STEWARDSHIP REPORT 2024
STEWARDSHIP REPORT 2024
2024 was an active and impactful year for CAJPA, marked by focused initiatives and exciting firsts. Focus on enhanced advocacy and professional development and our first podcast and first Southern California Finance and Technology Spring Summit.
The three CAJPA pillars – Accreditation, Professional Development, and Advocacy – remained the Leadership’s priorities.
In June 2024, the CAJPA Board of Directors held their annual strategic planning session. PRISM’s Rick Brush facilitated the session, and several priorities were identified:
• Develop a plan to enhance advocacy to protect JPAs’ financial resources
• Revisit the accreditation process
• Re-examine CAJPA’s governance structure and staffing needs
• Evaluate the current education model
• Improve communication efforts
• Modernize operations
• Consider a special funding initiative to support key priorities
• Position CAJPA as a one-stop shop for JPAs
To focus efforts into the near future, two areas were prioritized by leadership:
Enhanced Advocacy received the most votes with a clear goal of protecting public funds, community services and local education. The Board identified several potential efforts to elevate and expand efforts in one of CAJPA’s three pillars.
Evaluating our Education Model (Content and delivery and California focused) came in number two with the Board wanting to build a strategy that included updating the Summit Series, focusing on governance training, partnerships with organizations like AGRiP and how CAJPA builds its conference program.
The final priorities were set for discussion at future meetings which included Governance/Staff Support and the Modernization of CAJPA.
These strategic priorities have guided CAJPA’s 2024 initiatives and shaped the ongoing delivery of its core member benefits.
LEADERSHIP, ASSOCIATION STAFF, AND CONSULTANTS
The Board of Directors for 2024 was:
Craig Schweikhard, President
Marinda Griese, Vice President
Gina Dean, Past President
Cindy Wilkerson, Treasurer
Dave George, Secretary
Robert Greenfield, Director
Alex Smith, Director
Brooks Rice, Director
Beth Lyons, Director
With the retirement of President Schweikhard, CAJPA’s leadership changed in October 2024. New officers were elected:
President Marinda Griese
Vice President Dave George
Secretary Beth Lyons
Treasurer Alex Smith
CAJPA is supported by an association management team provided by Smith Moore & Associates (SMA). CAJPA and SMA partnership started in 2011. CAJPA’s professional team includes:
Catherine Smith, Executive Director
Carmen Berry, Deputy Executive Director
Teri Anticevich, Conference Director
Audie Whitt, Communications Director
Melissa Feltz, Account Coordinator
Jessica Harris, Account Assistant
Beth Ramirez, Sponsorship and Exhibitor Coordinator
Sandy Goree, Accounting
Faith Borges, Legislative Advocate.
David McMurchie, Legal Counsel
FINANCIAL PICTURE (UNAUDITED)
Clean 2023 Audit – completed in 2024. Assets/Reserves
$539,972 (LAIF and Money Market)
Revenues/Expenditures
$1,270,656.49/$1,009,083.45
Budget v. Actual
The Accreditation Committee continues to improve the standards and oversee a thriving program. They continue to build the accreditation bench bringing on new committee members and consultants. David deBernardi chairs the Accreditation Committee with Christy Patterson serving as Vice Chair.
The CAJPA Cast has been a successful venture and created an additional revenue stream through sponsorships and member engagement. So far there have been three podcasts to go live on the following streaming platforms: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music with 107 total downloads – this does not included listeners. Two out of three podcasts have secured sponsorships totaling $2,000 in revenue. Staff are working on sponsorship packages to be made available.
Technology
Number of Committee Members 17
Number of New Committee Members 0
The Communications Committee under the leadership of Lois Gormley continues to look for opportunities to expand communications with members and establish communication channels that go deeper into our member pools. While CAJPA remains active on social media and provides the CAJPA Weekly e-news that is distributed every Thursday. One of the priorities for 2024 was to include a legislative article in the Weekly when appropriate and add a podcast. The Committee successfully launch their first CAJPA Cast hosted by board member Amy Conley in the fall of 2024. Providing additional communication avenue to CAJPA members.
The restructured the Technology Committee divided into two subcommittees – Best Practices and Education continued to support the goals in 2024. In partnership with the Finance Committee, a successful Spring Summit was held in Southern California in 2024 (see Conference, Events and Other Educational Offerings). The Technology Committee Best Practices subcommittee continues to collaborate with the Accreditation Committee on updates to reflect current technology usage and cyber security.
Finance
Number of Committee Members
30
Number of New Committee Members 0
The Finance Committee, in partnership with the Technology Committee, held a successful Spring Summit in Southern California (see Conference, Events and Other Educational Offerings). The committee collaborated with staff to launch the new tiered dues structure for membership year 2025.
Number of Committee Members 9
Number of New Committee Members 0
LITL Programs virtual and in person. Well attended and sponsored.
