Blogs

Federal Legislative Updates: Week of March 30, 2026

By Morgan Leskody posted 23 hours ago
House and Senate Action T he House and Senate are out of session and return the week of April 13. DHS Funding Senate Majority Leader John Thune (S-SD) said he’s working with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to find an agreement on DHS funding after House Republicans rejected the Senate’s compromise Friday and passed their own clean 60-day continuing resolution. The House bill passed 213-203 . However, Senate Democrats signaled that they would only support the Senate’s DHS funding measure, which excluded ICE and CBP funding. As the shutdown nears a second month, President Trump signed a memo that could allow TSA workers to ...

Smart Cash Flow and Management Practices for California Special Districts

By Morgan Leskody posted 23 hours ago
This article originally appeared in the 2026 January/February issue of the California Special Districts magazine. By; California CLASS Relationship Team For California special districts, a sound cash flow and cash management practices are the foundation for delivering services, planning capital projects and navigating economic uncertainty. Regardless of your special district size, having a clear grip on your cash flow is critical to making smart financial decisions and maintaining long-term stability. Understanding Cash Flow Cash flow refers to the timing and movement of money in and out of special districts. A good cash flow forecast brings ...

Last Call: Student Video Contest Closes Tomorrow

By Kristin Withrow posted yesterday
There’s still time—but not much. The Districts Make the Difference Student Video Contest closes tomorrow, March 31, and high school students across the country are already stepping up. Entries have come in from 21 states so far, showing just how far the message is spreading. Open to students in grades 9–12, the contest invites participants to create a short (60 seconds or less) video showcasing how special districts make a difference in their communities—from clean water and fire protection to parks and public safety. The opportunity is simple, creative, and impactful. There’s no essay required, and submissions are judged on creativity, accuracy, production ...

NSDA Growing Stronger with Six New States

By Morgan Leskody posted yesterday
By: National Special Districts Association Since its formal establishment in January 2025, the National Special Districts Association (NSDA) has rapidly emerged as the unified national voice for special districts across the United States. From the outset, NSDA set an ambitious goal: to achieve representation in all 50 states by the end of 2027. Just one year later, that vision is on the road to becoming reality. Over the past year alone, NSDA has welcomed 12 new members, including nine individual special districts and three statewide associations, while expanding representation into six new states. This growth reflects both the increasing demand for a coordinated ...

Over 200 District Leaders Will Meet With 90 Legislative Offices on Priority Issues

By Morgan Leskody posted yesterday
By; @Kyle Packham On April 7, more than 200 special district leaders will join together at the State Capitol to meet with nearly 90 legislative offices as part of Special Districts Legislative Days . The office visits, pre-arranged by CSDA, allow attendees to bridge the gap between state policymakers and local service specialists. Legislative priorities on this year’s agenda include advocating for local flexibility in the use of emerging technology that makes local service delivery more affordable, as well as protecting special districts from the looming threat of local property tax diversions. Those already registered for this important opportunity to ...

Grants Update: Week of March 30, 2026

By Morgan Leskody posted yesterday
Check out the new "Federal Grant Funding Outlook for Special Districts in 2026" resource for NSDA members! These slides are intended to provide an overview of FY 2026 funding, help structure your grant planning strategy, and highlight NSDA Grants resources. We also invite you to complete the 2026 NSDA Grants Survey to help us better understand your familiarity with federal grants and your interest in pursuing these opportunities. Your responses will enable us to tailor resources and support to better meet your needs. Feedback from this survey will also shape the topics for upcoming NSDA Grants Brownbag sessions scheduled for April 16, July 16, & September ...

Edison Fire Protection District Receives more than $218,000 in Grants to Strengthen Rural Emergency Services

By Kristin Withrow posted 5 days ago
This article originally appeared at koaa.com news on February 25, 2026. EDISON, Colo. (KOAA) — Following their busiest year to date, the Edison Fire Protection District (EFPD) cut its emergency response times by almost 12 minutes in 2025. EFPD released its 2025 annual report, highlighting the time reduction and more than $218,000 in grants and donations that have significantly strengthened the district's emergency services in El Paso, Lincoln, and Pueblo counties. The breakdown of the $218,325.95 in grant funding and donated equipment from 2025 can be found below: $146,825.95 – FEMA AFG SAFER Recruitment & Retention Grant $40,000 – Ambulance ...

Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act Approved in House Committee

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
In a victory for special districts across the country, last week, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved the Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act. The legislation (H.R. 2766), which is sponsored by Representatives Pat Fallon (R-TX) and Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), cleared the committee on a strong, bipartisan vote of 32-8. To view the committee's action on H.R. 2766, please click here . The discussion on the bill begins at the 8:15 mark. The Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act embodies NSDA's longstanding objective of codifying in federal law a first-ever, formal definition of special district. In addition ...

Federal Legislative Updates: Week of March 23, 2026

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
House and Senate Action The House and Senate are both in session this week. House The House is expected to consider several measures this week, including legislation related to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding and support for DHS employees amid the ongoing funding lapse. Lawmakers will also take up bills addressing the protection of U.S. property abroad. Senate The Senate will continue working on a major election-reform package (the SAVE America Act ), as Republican leaders attempt to advance the House-passed bill despite lacking the 60 votes needed for passage. At the same time, the chamber may also consider legislation ...

Grants Update: Week of March 23, 2026

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
Check out the new "Federal Grant Funding Outlook for Special Districts in 2026" resource for NSDA members! These slides provide an overview of FY 2026 funding, help structure grant planning strategies, and highlight NSDA Grants resources. We also invite you to complete the 2026 NSDA Grants Survey to help us better understand your familiarity with federal grants and interest in these opportunities. Your responses will enable us to tailor resources and shape topics for upcoming NSDA Grants Brownbag sessions scheduled for April 16, July 16, and September 9. The survey is open until March 31 and takes approximately 5-7 minutes to complete. NSDA Grants Survey ...

CSDA Co-Sponsored Pennies Bill Passes First Committee

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
By: @Lilia Hernandez This week, CSDA’s Co-Sponsored legislation, Senate Bill 1005 (Caballero) Local agency: payment: rounding amount , passed out of the Senate Local Government Committee on Consent. Because it is not a bill with a significant cost, it has been sent directly to the Senate floor for consideration. SB 1005 allows a local agency to pass a resolution adopting the bill’s provisions to grant authority to round cash transactions to the nearest five cents. This bill was introduced in response to the decision to cease production of pennies by the US Mint due to rising inflation costs of penny production - costing roughly 3.69 cents per penny. ...

How to Get Involved for Special Districts Week 2026

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
@Lilia Hernandez Assembly Member Dawn Addis from Assembly District 30 has introduced Assembly Concurrent Resolution 161 commemorating April 5 – April 11, 2026 as Special Districts Week! As California’s essential services backbone, special districts are the leading forces behind spreading awareness throughout the state to educate legislators, local elected officials, and community members on the importance of special districts in providing safe, thriving, and affordable communities. There are a variety of ways that your special district can celebrate another year of Special Districts Week 2026 through our CSDA Take Action Toolkit . Access our downloadable ...

CSDA Goes on the Record to Protect Workplace Technology Flexibility

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
By: @Lilia Hernandez CSDA recently joined its local government parters in signing onto two letters aiming to preserve public agencies’ flexibility in using workplace technology. The first measure, Assembly Bill 1883 (Bryan) , prohibits an employer from utilizing workplace surveillance technology that collects specified emotional, facial recognition, gait, and neural data. Given the broad definition of workplace surveillance technology, this bill could hinder the use of routine equipment for security, daily operations, or public health. The second measure, Assembly Bill 1898 (Schultz) , requires public agencies to provide written notice to employees, ...

