Happy Fall CCAC! Has everyone decided what they’re going to be for Halloween? I’ve been Michael Myers the last two years so it might be time to switch it up. Looking forward to seeing pictures of everyone’s creative costume choices next month! It’s certainly been a busy last month for CCAC so let’s dive into some updates.
At a special meeting on August 28, 2023, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the contract with Cal State San Marcos to provide CCAC’s future CMC and MMC academies starting in February 2024. The next step in the process is for our new institute directors to finalize the institute proposal to submit to IIMC for final program approval.
Once the new institute is approved by IIMC, it will be the only State-approved institute that qualifies to earn 1 point for every 2 hours of education. Only institutes sponsored by a State association can qualify for this higher point value. Any other education institutes offered in the State will not be able to match this point value.
Also at that August 28th meeting, the Board of Directors approved a letter of support for the City of Huntington Beach’s City Clerks Office, as a result of the disparaging remarks that were made by the City Attorney of Huntington Beach pertaining to the City Clerk profession.
The best part of this effort is that we received over 160 additional signatures from the CCAC membership to sign off on the letter. This was a great display of unity and collaboration! I also want to thank 2nd Vice President Ashton Arocho for attending the Huntington Beach City Council meeting and reading the letter during public comment.
I’m excited to announce my candidacy to be the next Region IX Director for the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC)! The CCAC Board of Directors unanimously approved the endorsement of my candidacy at last week’s Board meeting. I want to thank the Board for their trust in me and I look forward to representing all of you at IIMC once my term as CCAC President is complete in April 2024.
Last week, I attended the League of California Cities Annual Conference where I completed my term as President of the City Clerk Department for Cal Cities. We accomplished a lot of necessary and important changes for the Department over the last year that was highlighted with the bylaw amendment that now allows the City Clerk Department to hold elections separate from CCAC.
I was honored to pass the gavel to newly sworn-in Department President Jessica Blair. I’m looking forward to her leadership for the City Clerk Department over the next year.
While we were in Sacramento attending the Cal Cities Annual Conference, we took the opportunity to meet with Karl Baur, the new Executive Director for CCAC. We look forward to working with Karl and the team at Association Resource Center!
Interested in serving on the CCAC Board of Directors? The annual election for CCAC is right around the corner! The nomination period will open up in November 2023. The following positions will be on the ballot:
6. Director of Conferences
7. Director of Mentor Development
8. Director of Networking
9. Director of Scholarships
Keep a lookout for the notice of nominations and consider throwing your hat in the ring and serving the members of CCAC!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our quarterly Pop with the President event! We had over 60 members on the zoom call, which is the highest attendance thus far for this event. Save the date for the next Pop with the President event on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.
Special thanks to Tom Diebert with Netfile who graciously gave away five gift cards to a few lucky individuals during the event!
As always, please feel free to reach out to me at mdonohue@eastvaleca.gov or (951) 703-4421.
CCAC has just learned that one of our very own, June Lemos, the City Clerk from the City of Fort Bragg, has been diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer and is currently hospitalized at Adventist Mendocino Coast Hospital in Fort Bragg. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy and is quite ill. For those who don’t know June, she’s an exceptional City Clerk and an even better person. For those that do know June, you’ve probably had the pleasure of getting to know her at the many CCAC education sessions and annual conferences she’s attended over the years.
June’s family has set up a go fund me page for her. You can donate in the following link: Fundraiser for June Lemos by Emily Lemos : Help June Fight Ovarian Cancer (gofundme.com). If you would like to send her a kind message, please reach out to her sister, Jone Lemos, at jlemos@mcn.org
Thank you,
Marc A. Donohue CCAC President
Happy September!
Is anyone else ready for cooler weather, fluffy blankets, and pumpkin spice everything? Just me? Well, let’s move on to this month’s Mentor Program Update, then.
First, I’d like to update you on the status of mentor assignments from past trainings:
I’ve been focusing this last month on the first-time attendees and graduates at this month’s Technical Training for Clerks. While there were only 19 first-time attendees this time around, there were 41 graduates! Being able to notify their mentors of their achievement has been incredibly rewarding. I can’t wait to see how they all celebrate the occasion and how many of the graduates earn their CMC now that they’ve completed all of the requirements for the education side of their CMC application.
Did you know that out of 4,533 CMCs in the world as of July 2023, 587 of them are from California? And out of 1,402 MMCs in the world as of July 2023, 181 are California Clerks. We have more CMCs and MMCs than any other state or country, and personally, I’ll take any reason to celebrate. So, as we close out summer and enter fall and the holidays, join me in celebrating our graduates, our profession, and the gift of life.
While we’re celebrating, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate our newly designated Certified Municipal Clerks and Master Municipal Clerks. These individuals have confirmed their commitment to our unique and awesome profession, and I, along with their mentors, colleagues, and agencies, am so proud of their hard work and dedication.
