Cheryl MacKelvie

2024 Legislative Session Wrap-Up The 2024 Legislative Session has come to an end, and many bills passed in the final days and weeks of Session are now awaiting the Governor's consideration. The Governor has until October 1 to either sign or veto all the bills sent to his desk. As legislators await the Governor’s decisions, [...]

White House Publishes Federal R&D PFAS Strategic Plan Last month, the Administration’s National Science and Technology Council’s PFAS Strategy Team published the PFAS Federal Research and Development Strategic Plan report. The report is the latest action by the Administration to support its priority to address PFAS contamination, especially within disadvantaged communities. The five strategic R&D [...]

P2 Week – Just Around the Corner! In preparation for Pollution Prevention Week (P2 Week), observed Sept. 16-20, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering resources to help organizations promote their work in preventing pollution. This year’s theme for P2 Week is "Together We Are One Planet," emphasizing the importance of preventing pollution at [...]

Celebrate IT Professionals Day National IT Professionals Day is next Tuesday, September 17! Celebrated annually on the third Tuesday of September, IT Pros Day recognizes and celebrates the important role that IT professionals play in keeping networks and applications running. Water and wastewater facilities rely on information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) systems to operate, [...]

Get to Know the CASA Team: Shacara Gamboa, Manager of Association Services Shacara manages a full spectrum of both financial and administrative functions on behalf of CASA. In her role, Shacara performs the roles of accounts receivable and payable, budgets, banking, recordkeeping and office management. She also supports membership strategy, onboarding and retention as well [...]

Next Level Leadership Program Check out the Next Level Leadership Program, a one-year development initiative for both experienced and rising leaders in the electric and water utilities industry. This comprehensive program is designed and facilitated by the Leading With Courage® Academy, offset with funding from the California Water, Wastewater, and Energy Workforce Development Program for underrepresented [...]

CAPIO 2024 Leadership Summit Registration is open for the California Public Information Officers (CAPIO) Leadership Summit taking place in Walnut Creek, CA on October 3 & 4! Join CAPIO for an insightful and engaging two days geared toward public sector communicators looking to further their leadership skills. This summit is designed for both emerging leaders [...]

Get to Know the CASA Team: Eric Sapirstein, President, ENS Resources, Inc Eric Sapirstein serves as CASA’s Federal Legislative Advocate and has been a cornerstone of CASA’s team for decades. After holding leadership positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Washington-based consulting firms, Eric founded ENS Resources, Inc., in 1986. For more than [...]

State Legislative Update: Legislature Passes Bond Measures, Departs on Summer Recess In the days leading up to the Fourth of July holiday the California Legislature was working furiously to pass two Bond measures before adjourning for their month-long summer recess commencing on July 5th. They were ultimately successful in negotiating and passing an education bond [...]

Cyberattack: Communication Planning is Essential for Water and Wastewater Agencies By Sheri Benninghoven, APR, and Scott Summerfield, Principals, SAE Communications and Maurice Chaney, Public Information Officer, Roseville Environmental Utilities Cyberattacks on utilities (and public agencies of all types) are occurring with alarming frequency, and agencies must have a communications strategy when the inevitable happens. In May, [...]