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CARPD President's Report - October 2023

With the busy summer now behind us, now is a great time to reflect back upon all of the hard work of the past few months. Our membership’s parks and recreation professionals are the backbone of our Districts and every year they work tirelessly to deliver for our constituents. I encourage all of my colleagues that serve on District Boards to make sure you recognize the efforts of your respective Staffs and let them know you appreciate the positive impact they have in your community.

The end of Summer also means the end of California’s legislative session -- and it was a busy one! The CARPD Board of Directors has resolved to step up our engagement and advocacy at the Capitol and this year marked our first with our new Legislative Advocates, Alyssa Silhi and Sharon Gonsalves, at Renne Public Policy Group (“RPPG”). In just a few short months, Alyssa and Sharon have done a great job ensuring that our districts’ voices are heard and our interests protected. All members are welcome to join the CARPD Legislative Committee for its next meeting on November 9th at 9:30am to review the past legislative year and hear about plans for 2024. For more info about the meeting, please contact Alyssa at asilhi@publicpolicy.com.

I was able to attend the California Special Districts Association (CSDA) annual conference in Monterey in late August along with several CARPD colleagues. While CSDA serves a larger constituency, we share many similar goals and objectives. My "takeaway" from the conference was realizing that no matter our mission or respective challenges, you can always find a partner to help, or be helped by, to reach common goals, whether at the state or local level.

Finally, I am excited to share that CARPD’s 2024 Conference will be held on May 22-25, 2024 at the Hyatt Regency – Sonoma County! Our Conference Committee is working hard to bring our members another great event full of educational sessions and opportunities to network with your colleagues from across the State. If you have never been to a CARPD Conference, I believe you and your District will benefit greatly from attending and would encourage you to consider joining us.

Happy fall!

 

May contain: accessory, accessories, tie, coat, apparel, clothing, overcoat, suit, human, person, and face

Sincerely,

Doug Nickles,

Conejo Recreation and Park District

President, CARPD

 

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