Winter Conference Recap
What a great start to 2023! Our Winter Conference at the Hilton Palm Springs was a resounding success. Together with some of the clean water sector’s best and brightest, we focused on complex challenges facing the wastewater community, looking toward the future and preparing the next generation.  For those who were unable to attend, check out our website to view the informative presentations and handouts shared by our speakers and panelists. Thank you everyone who attended or served as a speaker, and we look forward to seeing you at next year’s conference!

CASA kicked off the conference on Wednesday, January 25 with a full day of meetings, roundtable series, and networking. On day two we heard from keynote speaker Bob Bowcock, followed by the general sessions which included energy resiliency, workforce recruitment and retention, and cyber-physical security and resilience. Thursday, we received state and federal legislative updates and learned more about what we can expect in the 2023 legislative session. In the closing session, we heard from Todd Swingle, Executive Director for the Toho Water Authority in Florida, about their recent disaster preparedness efforts and hurricane response. In addition to all the exciting speakers and panels, we hosted several successful networking events and receptions.

 

Eugene Scott to Keynote at CASA’s Washington D.C. Policy Forum
Join us at the Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C., for the CASA DC Policy Forum February 27 – 28, 2023 for a chance to hear from keynote speaker Eugene Scott. Eugene is a senior political reporter covering Congressional leadership for Axios and the co-author of the forthcoming newsletter Hill Leaders. He previously covered national politics for the Washington Post and hosted the Next Four Years, an Amazon Music podcast about the 2020 election and what it meant for the future of American politics. Prior to that, Scott was a Washington Correspondent for CNN Politics Digital. He has been an award-winning multi-media journalist for two decades with his work appearing in CBS, USA Today, TIME Magazine, NPR, MSNBC and more. Check out some of his stories here.

This year, we have set aside time for agencies to make their own appointments for Congressional visits, with the assistance of our federal advocates, so if you plan to attend the Forum and want to meet with your Representatives, please be sure to reach out to Sarah Sapirstein by Wednesday, February 15! If you are interested in attending the USEPA meetings instead, please contact Greg Kester so he can include you in the meeting preparations.

We hope to see you there!

 

We Want to Celebrate YOU
Your organization works hard to do what’s right for California. Recognition from the leading clean water association honors your hard work and accomplishments. It’s a symbol of respect, credibility, and innovation. CASA seeks to recognize members who provide essential public services and go above and beyond to protect public health and the environment. All member agencies and associates are invited to submit an Award of Excellence application by Friday, April 28, 2023. Award recipients will be announced (and celebrated!) during CASA’s Annual Conference in August. For more information about the award criteria and categories, please visit the Awards Program Webpage.

 

Committee Seeks Suggestions for Potential CASA Board Members
The CASA Nominating Committee, chaired by past president Jasmin Hall, will convene in early spring to consider CASA Board of Directors candidates for the August 2023 ballot. The committee will be recommending candidates for four of the twelve elected seats. The Board of Directors is the governing body responsible for CASA’s high-level policy decisions and oversight of the executive director. If you know someone who would be a valuable board member, please send a brief email to Nominations@casaweb.org with their name, agency and a few sentences about his or her qualifications. Recommendations must be submitted by March 15, 2023.

Board members are expected to:

  • Attend all CASA conferences and the Washington D.C. policy forum
  • Participate in monthly board conference calls and in-person meetings
  • Attend an annual strategic planning session for the association
  • Assist in member recruitment and retention
  • Represent CASA at events and meetings as requested by the President

CASA attempts to include geographic diversity as well as a balance of agency managers and elected officials on our Board. This year we anticipate the need for a Southern California elected official and a Central Valley or Northern California elected official. Ideal candidates will be familiar with CASA as an organization and preferably will have served on or actively participated in CASA workgroups, committees and events.