I can’t believe it’s time to transfer the gavel! I wanted to take a few brief moments to extend my gratitude to so many of you that made my year as Presi-dent a memo-

rable one. I am humbled to have served as your President. I have been on the Board before we transitioned to the new structure and there is still a lot of work to be done as we find our way under the new Board structure. I ask for your con-tinued patience as bumps in the road are maneuvered to make us stronger. As your Immediate Past President, I pledge my full support to the incoming Board and look forward to working and sup-porting President-Elect Wendy Klock-Johnson, and as quoted by Oscar Gold-man: “We can rebuild him (CCAC). We have the technology. We can make him (CCAC) better than he was, better, stronger, faster”. A special thank you to Susan Domen for going above and be-yond with leading so many projects this year; to Immediate Past President Byron Pope for all of your counsel during the year; to incoming President Wendy Klock-Johnson and incoming First Vice Presi-dent Stephanie D. Smith for your unwa-vering support; and last but not least--to all of the Board for your hard work and

support! Elections News! Congratulations to the newly elected Board members! The 2017/2018 ballots were tallied on August 17, 2017 and the results are as follows: President – Wendy Klock-Johnson 1st Vice President – Stephanie D. Smith 2nd Vice President – Patrice Olds Recording Secretary – Britt Avrit Communications Director – Mitzi Ortiz Treasurer – Susan Domen Region 2 Director – Donna Settles Region 4 Director – To be appointed by the President Region 5 Director – To be appointed by the President Region 6 Director – Vicki Kasad Region 10 Director – To be appointed by the President Region 14 Director – Jennifer Wood-worth A special thank you to Chair Leilani and her committee for their hard work!

New Law & Elections Seminar The 2017 League of California Cities New Law & Elections Seminar will be held De-cember 13-15, 2017 in Newport Beach, CA. To register, please visit: h t t p s : / / e v e n t s . c a c i t i e s . o r g / c g i -shl/twserver.exe?EREG:beginReg:17CC1213 and visit their site for additional de-tails. That’s all folks!

CCAC President’s Message I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

President’s

Message 1

Treasury

Notes 2

CCAC Book

Store 2

Educational

Session 3

Region 11

Message 4

Region 16

Message 5

Member

Spotlight 5

CCAC 2017

Sponsors 7

Board of

Directors 12

OFFICIAL WORD S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7 V O L U M E 1 8 , I S S U E 9

Jose Jasso, MMC

CCAC President

P A G E 2 V O L U M E 1 8 , I S S U E 9

Treasury Notes - Susan Domen, MMC Happy September! It has been almost a year since the new educa-tional formats and the realignment of the organization have gone into effect. Your Board has worked tirelessly to implement the new structure, provide quality educa-tional opportunities and improve ways in which services are deliv-

ered to you. Some of those accomplishments: 32 educational workshops provided throughout the State 12 Athenian Dialogues 3 Nuts & Bolts Sessions Online registration for all educational courses Online payment for all educational courses One Scholarship application for all scholarships One place to mail payments to Provided over $38,000 in scholarships Reminders All payments MUST be made online or mailed to: CCAC 700 R Street, Suite 200 Sacramento, CA 95811 Attn: Elizabeth

Payments WILL NOT and CANNOT be accepted at the Door!

All questions about any payments, credits or registration should be directed to the Treasurer, Susan Domen, @ (951) 674-3124 ext. 269 or sdomen@lake-elsinore.org. This will ensure that you get prompt attention and your mat-ter is handled expediently by removing unnecessary steps. Registration for all events is done through the CCAC website. Fees: Starting with the October training sessions the new fee schedule will be in place: Regional Education Workshops: Members - $50 Non-Member $75 Athenian Dialogues: $100 includes lunch Reimbursements: Reimbursement for expenses requests should include the reim-bursement form and all receipts in the same email. Send through email to sdomen@lake-elsinore.org. Do not mail or send to any-one else, this delays payment processing. CCAC Payments – check runs are done the 2nd and last week of the month, please submit all requests as quickly as possible so they are paid quickly. If you have any questions, please contact me, always here to help.

