Hear the latest major developments for California city revenues. Learn about new laws, legal developments, risks and opportunities, and federal actions that will impact your agency's finances.

Introductory Remarks:

Speakers: Michael Coleman, Fiscal Policy Advisor, CaliforniaCityFinance.com | Michael Colantuono, Shareholder / Treasurer, Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC | Ben Triffo, Legislative Advocate, League of California Cities

CalPERS will provide an in-depth look at its current financial state, including the Total Portfolio Approach and how it differs from the historical strategic asset allocation. The session will also discuss the latest developments in pension funding and emerging trends affecting public retirement systems, along with recent changes in assumptions and market conditions that influence funding outcomes. In addition, it will offer practical tools and approaches for evaluating pension plan health and tracking funding progress.

Moderator: Johnnie Pina, Legislative Advocate, League of California Cities

Speakers: Fritzie Dorais, Deputy Chief Actuary, CalPERS | Michele Nix, Chief Financial Officer, CalPERS

The Federal Reserve seems to influence everything from interest rates to headlines, but why should local agencies pay attention? Explore the origins of the Federal Reserve System, and how its structure plays a role in steering the U.S. economy. Whether you're new to public finance or a seasoned pro, this session will help you better interpret the FED’s actions and how they impact your agency’s financial strategy.

The modern municipal finance leader serves a role far beyond budgeting and accounting. Agencies rely on finance professionals to navigate organizational strategy, human resources, labor relations, emergency operations, and so much more. Finance leaders can act as strategic partners within their organizations by leveraging financial expertise, operational understanding, and cross-functional collaboration to build stronger partnerships with executive leadership, elected officials, and operational departments while strengthening organizational performance.

Speakers: Talika Johnson, Director of Administrative Services, Azusa | Christina Turner, City Manager, Morgan Hill

In the face of rising service demands, aging infrastructure, and increasing pressure on the general fund, finance leaders are being asked to do more than ever … without increasing taxes. This session provides a practical, finance-centered approach to strengthening fiscal capacity through three proven strategies: cost reduction through infrastructure modernization, yield optimization through enhanced treasury management, and revenue growth through economic activation. Grounded in real-world examples and practitioner experience, this session is designed to help finance officers and executive leaders evaluate, implement, and sustain non-tax revenue strategies.

Catch up with colleagues while enjoying appetizers and no-host beverages during the evening networking reception.

For 60 years, UCLA Anderson Forecast has provided forecasts for economies across the country and is one of the most accurate, widely followed, and frequently cited in California. We are excited to announce that Dr. Jerry Nickelsburg, faculty director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast and renowned expert in economics, will share an economic update, specific to California.

Human resources negotiate and interpret compensation language. Finance turns that language into paychecks. When those two functions do not communicate, the agency may be applying one interpretation on paper and another in payroll. This session will help public sector finance and payroll professionals communicate more effectively with human resources about compensation language, payroll implementation, and compliance risk. Using common examples, this training will focus on breaking barriers and destroying silos that prevent human resources and finance from communicating and implementing effectively. Attendees will learn how to “speak HR,” what questions to ask before implementing pay provisions, how to spot hidden payroll risks, and when to bring human resources, finance, payroll, labor negotiators, and legal counsel into the conversation.

Speaker: Michael Youril, Partner, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore