Blogs

Camarillo Health Care District’s Dementia Specialty, Adult Day Center and Caregiver Center Offer a Lifeline to Families

By Morgan Leskody posted an hour ago
By Michelle Rogers, Community Services Manager, Camarillo Health Care District. More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease and nearly 12 million Americans provide unpaid care for a family member or friend living with dementia. As specialists in Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias, Camarillo Health Care District understands the challenges and adjustments families experience while living with this diagnosis. In the role of family caregiver, making decisions about such things as daily care, home safety and wandering, difficult behaviors, or the timing of other hard decisions, can be overwhelming. So, that’s why the district has ...

Take Action Month: Week 2 - You Can’t Blame Your Legislators if You Don’t Inform Them

By Morgan Leskody posted 3 hours ago
By @Kyle Packham Your elected representatives WANT to hear from you. Representing the interests of their constituents (that means you and the residents in your district) is the most important part of their job. They need to have a working understanding of what those interests are. That’s especially important when legislators are asked to vote on bills that can impact how special districts operate and provide essential services. You have the authority to lobby the State Legislature on matters of interest to your district. Given that you also represent hundreds – if not thousands – of your legislators’ constituents, yours can be a powerful voice in convincing ...

Grants Update: Week of February 9, 2026

By Morgan Leskody posted 4 hours ago
New Grant Opportunities Department of the Interior FY 2026 Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program: National Groundwater Monitoring Network WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to support data providers for the National Groundwater Monitoring Network (NGWMN) by connecting new data providers to the network and supporting existing data providers to maintain persistent data service and to enhance the NGWMN. Click here for more information. WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are state, county, city, township, and special district governments; and federally recognized Native American tribal governments that collect groundwater ...

Call for CSDA Board Nominations, Seat C

By Morgan Leskody posted 5 days ago
The Elections and Bylaws Committee is looking for Independent Special District Board Members or their General Managers who are interested in leading the direction of the California Special Districts Association 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 that they seek to represent. (View CSDA Network Map) The CSDA Board of Directors is the governing body responsible ...

Federal Legislative Update: Week of February 2, 2026

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
House and Senate Action The House and Senate are both in session this week. House House members return to Washington this week to continue their negotiations aimed at reopening the federal government following a lapse in funding that triggered a partial shutdown over the weekend. Lawmakers are expected to ease back into the legislative session by first considering a slate of noncontroversial bills focused on improving veterans’ benefits, employment readiness, and access to care before turning to the Senate-passed funding package. Senate Across Capitol Hill, the Senate will focus on nominations, while negotiations continue behind the scenes ...

Welcome New Members!

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
Welcome New Members! Recently, the CSDA Board of Directors moved to approve the latest agencies and Business Affiliates that joined CSDA. Please welcome: Digital Magnet Group Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Fenton & Keller Amador County Transportation Commission Rec Technologies Rock Solid Options Orange County Housing Finance Trust Archer Public Affairs LLC Baldwin Group Baker Manock & Jensen PC New and old members alike...are you maximizing your membership? Check out the following resources to ensure you're getting the most out of CSDA. Member Benefits CSDA Magazine RFP Clearinghouse Buyers Guide ...

2026 Local Agency Investment Guidelines

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
@Lilia Hernandez In 1981, the California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission (CDIAC) was established through Assembly Bill 1192, to serve as the state’s central clearinghouse for public finance information, initially focused on debt. They later expanded to support state and local government agencies with effective issuance, monitoring, and management of public debt and the safe investment of public funds in 1996. The CDIAC developed the Local Agency Investment Guidelines to assist local agencies, as defined by the CA Government Code Section 53600, with the implementation of existing laws for investments of public funding. Annually, staff collaborate ...

February is TAKE ACTION Month: Week 1 – Forging Legislative Relationships

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
It’s going to be a busy legislative and regulatory season again in 2026. Specific issues such as CARB’s Advanced Clean Fleet Rules and legislation related to governance, public works, and infrastructure will be critical for CSDA members, while broader legislative priorities around local control, protecting local revenue, housing infrastructure, and public funding will be important to all special districts and the communities they serve. CSDA will be leading the charge on these issues, and competition for the attention of legislators and policymakers is going to as challenging as ever – especially in an election year. That’s why it is so vital for special districts ...

CSDA Co-Sponsors Small Special District Audit Legislation

By Morgan Leskody posted 7 days ago
By @Marcus Detwiler CSDA, in partnership with the State Association of County Auditors, is co-sponsoring legislation to preserve adaptive financial reporting requirements for small special districts. Following the passage of CSDA-sponsored Assembly Bill 2613 (Achadjian, 2015) , special districts with annual revenues not in excess of $150,000 were permitted to utilize an alternative financial report, an agreed-upon procedures engagement, in lieu of a costlier financial audit. AB 2613 permitted these alternative reporting procedures until January 1, 2027. Absent any legislative intervention, smaller special districts would lose access to agreed-upon procedures ...

Grants Update: Week of February 2, 2026

By Morgan Leskody posted 11 days ago
New Grant Opportunities Department of the Interior FY 2026 Slip-on Tanker Units WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to develop and implement a pilot program to provide local governments with financial assistance to acquire slip-on tanker units to establish fleets of vehicles that can be quickly converted to be operated as fire engines. This program will provide funding for the slip-on tanker units. Click here for more information. WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are county, borough, municipality, city, town, township, parish, and special district governments; local public authorities; school districts; intrastate ...

Grants Update: Week of January 26, 2026

By Morgan Leskody posted 14 days ago
New Grant Opportunities Department of Agriculture FY 2026 Water and Waste Facility Loans and Grants to Alleviate Health Risks on Tribal Lands and Colonias WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to support low-income communities that face significant health risks resulting from the lack of access to, or the use of, adequate and affordable water or waste disposal services. Funding will support projects that will build basic drinking water and waste disposal systems, including systems to handle stormwater drainage. Click here for more information. WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Eligible applicants are state and local governments that serve eligible ...