Have you heard about CCAC’s new book store? A book store made specifically for you, tailored with everything you need to be successful in the office and provide relief from the stresses of our day to day routine all at a discounted price. If you enjoy Athenian Dialogues, or have kids you love to read to, or you’re back in school for your degree, CCAC Book Alley has it all. Visit the bookstore at https://

CCAC Book Store ccacbookalley.mybooksandmore.com. The best thing about CCAC Book Alley is, revenue gener-ated will go towards CCAC Scholarships. If you have any questions or would like to know more in-formation about CCAC Book Alley, contact Marilyn Bonus at mbonus@SGCH.ORG.

P A G E 3

Register now for

these upcoming

educational

opportunities.

Upcoming CCAC Educational Sessions

O F F I C I A L W O R D

Athenian Dialogues

Start with Why by Simon Sinek Facilitated by Susan Domen, MMC, City Clerk Saturday, September 23, 2017 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Hosted by the City of Sacramento Limited to 30 participants Click here for more information and to register online.

Creating Magic by Lee Cockerell Facilitated by Jamie Holmes Friday, October 6, 2017 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Hosted by the City of Arcata Limited to 30 participants Click here for more information and to register online.

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman Facilitated by Cynthia Lewis, Ed.D Friday, October 27, 2017 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Hosted by the City of Escondido Limited to 30 participants Click here for more information and to register online.

Dawn Abrahamson, MMC

Professional Development

Director

CCAC Education Workshops

The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace September 28, 2017, 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Hosted by City of Santa Barbara (Region 12 - Channel Counties) Click here for more information and to register online by September 21st

Nine Forms of Leadership: How the Enneagram Can Create Better Teams, Motivate Staff, and Influence those We Serve October 5, 2017, 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Hosted by City of Blue Lake (Region 1 - Redwood Empire) Click here for more information and to register online by September 29th

View more 2017 Educational Opportunities at www.californiacityclerks.org/education-and-events.

Nuts & Bols Workshop - Southern October 19-20, 2017 Training will be held at the Brea Community Center Click here for more information and to register online.

Master Municipal Clerk Academy (MMCA) October 4-6, 2017 Training will be held at Kellogg West Center, Pomona Click here for more information and to register online.

P A G E 4 V O L U M E 1 8 , I S S U E 9

Congratulations to the new CCAC Board on your recent election, I look forward to working with each of you over the next year. This past year has been eventful in Region 11 with networking events, Regional Workshops, Athenian Leadership Dialogues, and many new Certified and Master Municipal Clerks to celebrate. Here are some highlights since my last report:

Newly Designated Master Municipal Clerks: Since March, Los Angeles County has been home to three newly designated Master Municipal Clerks. Marc Donohue, MMC – City Clerk of Rosemead Lourdes Sy-Rodriguez, MMC – Assistant City Clerk of

Beverly Hills Adrian Garcia, MMC – Chief Deputy City Clerk of Azusa

In June, I was joined by Vicki Kasad, Assistant City Clerk of Ontario and Marc’s long-time mentor, in presenting Marc with a Certificate of Exceptional Profes-sional Achievement on behalf of CCAC. In August, I attended the Azusa City Council meeting to recognize

Adrian Garcia for also reaching this significant professional mile-stone. Regional Work-shop in Carson, CA: In August, Car-son City Clerk Done-sia Gause Aldana and her office hosted the Regional Workshop at the amazing Stub-Hub! Stadium in Car-son. It was truly a beautiful venue overlooking the field and we were lucky enough to witness the conversion from Galaxy Soccer to Chargers Football. Diane Gladwell led an informative session on how to increase your budget for priority projects. Thank you to Done-sia, Cristal, and the entire Carson team for hosting such a great event. Athenian Leadership Society Fellowship: Since March, two more California City Clerks have been inducted as Fellows

Region 11 Director’s Message - Anthony J. Mejia, MMC in the Athenian Leadership Society: Laura Nieto, CMC, Chief