CMC
Bridgette Burton, CMC - Management Analyst/Board Secretary - Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency, CA
Sarah Pimentel, CMC - Administrative Assistant III - City of Lathrop, CA
Kelsey Pettijohn, CMC - City Clerk - City of Malibu, CA
Jennifer Torres, CMC - City Clerk - City of Portola Valley, CA
Maximillion H. Overland, CMC - Deputy Clerk of the Board - Santa Clara Valley Water District, CA
Maria O. Martinez, CMC - Administrative Manager/City Clerk - City of Wasco, CA
Katrina M. Six, CMC - Deputy City Clerk I - City of Roseville, CA
Katie Young, CMC - Secretary to the District - Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, CA
Thomas Schmiderer, MMC - Assistant City Clerk - City of Oceanside, CA
Angelica Avila, MMC - City Clerk - City of Indian Wells, CA
As most are aware, the CCAC Board approved updates to the Scholarship Policy at its August Special Board Meeting. Since then, then I have received many inquiries and questions regarding the updates and how that impacts the scholarship process. The revisions to the Scholarship Policy include the following:
• Revised the application and created two separate applications: one for CMC candidates and one for MMC candidates.
• Changed the scholarship filing period from two rounds to one round per fiscal year. Scholarships will be awarded beginning November 1 of each year. Scholarships will be awarded until the scholarship funds are depleted. Scholarships must be used within the fiscal year awarded.
• Changed the scoring method in the applications. The changes include eliminating the minimum of 30 points for applicants to qualify for a scholarship. This will ensure newer clerks will have the opportunity to receive scholarships.
• Application forms were updated to reflect the above changes and will be submitted online. We are still working on the details on getting this fully online. More to come on this!
• Updated the policy to clarify that applicants who have earned an MMC are not eligible to receive a scholarship. This upholds the goal of the scholarship program, which is to support our members in participating in education and training offerings, and helping our membership achieve their CMC or MMC.
Please keep an eye out for an email with more information on the scholarship filing period in the coming weeks.
For more information on scholarship opportunities or volunteering on the Fundraising Committee, please contact Sylvia Bermudez, Director of Scholarships at sbermudez@cvwd.org
It is so hard to believe it is already September! Your CCAC Board has met what seems like almost weekly in attempts to move the organization forward. Great things are happening within the organization and the members are going to reap the benefits. As Treasurer I am excited for what is to come!
CCAC finances are in great shape and we sit strong as an organization. Your CCAC Board works tirelessly to care for ‘your’ funds.
Below is a snapshot of the financials as of the end of July.
As always, I am only an email away if you have a question about the financials, budget, etc. I can be reached at rcharlon@ridgecrest-ca.gov
As we move toward October, we are moving right along with our shift to the new CMC/MMC Institutes! While some may be anxious about what this shift means for them, rest assured we are hard at work behind the scenes making sure it is as seamless as possible for our members.
Since last month’s update, at a special meeting on August 28, 2023, the Board unanimously approved the contract with San Marcos to provide the new CMC/MMC Institute starting in 2024.
Pending final review by the Education Committee, CCAC anticipates that the IIMC proposal will be submitted in the coming weeks. This last step of the process will provide CCAC formal approval of the new program to ensure that the members earn the higher academy points.
Once the new institute is approved, it will be the only state-approved institute that qualifies to earn 1 point for every 2 hours of education. Only institutes sponsored by a state association can qualify for this higher point value.
If you missed the dates last month, below are the dates for the first cycle of the new institute.
2024
February 20-23 (CMC 100)
June 18-21 (MMC)
October 22-25 (CMC 200)
2025
February 18-21 (CMC 300)
June 17-20 (MMC)
October 21-24 (CMC 400)
For more information, please feel free to contact the CCAC President or Professional Development Director
Did you know that the Institute for Local Government not only provides resources for elected officials, but provides valuable on demand webinars in areas we have responsibility for as municipal clerks. Topics such as new campaign contribution regulations, keeping public meetings accessible, social media and public engagement practices, just to name a few. There is also a wealth of resources for your professional growth. Whether you are a new or seasoned clerk, engage in expanding your leadership skills as a manager or local agency staff member.
Did you know that the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has historically offered free online ethics training in compliance with AB1234, and that they will discontinue this service as of January 1, 2024? As you look for other options for you, your staff and elected officials ILG offers in person training, as well as on demand training for individuals at a nominal cost. For more information contact Melissa Kuehne, mkuehne@ca-ilg.org. You can also opt into their newsletter and get information about all upcoming webinar and training opportunities.
Check out these upcoming education opportunities through CCAC! You can always find up-todate information on the CCAC website community calendar. For questions, please feel free to email pdd@californiacityclerks.org
We've moved Granicus University to a new Learning Management System (LMS). Granicus University is now so much more! Granicus University is now even better! We've moved our monthly training webinars into our brand-new Learning Management System (LMS).
Register now for Granicus’ Training Resources LMS to enroll in our free training courses. (See September’s schedule below.) You’ll also have access to an extensive library of on-demand recorded webinars and any other trainings that may be assigned to you.
As always, our free monthly training webinars will include aspects of govAccess, govDelivery/ EngagementHQ, govMeetings, govService, and GovQA. Please note: Each webinar (excluding UK and ANZ) is scheduled in Pacific Time.
Please note: Each webinar (excluding UK and ANZ Webinars) is scheduled in Pacific Time.
