ANNUAL
REPORT
THE INSTITUTE FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT
2022
PROMOTING GOOD
GOVERNMENT AT
THE LOCAL LEVEL
2 ILG Annual Report 2022
A Message From Our CEO
& Executive Director
2022 was a year of change, innovation, and
resilience for California’s local governments.
From climate change and economic shifts
to an evolving workforce, local government
leaders were at the forefront of our state’s
most pressing issues. The Institute for
Local Government has been a supportive
presence through it all, providing resources,
events, trainings, and convenings that
helped local governments serve their
communities at the highest level. As we
reflect on the last year, we are grateful
to all the city, county, and special district
leaders who have led with integrity and
persevered despite mounting challenges.
Thousands of you have utilized our
resources and stepped up as collaborators
to help us fulfill our mission to be the goto education and training resource for California’s local governments.
Our
Progress
ILG maintained strong momentum in our
4 pillar areas in 2022:
Sustainable & Resilient Communities
Public Engagement
Leadership & Governance
Workforce & Civics Education
Some of ILG’s greatest impact is made through
our program offerings and last year was one of
our most successful yet.
OUR REACH:
482
Cities
58 Counties
Local agency
elected and
appointed
officials and
staff
Our
social media:
46%
growth in followers
across all ILG
platforms
1,000+
Special
Districts
Our
newsletter:
12,000+
newsletter
subscribers
Our website:
158,144
website visitors,
287,312 page views,
19,135 downloads
WHO WE SERVE:
ILG Annual Report 2022 3
Team ILG’s expertise in planning and facilitating
trainings for local governments was at the forefront of our work in 2022. Across our pillar areas, we hosted
virtual webinars and in-person trainings to help local
leaders access the subject matter expertise they
needed to succeed.
ILG conducted two sold out virtual Public
Engagement Trainings with 97 participants from
over 70 public agencies. Our curriculum also
expanded to include more information on how
to improve engagement practices within local
agencies and initiate changes for a more inclusive
and effective community engagement approach.
Community-centered or community-created policies
and programs are growing in popularity with the
state and federal government, including stronger
provisions for community engagement in grant and
other funding applications. Our training was modified
in 2022 to acknowledge that trend and help local
agencies prepare for it. Participants heard directly
from local community leaders about how to build
important community partnerships and leverage the
trust of community-based organizations for increased
participation in local decision-making.
ILG also released an update to our flagship Planning
Commissioner Handbook. As local governments
across the state are facing increased pressure to
plan for growing populations, increase their housing
supply, and create more sustainable communities,
this Handbook is designed to help support planning
commissioners, local agency staff, and other officials
interested in land use and planning. The updated
information helps local officials understand the basics of the planning process and provides a glimpse of
the evolving issues and potential planning challenges
commissioners may experience in their complex roles.
In addition to the Handbook, the ILG team facilitated
15 Regional Planning Commissioner Trainings,
training over 400 planning commissioners and staff
on the planning basics, roles, and responsibilities,
community engagement, CEQA, and more.
Serving as Expert Facilitators & Trainers
In ILG’s 2022 annual survey, over 50%
of respondents identified building
meaningful relationships with key
stakeholders as their agency’s biggest
public engagement challenge.
Delivered
OVER 60
webinars, workshops,
and conference
sessions across our
4 pillar areas
Delivered TIERS
Public Engagement
Trainings with
97 PARTICIPANTS
from over 70
public agencies
Trained
approximately
8,500
people at
our virtual and
in-person events
Led 15 in-person
Regional Planning
Commissioner
Trainings, training
OVER 400
planning
commissioners
4 ILG Annual Report 2022
In 2022, an ILG survey identified civility in
public meetings as a priority issue area for local
governments with over 50% of respondents sharing
that their local government had been experiencing an
increase in incivility, divisiveness, misconduct, and
bad behavior in public meetings. ILG responded by
developing webinars, trainings, sample policies, and
other tools to equip local leaders to better address
civility challenges in public meetings, on social media, and in their communities.
As part of our Leading Local series, ILG partnered
with national non-profit Braver Angels to co-host
a multi-installment training series called Bridging
Divides, which offered some practical tips for local
government leaders to better interact with the
public and with colleagues to foster productive and
respectful conversations. In response to continued
calls for promoting equity in local government, ILG
also hosted a virtual Cultural Intelligence Training
Series, examining the various elements of cultural
intelligence and how to operationalize it in their local agency and community.