Goals for 2024
• Provide virtual programs at no cost to members.
• Six programs annually (2 in person/ 4 virtually)
Legal Affairs
Number of Committee Members 5
Number of AMICUS Briefs Reviewed
3The Legal Affairs Committee (LAC) reviews requests for amicus support from California public agencies and determines what type of support, if any, CAJPA should provide. It also compiles a year in review case law update for the annual conference and organizes a speaking session on the topic at the conference.
Legislative Committee
Number of Committee Members 24 Number of New Committee Members 2
of Bills Introduced 2,124
2024 was the second year of the two-year session. The Legislative Committee focused on bills that would impact the financial health, operations, or governance of public risk pools and by extension, the ability of the member local agencies to serve their constituents. The committee is made up of members of the five subcommittees (JPA, Loss Control, Workers’ Compensation, Tort & Liability (TL), and Healthcare). Robin Flint serves as the CAJPA Legislative Chair with Jackie Miller serving as the Vice Chair. Legislative Advocate Faith Borges supports the committee along with CAJPA staff. Through the CAJPA Weekly and emails, staff kept CAJPA members informed about key bills and engaged them in grassroots advocacy when needed. CAJPA continues to support the Legislative Data Portal by updating the membership in each legislative district every two years. One of the goals going into 2024 was the enhance “offensive advocacy” which was the number one priority by the Board at the June 2024 planning session. The committee continues to look at tort reform, public entity liability, impact of AB 218, and nuclear verdicts. The committee also supported CAJPA’s data collection efforts.
Professional Development
Number of Committee Members 12
Number of New Committee Members 0
This year was the second for the involvement of the Annual Conference Subcommittee which focuses solely on the conference program allowing the Professional Development Committee to look at all the organization’s educational offerings and make plans for expanding our education program. The recent membership satisfaction survey indicated there is interest in having higher-level education courses and regional in nature. One of the goals for 2024 was to reintroduce CAJPA’s scholarship programs with the help of the Communications Committee for messaging. There was also a deep focus on surveying the membership to expand on the new Outreach peak of the Summit Series. This data will be used in the future to create succession and retention in the industry.
CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS
Spring Finance, Technology & HR Workshop
Number of Attendees 100 Number of sponsors 11 Total Revenue $7,477
The CAJPA Spring Summit was held on May 19 –May 21, 2024, at the Embassy Suites Anaheim South in Garden Grove, CA. This allowed Southern California CAJPA members to attend a local educational offering, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
Pooling Academy
Number of CAJPA Learners
Number of Courses Released
104
7
CAJPA has been partnering with AGRiP and NLC Risk both financially and collaboratively in support of the online Pooling Academy. In 2024 the program launched seven new courses listed below:
• Everyone at a Pool Works in Member Services
• Build Your Pool’s Brand
• Attract and Retain Pool Members
• Measure Member Engagement
• Governance Modes and Models
• Roles and Expectations of a Pool Governing Body Member
• Fiduciary Obligations in Pool Governance
• Hot Topic: Build a Better Member Experience
Annual Conference
The 2024 annual conference was held September 9-11, 2024, in South Lake Tahoe’s new Tahoe Blue Event Center. This change in venue (after decades of being in the same properties) certainly added new twists and turns to conference planning and the program flow. The move to the event center was due to continued remodeling of CAJPA’s usual properties. Overall, the conference was a tremendous success at the event center with attendees being understanding of all the changes. As in CAJPA style, the sessions were current and engaging, the keynotes inspiring, and the exhibit hall busting with services, products, and relationship building.
The conference theme was “CAJPA 2024: Cultivating Change.” The conference continued to offer “loose” tracks to help attendees select sessions. The opening keynote was Eric Boyles, and the conference closed with our annual legislative update and political insider Mike Madrid (CAJPA favorite!).
Number of total attendees: 957
Number of exhibitors: 63 (including sponsor exhibit booths)
Number of sponsors: 30
Total revenues: $796,930
expenses: $392,437
Income: $404,493
Big news for 2025, CAJPA will be hosting its first annual conference in Monterey! CAJPA has been holding its annual conference in the South Lake Tahoe for decades, so this venue change is both exciting and scary. CAJPA hopes to return in 2027 when the remodel is settled, and our attendees can experience a high level of customer service they have come to enjoy.
LITL
Number of Attendees
March 27 (virtual) 47
July 19 (virtual) 32
July 24 (virtual) 62
August 21 (in person) 41
October 24 (in person) 32
November 12 (virtual) 62
March 27 0
July 19 0
July 24 0
August 21 (in person) 1
October 24 (in person) 1
November 12 0
Total Revenue
$3,247.69
CAJPA held six LITL Programs in 2024, four virtual and two in person. The Board also made the decision at the 2023 strategic planning meeting to no longer charge members for virtual LITL Programs, so we did see a slight revenue decrease in 2024.