CSDA Leads Opposition to Risky Employee Secret Communications Bill

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
@Aaron Avery On March 12, CSDA submitted a letter opposing Assembly Bill 1564 (Ahrens) Employer-employee relations: confidential communications . CSDA is leading a coalition opposing this bill. AB 1564 is substantially a reintroduction of AB 340 (Ahrens) and AB 2421 (Low, 2024). The prior measures were opposed by CSDA, and were defeated after they failed to advance out of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. With limited exceptions, AB 1564 would prohibit public employer questioning of a public employee, a representative of a recognized employee organization, or an exclusive representative regarding communications made in confidence between a public ...

Prepare Now to Leverage Special Districts Week

By Morgan Leskody posted 13 days ago
By: @Lilia Hernandez Assembly Member Dawn Addis (Assembly District 30) will author an Assembly Concurrent Resolution commemorating Special Districts Week, April 5 – April 11, 2026! There are a variety of ways that your special district can celebrate another year of Special Districts Week through CSDA’s Take Action Toolkit . Access our downloadable content now to pass board resolutions, send newsletter articles, press releases, and a sample letter of support to send to the author’s office and your district legislators once the measure is officially introduced. Don’t stop there! Acquire special districts week media graphics from the Take Action Toolkit ...

Federal Legislative Updates: Week of March 16, 2026

By Morgan Leskody posted 14 days ago
House The House has postponed its first votes until Tuesday afternoon due to inclement weather in the DC area. The chamber is set to consider several bipartisan public lands and natural resources bills this week, including measures focused on wildfire recovery and forest resilience. Among them is the Save Our Sequoias Act (H.R. 2709), which aims to protect California’s giant sequoia groves by accelerating science-based forest management and restoration efforts to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Lawmakers are also scheduled to vote on the Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act (H.R. 528), which would direct the Department of the Interior ...

Deadline Approaching: CSDA Board of Directors

By Morgan Leskody posted 14 days ago
CSDA Board of Directors: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS - SEAT C The California Special Districts Association Elections and Bylaws Committee is looking for independent special district board members or their general managers who are interested in leading the direction of CSDA for the 2027 - 2029 term. The leadership of CSDA is elected from its six geographical networks. Each of the six networks has three seats on the board with staggered 3-year terms. Candidates must be affiliated with an independent special district that is a CSDA Regular Member in good standing and located within the geographic network they seek to represent. The CSDA Board of Directors is the ...

Cal/OSHA Rulemaking for First Aid Kits Underway

By Morgan Leskody posted 14 days ago
By: @Lilia Hernandez The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA) is in the midst of a rulemaking to establish updated rules of compliance for first aid kits in the workplace . The proposed regulations seek to reduce injury for employees by establishing a requirement for readily accessible first aid kits for any job within three-to-four-minutes. In addition to on-site requirements, this proposed requirement on employers may have implications off-site, including the use of rental cars and other off-site work. Cal/OSHA also established a certified list of required supplies that qualify as a Class A first aid kit under the American ...

Grants Update: Week of March 16, 2026

By Morgan Leskody posted 15 days ago
Check out the new "Federal Grant Funding Outlook for Special Districts in 2026" resource for CSDA and NSDA members! These slides are intended to provide an overview of FY 2026 funding, help structure your grant planning strategy, and highlight NSDA Grants resources. We also invite you to complete the 2026 NSDA Grants Survey to help us better understand your familiarity with federal grants and your interest in pursuing these opportunities. Your responses will enable us to tailor resources and support to better meet your needs. Feedback from this survey will also shape the topics for upcoming NSDA Grants Brownbag sessions scheduled for April 16, July 16, & ...

Florida Municipal Power Announces Completion of Whistling Duck Solar Energy Center

By Kristin Withrow posted 15 days ago
Photo credit PR Newswire Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), in conjunction with participating Florida municipal electric utilities and Origis Energy, announced the completion of Whistling Duck Solar Energy Center, which is supplying nearly 75 MWac of solar electricity to four Florida communities. Whistling Duck Solar is the fourth solar site in the Florida Municipal Solar Project (FMSP) and concludes Phase II of the 300 MW project. Located in Levy County near Williston, Florida, the project supports FMPA’s participation in affordable solar energy generation for its member utilities. “As Whistling Duck commences its commercial operations, the Florida ...