Federal Legislative Update: Week of January 26, 2026

By Morgan Leskody posted 14 days ago
House and Senate Action The Senate is the only chamber in session this week. Senate The Senate convened this afternoon, a day later than planned due to the snow and ice storm affecting much of the region. Lawmakers will focus primarily on averting a partial government shutdown ahead of the end-of-week funding deadline (more on this below). Shutdown Risk Grows as Senate Takes Up Funding Package With the January 30 government funding deadline just days away, Congress enters a pivotal week as attention shifts to the Senate and the fate of a six-bill appropriations package advanced by the House late last week. The House cleared its final round ...

New water tunnels under Lake Travis provide a lifeline for 3 Williamson County cities (TX)

By Kristin Withrow posted 14 days ago
People walk past construction equipment in a tunnel being built underneath Lake Travis by the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority. This article was originally published by Kut News on January 8, 2026 by Kailey Hunt The Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority has reached a major milestone in the construction of its new water delivery system. All of the project's underground components, including two 11-foot-wide tunnels located underneath Lake Travis, have been completed. "The underground work, the mining, the lining of the tunnels, is all now complete, aside from minor touch ups," Aaron Archer, senior vice president at the civil engineering ...

Newly Released Edition of the Special District Uniform Accounting and Reporting Procedures

By Morgan Leskody posted 15 days ago
By: @Ophelia Szigeti The 2025 Edition of the Special District Uniform Accounting and Reporting Procedures (SPD) manual is now available on State Controller’s Office website. Special Districts are encouraged to review the updated manual by clicking here and scrolling down to “Special District Uniform Accounting and Reporting Procedures (SPD) ”. The SPD manual provides uniform accounting and reporting procedures that conform to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) as prescribed by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). The State Controller’s Office (SCO) is charged with prescribing uniform accounting and reporting procedures for ...

Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom Honored as CSDA Legislator of the Year

By Morgan Leskody posted 15 days ago
By: @Dane Wadlé Special districts in San Joaquin County and across the state recognized Assemblmember Rhodesia Ransom (AD-13) as the CSDA’ Legislator of the Year at an event held at the Stanislaus-San Joaquin Bi-County Chapter meeting last week. This annual award is presented to a lawmaker for their outstanding support of the local service specialists responsible for providing water, sanitation, healthcare, fire protection, parks, open space, resource conservation, mosquito abatement, and other essential services and infrastructure to communities throughout California. The CSDA Chapter meeting was held at the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control ...

Suspense Outcomes on Website Mandate, Pension Legislation and Other Two-Year Bills

By Morgan Leskody posted 15 days ago
By: @Ophelia Szigeti On January 22, the California State Senate and Assembly Committees on Appropriations held their respective Suspense File hearings ahead of the deadline for committees to report to the floor “two-year” bills introduced in their house of origin. Among the key bills impacting special districts were three costly measures opposed by CSDA: AB 810, AB 1439, and AB 1383. Of particular concern to CSDA and its members was AB 810 (Irwin) Local government: internet websites and email addresses , which would have required local government agencies, including special districts, to adhere to a specified website format which would have included ...

Water rescue conducted on Missouri River near Chamois (MO)

By Kristin Withrow posted 18 days ago
This article was originally published by the Maries County Advocate December 31, 2025 by Elise Brochu, Staff Writer CHAMOIS — A water rescue on the Missouri River concluded safely Saturday morning after two adult paddlers and a dog were located and returned to shore near Chamois. According to the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched after receiving a call from the paddlers, who had spent the night on the river. One of the paddlers later said dense morning fog made it unsafe to continue. Deputies responded alongside the Chamois Fire Protection District, using an Osage County Sheriff’s Office rescue boat to reach the paddlers. ...

Federal Legislative Update: Week of January 19, 2025

By Morgan Leskody posted 20 days ago
House and Senate Action The House is the only chamber in session this week. House House leaders are nearing the finish line on the full slate of FY 2026 appropriations, with a four-bill minibus expected to move this week, roughly 10 days ahead of the January 30 funding deadline. The package is expected to include Defense, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-HUD, along with several potential add-ons that have bipartisan support. While appropriators are optimistic about the outcome, the package does face some headwinds. For example, funding for the Department of Homeland Security is expected to be particularly contentious for ...

RiGHT Launches Innovative Revegetation Project (CO)

By Kristin Withrow posted 20 days ago
On Long-Term Agricultural Property in Alamosa County This article was originally published in the Valley Courier by Jocelyn Catterson, Community Engagement Director, Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust on December 28, 2025 DEL NORTE — The Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust (RiGHT) is launching an innovative project on a 140-acre agricultural property in Alamosa County, in partnership with Wetland Dynamics, LLC, the Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program, and landowners Brian and Lindsay Meredith. Situated in the historic floodplain of the Rio Grande, the land has been in production for decades and has been managed organically since 2017. The property ...

NSDA supports Protecting & Enhancing Tax-exempt Municipal Bonds

By Morgan Leskody posted 21 days ago
NSDA joins coalition letter with the Public Finance Network, including hundreds of thousands of public sector entities that issue debt to finance and build the infrastructure that contributes to strong economies at the state and local levels across the country. There is broad bipartisan support in Congress to enhance municipal bonds for state and local governments, thereby providing a more powerful, cost-effective way to drive further investment and economic growth. We urge members of Congress to join in supporting these bipartisan provisions: Restore the Tax-Exemption for Advance Refunding Municipal Bonds, Support Small Issuers, Eliminate Sequestration for Existing ...