Strengthening California Cities
through Advocacy & Education

Mayors and Council Members Newsletter

Esteemed Mayors and Council Members of the State of California:

I am honored to serve as President of the 2016/17 Mayors and Council Members Department Executive Committee. Please join me in congratulating the entire Executive Committee on their recent election to the Department leadership team for the upcoming year. As you can see, we have a strong line-up and are ready to go to work with all of our Committee colleagues for a productive year ahead:

President Richard Kite, Council Member, Rancho Mirage
1st Vice President Craig Vejvoda, Council Member, Tulare
2nd Vice President Kyle Miller, Mayor, La Habra Heights
Immediate Past President Neal Andrews, Council Member, Ventura
State League Director Ali Taj, Mayor Pro Tem, Artesia

I am truly looking forward to continuing to serve the Department. We are always looking for ways to offer the best programming to as many of our League members as possible. If there are any specific needs you have, please don’t hesitate to contact me and we’ll be sure to discuss those as we plan for next year.

Please save the date and mark your calendars for the New Mayors and Council Members Academy. This will be the first League event in 2017 and provides essentials for newly elected council members and is also a great refresher for those who have been seated for a while. I hope to see you in Sacramento for this valuable event, January 18-20, 2017. You will receive a notification when registration opens just after Election Day.

I would also like to remind you of the Mayors and Council Members Department Torch Program. The Torch Program is for elected officials who are seeking continuing education to enhance their own knowledge and skills in order to better serve the public. Each year, officials from throughout the state earn recognition as they progress upward through three sequential levels of achievement. The League of California Cities Mayors and Council Members Department honors the hard work and dedication of its peers through this voluntary and self-reportable program.

Each year, elected officials from throughout California earn recognition as they progress upward through three sequential levels of achievement:

Level I – Leadership;
Level II – Advanced Leadership; and
Level III – Leadership in Action.

Mayors and Council Members who reach Advanced Leadership and Leadership in Action levels of the Torch Program are honored at the League’s Annual Conference with a certificate and torch lapel pin. The League can also arrange for recognition at your own city council meeting and/or via a news release.

If you are interested in learning more about this program, or would like to receive an application and a full list of graduation requirements, please contact Caitlin Cole, Conference Program Manager, at ccole@cacities.org or visit www.cacities.org/TorchProgram.

Thank you and I hope to see many of you at upcoming League meetings and events.

Respectfully,

Richard Kite
President, Mayors and Council Members Department Council Member, Rancho Mirage richardk@ranchomirageca.gov