Deputy City Clerk of Irwin-dale

Melissa Thurman, CMC, As-sistant City Clerk of Red-wood City

These City Clerks have dedicated themselves to cultivating their own personal and professional leader-ship by attending a minimum of 10 Athenian Dialogues. These dia-logues require the reading of a book and engaging in six hours of group discussions and exercises. IIMC-approved facilitators then pull out key details from the sub-ject book and tie them into fo-cused discussions on leadership and the municipal clerk profession. On top of that, several California City Clerks which have obtained their MMC designations and in-ducted into the Fellowship are now volunteering to serve as Facilitators for Athenian Dialogues, including: Susan Domen, City Clerk of Lake Elsinore; Anthony Mejia, Chief City Clerk of South Pasadena; and Patrice Olds, City Clerk of San Mateo. And finally, there are two special volunteer Facilitators-In-Training: Kathy Flamson, City Clerk of Calistoga; and Laura Nieto, Chief Deputy City Clerk of Irwindale. All of these volunteers further demonstrate that participants of Athenian Dialogues evolve

their leadership skills over time and ultimately step up and serve for the betterment of the City Clerk profession. Networking Event: On September 21st, the Culver City Clerk’s Office and Region 11 will host a Net-working Event, which includes a private walking tour

of Sony Picture Studios and a happy hour at the Historic Culver Hotel. I hope you can join us, RSVP by contacting me at amejia@southpasadenaca.gov. There is a strict limit of 20 people.

P A G E 5

O F F I C I A L W O R D

Dear CCAC members, Region 16 has been busy this summer! We had a phenomenal educational workshop on July 21 in Rohnert Park. A big THANK YOU to City Clerk JoAnne Buergler and her staff for treating all of us like royalty. And also, a Thank You to Maureen Kane and Maura Kane for presenting a training that changed our understanding of threats and potential attacks. Our next scheduled Region 16 workshop will be on January 19, 2018 hosted by the City of Sonoma. Speaking of Sonoma, City Clerk Rebekah Barr noted Sonoma is wrapped up in the discussion of Cannabis and Wine Tasting Rooms. The City Clerk’s Department is starting the new City web-site implementation, as well as a new meeting man-ager and boards & commissions and public records tracker through iCompass. Calistoga is also tackling the Can-nabis issue, having just passed an ordinance defining the cultivation of cannabis, and will soon be address-ing dispensaries. City Manager Feik has been engaging all departments by having lunch at various locations around the City. These are spots that typically aren’t frequented by everyone – the City’s wastewater plant, fire department and water treatment plant. Calistoga will be implementing a new meeting man-ager system with iCompass soon.

Region 16 Director’s Message

Kathy Flamson, CMC

Yountville is in the process of purchasing a new Electronic Content Management System (ECMS), which will allow them to go paperless. The town has completed an Underpass Mural project in a collaboration between the Town Council and Arts Commission. The town enjoys music in the park throughout the summer. Their Golden Ticket program offers a variety of classes targeted at sen-iors. The Veterans Memorial Park was renovated, with the dedication on June 5, 2017. This renova-tion pays homage to the rich history of veterans and the unique relationship between the California Veterans Home and the Town of Yountville. And finally, the GIS Mapping Project has begun. It in-cludes visuals of Development Projects in various phases. Hope to see all of you in Sacramento on Septem-ber 13th for the City Clerks Workshop.

cabinet shop in Twentynine Palms, California for 10 years. The owner of the business was closing down and therefore, Kathie found herself in search of a new job. In December of 1992, the City of Twen-tynine Palms was in its infancy, and ran an ad in the local paper for a Public Information Officer. Kathie applied and was interviewed. As she left the inter-view, she thought to herself that she would not be offered the job because she basically told the City Manager off. During the interview, she was asked

(Continued on page 6)

For 25 years, Kathie Hart has served the cities of Twentynine Palms, Desert Hot Springs, and Palm Springs. Like many of us, Kathie came into the City Clerk pro-f e s s i o n b y ch ance . Ka th i e worked for a local contractor/lumber yard/hardware store/