Legislative Action Day
In 2024, CAJPA returned to hosting Legislative Action Day (LAD). Due to all the new legislators and staff, in 2023 the format was more educational than advocacy. The goal last year was to introduce them to risk sharing pools, the value and role of the JPAs, and legislative issues that CAJPA engages on behalf of the members.
LAD is a member benefit and there is no charge to attend for CAJPA members or members of their pools.
LAD was held on April 3, 2024, at the California Chamber of Commerce conference center. In addition to CAJPA’s legislative update and team preparations, there was a presentation by Jennifer Henning, Executive Director of the County Counsels Association on homelessness and Dylan Hoffman, Executive Director for CA/SW Tech Net spoke on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Risk Management Practitioner (RMP)
CAJPA is a supporter of the Risk Management Practitioner Program (RMP) and staff continue to attend their meetings and provide support as needed. The program provides a certificate, has received strong reviews, and offers networking opportunities.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Public Entity Data Collection Project
In 2018, recognizing the negative litigation, judgment, and coverage trends being experienced by CAJPA members, the Board entered into an agreement with Greg Trout, Trout Consulting, to a look at the feasibility of compiling data to start building a repository of information to look at public policy changes to reverse or deter these trends. In his final report, Mr. Trout concluded, “Tort liability costs are a growing issue facing public entities in California.
The costs of claims, driven by unexpectedly high jury verdicts, settlements, and defense costs, are putting severe financial pressure on public entities (cities, counties, special districts, K-12 school districts, and public higher educational institutions). Such entities have experienced, or are expecting, dramatic cost increases. There are also serious concerns that coverage from excess insurance and reinsurance companies will become more difficult to secure. And, if available, the cost for such coverages will be substantially higher and coverages will be significantly reduced, either in the form of higher self-insured retentions, lower policy limits, or more restrictive coverage (exclusions will be added for high-risk exposures). The financial strain from these phenomena is causing a reduction in the ability of public entities to provide necessary public services.” He encouraged the CAJPA Board to support efforts to begin to collect data that can be used to tell the story of public entity liability exposure and seek reforms.
Based on Mr. Trout’s conclusion that it is possible and desirable to collect public entity liability/claims data, an RFP was sent out to identify potential consultants to undertake the collection and analysis of public entity liability data.
In 2019, Aon was selected to undertake the next phases of the public entity liability/claims data project. Among other challenges, the effort took place during the global pandemic.
In February 2022, Aon presented its final report with an analysis of the data collected and the following recommendations:
• Create a campaign to educate the legislature on the results of this study
• Contemplate what the data says about expenses of large losses
• Consider periodically updating the data to keep it fresh
• Develop a version of the report that is suitable for public distribution
The Board appointed a new Data Collection Working Group during the 2023 strategic planning session. There are two clear initiatives in this project: to develop clear goals and objectives for the project and identify resources needed to update the data. This effort was led by Director Beth Lyons and guided by Director Alex Smith. The Board reaffirmed its commitment to lead these efforts at the 2024 planning session as part of the Enhanced Advocacy priority.
In 2024, an RFP was distributed to seek a consultant/ firm to assist CAJPA in continuing to gather data and perform analysis on public entity liability claims, trends, and judgments. Polco was selected as the consultant to lead this next effort which was launched in September 2024.
Legislative Data Portal
CAJPA Staff collects data from all members to determine how many people CAJPA represents in each legislative district. This data includes pool employees and their members employees. This data is used by Legislative Advocate Faith Borges as well as CAJPA members when attending LAD to show legislative members who we represent in their districts. One of CAJPA’s goals continues to be to increase the number of CAJPA members who provide their data for this portal.
MEMBERSHIP
JPA Member Retention Rate
Associate Member Retention Rate
Affiliate Member Retention Rate
CAJPA saw a renewal of all 90 JPA Members, 64 of 74 Associate Members and three of the three 2023 Affiliate Members in 2024. In 2023, the Board approved a recommendation from the Finance Committee to transition to a tiered membership structure to be launched with 2025 renewals.
CONCLUSION
This stewardship report offers a snapshot of CAJPA’s accomplishments in 2024. As the voice of California’s public entity risk-sharing pools, CAJPA continues to lead with purpose—while also expanding its influence nationally through enhanced collaboration with the Association of Governmental Risk Pools (AGRiP) and NLC Risk.
Our foundation remains strong, anchored by dedicated leadership, engaged volunteers, and committed staff. Three key indicators of a successful association—fiscal stability, membership retention, and member participation—continue to reflect CAJPA’s strength. We’ve maintained a clean annual audit and remain financially secure. Our membership retention is remarkable, with 100% of Regular Members and 86% of Associate Members renewing their commitment.
Participation across all offerings—including the annual conference, LITL programs, and spring workshop—continues to exceed expectations. Guided by the Board, CAJPA is actively advancing efforts to address litigation, claims, coverage, and judgments that significantly impact our members and their public entities.