Staff for Assemblywoman Diane Harkey joined members of the Division's Advocacy Committee on Friday, June 5th to discuss the state's increasing budget deficit. "As state revenues, decline, it is important that we change the way the state operates its finances," he explained, "without the appropriate business mechanisms, the state cannot be expected to properly conduct business." Corless continued by outlining Assemblywoman Harkey's budget reform proposals, which include 1) an annual debt limit, 2) quarterly state budget reporting, 3) an examination of all labor contracts, and 4) streamlining bureaucracy through a dissection of Proposition 98, prop 13, etc. In the meantime, Assemblywoman Harkey has already begun reviewing state bonds and financial statements in order to better understand where the state's financial weaknesses and strengths lie.
Committee members concluded the meeting by inquiring about the probability of a raid on local funds as a method of balancing the state budget. While there are no concrete answers, Corless reassured members that Assemblywoman Harkey does not support the borrowing of funds from local governments.
06/08/09Join the Local Government Summit on Governance and Fiscal Reform
July 17th - 18th, SacramentoCities throughout California are urged to participate by appointing one or more representatives to join with hundreds of city, county and school leaders to consider and help craft reforms that will restore a greater degree of local control over services, taxation and spending decisions and end the decades of the state's failure to adopt balanced budgets and meet the pressing needs of California. The Summit will be sponsored by the Cities Counties Schools Partnership, and is a collaboration of the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties and the California School Boards Association. To register please visit www.cacities.org/events.
06/01/09Orange County Division, League of California Cities Co-Hosts
Orange County Summit III, Drawing 200 Attendees  Nearly 200 people attended the Orange County Housing Summit III at UC Irvine on May 11, 2009. Entitled Workforce Housing -- Facts & Myths, the seminar focused on the status of affordable housing in today's economic climate and how this housing will be developed in the future based on the current housing market, financial institutions, and government projects and policies, among other conditions.
The summit was hosted by the Orange County Housing Trust in cooperation with the Orange County Division, League of California Cities, Orange County Business Council, the Orange County Association of Realtors, the UCI Merage School of Business-Center for Real Estate, and the Orange County organizations of the Urban Land Institute, Building Industry Association and Neighborhood Housing Services. One of the main issues affecting workforce housing that was addressed is the perception of low-income housing's supposed negative impact on the community. Many people are concerned that more affordable housing will attract lower-income residents into an area, impacting neighborhoods and schools. But it is unlikely that there will be a significant influx of lower-income residents into higher-income areas such as Laguna Beach, where it is much more difficult to build affordable housing, according to Related Companies of California President Bill Witte. He pointed out that low-income housing doesn't necessarily need to be built in every community, but there is a need to improve the areas where lower income housing already exists. Witte also called for development of more rental housing, saying our county, state and nation overemphasize home ownership. He explained not everyone is in a position to own a home but everyone should be able to live in quality housing, and often rental housing is the option they can afford. John McIlwain, a senior fellow with the Urban Land Institute in Washington, DC, stressed that higher density housing in urban areas-- which is an important source of more affordable housing-- performs as well as, if not better than comparably located traditional housing in terms of value. McIlwain explained mixed-use projects can have a positive impact on surrounding properties and can energize formerly marginal land uses such as old warehouse districts and strip shopping centers. A key goal in implementing successful low income housing, according to speakers, is to keep it localized, allowing residents to have a close work-life environment, with less of a commute. And many local cities are doing just that. Among them is Anaheim, which was honored at the summit with the ULI Terwilliger Award for The Boulevard, a workforce housing project built as a public/private partnership between the city and John Laing Homes. Huntington Beach is also committed to developing workforce housing with the building of 2,200 affordable units throughout the city, said Huntington Beach Housing Manager Sidney Stone. He noted the Bella Terra shopping mall area will encompass 750 workforce housing units.
05/28/09Save Your City Campaign  The League of California Cities has launched the Save Your City campaign, an aggressive statewide advocacy effort to oppose any irresponsible "borrowing" of your local property taxes to balance a structural State budget deficit.
As part of the campaign elected officials are submitting brief testimonials urging the Governor and Legislature to stop the borrowing. If you would like more information on the campaign or would like to record a brief video testimonial, please contact Tony Cardenas via email at
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or by phone at 714-425-5558. To view other testimonials, please visit http://www.saveyourcity.net/
How Does the Orange County Division Serve You?Read a Public CEO interview with Executive Director Lacy Kelly and find out what benefits the Division has for you. Read the interview |