REGION 7

P A G E 6 V O L U M E 1 8 , I S S U E 9

Region 7 Member Spotlight Cont. the same question multiple times but in a slightly different man-ner. She finally said to him, “I do not mean to be disrespectful, but didn’t you ask me the same question in different ways two other times al-ready?” Within an hour, City Hall called and offered her the

job. It wasn't until later that she told her City Manager what her thoughts were. The City Manager shared his intent, which was the need to see how far he would be able to push her and how would she handle it. In June of 1993, Kathie was offered an opportunity to either become the Secretary to the City Manager/Deputy City Clerk or an Accounting Technician. In her previous job, she was responsible for accounts payable/receivables, payroll, and all taxes. Not sure which direction she should go, the City Manager recommended that she remain in administra-tion as there would be likely be more advancement oppor-tunities. Kathie had a wonderful City Clerk and City Manager in the City of Twentynine Palms, who mentored and groomed her to be the City Clerk she is today. One of Kathie’s BIGGEST challenges during her tenure was when a group of citizens attempted to recall the Mayor and entire City Council when she served as the City Clerk for the City of Desert Hot Springs. Kathie was respected during the entire process, even when she provided information that they did not want to hear. Kathie accomplished that by ensuring that all parties, including the proponents, Mayor and Council, City Manager and City Attorney, all received the same information. She stayed consistent with the dis-bursing of information and followed the letter of the law. In the end, she gained the trust of all the parties by remaining neutral and only providing the facts. When asked “how do you do it?” Kathie’s response was “as the City Clerk I only look at the facts and my world is very black and white with very little gray. In nearly everything I do, it is governed by federal or state law, the City’s municipal code, or policies put in place by the City Council. I have always listened, remained neutral, and per-formed my fiduciary duties as prescribed by State law in a professional and friend-ly manner.” Kathie’s proudest achievement was in November 1999. The

Office of the City Clerk in Desert Hot Springs participated in a pilot electronic voting program. As the County was planning to go County-wide with electronic voting, the City of Desert Hot Springs was the FIRST in the region to offer this new technology to the voters. Working in concert with the Riverside County Registrar of Voters and the media, Kathie accomplished getting the media to write stories in the local newspapers, the local TV station helped promote it on the evening news, and even spoke at many of the ser-vice club meetings in Desert Hot Springs introducing this new technology. During the Early Voting period, voters were coming to Desert Hot Springs to vote from all over the Coachella Valley. Kathie says that she's been very blessed. Her career would not have been possible without the support of her husband of almost 38 years. Together they have two adult boys and a 9-year old granddaughter. After 25 years in the City Clerk profession, Kathie has decided to retire. Her hus-band’s health has been a concern for a number of years, and recently it has become a greater concern. He asked her to retire so that they are able to travel before it’s too late. Deciding to retire suddenly was very emotional and difficult for her; however, once it sunk in and they started making post-retirement plans. She is now definitely looking forward to retirement. Kathie’s first year of retirement will be full of traveling. She and her husband plan to travel to various places including the San Francisco Bay Area for Christmas; Arizona, Disney World; a cruise; Hawaii; Missouri where her youngest son and 9 year old granddaughter reside; and perhaps some impromptu trips to the beach. After taking some time to

adjust to retirement, Kathie would like to give back to her community by doing some volunteer work. Now we celebrate Kathie's retire-ment and wish her well on her next adventure. I would like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude for her wisdom, advice, and mentorship that she's provided myself, as well as many other Clerks. Lastly, Kathie would like to leave us with the following advice: "Always be true to both yourself and others. Do not

compromise your principles. Remember, we only have our integ-rity and no one can take it away."

P A G E 7

O F F I C I A L W O R D

CCAC Diamond Sponsor

P A G E 8 V O L U M E 1 8 , I S S U E 9 CCAC Diamond Sponsor

P A G E 9

O F F I C I A L W O R D

CCAC Diamond Sponsor

P A G E 1 0 V O L U M E 1 8 , I S S U E 9 CCAC Gold Sponsor

P A G E 1 1

O F F I C I A L W O R D

CCAC Silver Sponsor

P A G E 1 2 V O L U M E 1 8 , I S S U E 9

Jose Jasso, MMC, President Assistant City Clerk, Santa Clara (408) 615-2222, jjasso@santaclaraca.gov

Wendy Klock-Johnson, MMC, First Vice-President Assistant City Clerk, Sacramento (916) 808-7509, wkjohnson@cityofsacramento.org

Stephanie Smith, MMC, Second Vice-President City Clerk, Lake Forest (949) 461-3421, sdsmith@lakeforestca.gov

Britt Avrit, MMC, Recording Secretary City Clerk, Lancaster (661) 723-6020, bavrit@cityoflancasterca.org

Randi Johl-Olson, JD, MMC, Legislative Director City Clerk, Temecula (951) 694-6421, randi.johl@cityoftemecula.org

Mitzi Ortiz, MMC, Communications Director City Clerk, Aliso Viejo (949) 425-2506, mortiz@cityofalisoviejo.com

Susan Domen, MMC, Treasurer City Clerk, Lake Elsinore (951) 674-3124 x262, sdomen@lake-elsinore.org

Dawn Abrahamson, MMC, Professional Dev Director City Clerk, Vallejo (707) 648-4528, dawn.abrahamson@cityofvallejo.net

April Sousa, Region 1 Director City Clerk, Blue Lake (707) 668-5655, cityclerk@bluelake.ca.gov

Mindy Cuppy, MMC, Region 2 Director City Clerk, Rancho Cordova (916) 851-8721, mcuppy@cityofranchocordova.org

Nora Pimentel, CMC, Region 3 Director City Clerk, Tracy (209) 831-6105, nora.pimentel@ci.tracy.ca.us

Luisa Zavala, CMC, Region 4 Director Deputy City Clerk, Porterville (559) 782-7464, lzavala@ci.porterville.ca.us

Ricca Charlon, CMC, Region 5 Director City Clerk, Ridgecrest (760) 499-5002, rcharlon@ridgecrest-ca.gov

Vicki Kasad, MMC, Region 6 Director Assistant City Clerk, Ontario (909) 395-2166, vkasad@ontarioca.gov

Jerryl Soriano, CMC, Region 7 Director City Clerk, Desert Hot Springs (760) 329-6411 x107, jsoriano@cityofdhs.org

Diane Caldwell, CMC, Region 8 Director City Clerk, El Centro (760) 337-4515, dcaldwell@cityofelcentro.org

Kerry Bigelow, MMC, Region 9 Director Assistant City Clerk, Chula Vista (619) 407-3590, kbigelow@chulavistaca.gov

Denise Basham, MMC, Region 10 Director City Clerk, Cypress (714) 229-6683, dbasham@ci.cypress.ca.us

Anthony Mejia, MMC, Region 11 Director Chief City Clerk, South Pasadena (626) 403-7232, amejia@southpasadenaca.gov

Michelle Ascencion, CMC, Region 12 Director City Clerk, City of Oxnard (805) 385-7805, michelle.ascencion@oxnard.org

Tom Graves, MMC, Region 13 Director City Clerk, Hollister (831) 636-4300 x16, tom.graves@hollister.ca.gov

Deborah L. Padovan, CMC, Region 14 Director City Clerk, Los Altos Hills (650) 947-2513, dpadovan@losaltoshills.ca.gov

Margaret Wimberly, MMC, Region 15 Director City Clerk, Brentwood (925) 516-5182, mwimberly@brentwoodca.gov

Kathy Flamson, CMC, Region 16 Director City Clerk, Calistoga (707) 942-2807, kflamson@ci.calistoga.ca.us

Byron Pope, MMC, Immediate Past President City Clerk, Beverly Hills (310) 285-2401, bpope@beverlyhills.org

2016-17 CCAC Board of Directors