As a companion to this work, the team also launched
a customized leadership and governance training
program which allowed us to facilitate a wide range
of trainings for local government leaders on topics
ranging from effective councils and boards to team
building to strategic planning and goal setting.
Leading through Adversity
OVER
50%
of ILG survey respondents
experienced an increase
in incivility, divisiveness,
misconduct, and bad
behavior in public
meetings.
Local government agencies need support
prioritizing equity, with nearly 70% of 2022
ILG survey respondents confirming their
agency is exploring key equity topics in
their work but that nearly 40% are unsure
about whether their agency has funding
to implement new equity policies.
ILG Annual Report 2022 5
Climate resilience is a key issue facing California
communities, and communities of concern are
especially vulnerable to this threat. ILG continued
its important technical assistance work to ensure
local governments have access to critical funding
streams to support their climate action projects.
Much of our technical assistance work focused on
climate resilience and equity, with the goal of helping communities apply for grant funding to support their
climate action and environment justice projects
and building stronger connections between local
governments and under-resourced communities.
As part of these efforts, the ILG team launched the
second round of the BOOST Program in 2022, which
runs through 2023. Through the BOOST Program,
ILG has provided capacity building and technical
assistance to seven historically under-invested
communities across the state. BOOST participants are
receiving support to:
• Make progress on compliance and plan
integration, including the development of Safety
Elements, Environmental Justice Elements,
Climate Action, Adaptation and Resilience Plans,
and Local Hazard Mitigation Plans.
• Enhance local capacity by helping find funding
for various staff positions at the agencies, hosting
quarterly community of practice meetings that
focus on public engagement, grant management,
plan integration, and capacity building, and
providing additional training.
• Develop and secure funding for communitydriven projects including application assistance for $7 million in grant funding to increase
active transportation, implement infrastructure
improvements, and improve health and safety all
while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
ILG also continued to provide community engagement
and outreach for the San Joaquin Council of
Government’s Sustainable Transportation Equity
Project (STEP) grant. This project aims to increase
transportation and mobility options for Stockton residents who are looking for clean, affordable ways to travel to job opportunities, school, doctor’s appointments, grocery stores, and other key destinations. STEP focuses on
bringing electric car-sharing, electric bike-sharing, and updates to technology to ease public transportation
trip planning. It also includes incentives for lowincome residents to offset transportation costs and a workforce development program to recruit candidates
for paid apprenticeships where they will learn the
technical, operational, and managerial components of
electric shared mobility. ILG is working with numerous
community-based organizations to gather feedback
on program design and siting, and building awareness
of the program and the opportunities it creates for
Stockton residents.
Providing Technical Assistance to Expand
Local Capacity and Partnerships
NEARLY 40%
of 2022 ILG survey
respondents noted that their
agency does not have the
internal capacity to address
climate issues.
6 ILG Annual Report 2022
ILG’s Workforce and Civics Education pillar had
a refreshing start in 2022, with renewed focus on
improving pathways into public service and better
access to civics education programs.
ILG launched Summer Jobs and Ambassadors in
Motion (Summer JAM), a program which helped high
school students better understand the role of local
government in their lives. The program served nearly
20 high school students living or attending school in
the City of Sacramento. Students heard from local
government leaders and staff from cities, counties,
and special districts across California including: the
Citrus Heights Water District, the City of Sacramento,
Humboldt County, Sacramento County, the California
Special Districts Association, and more. Each speaker
provided insights into their careers and mentorship
advice for students about how they can successfully
start careers in the public sector.
Each student who completed the program’s 40 service
and work-based learning hours earned a $500 stipend.
As part of the workforce development curriculum, ILG
was also able to connect students with online learning
platforms IMAGO and My10YearPlan. Students used
these platforms to complete professional development
modules and map out their career goals. The
program was made possible through a grant from
the City of Sacramento and PRO Youth and Families
#SacYouthWorks initiative. In addition to connecting
youth to the important work of local governments
in their lives, it also helped young people picture
themselves in local government careers without
sacrificing their passions.
ILG also began developing a relaunch strategy for
the longtime public sector workforce collaborative,
Innovative Pathways to Public Service (IPPS),
which ILG administers. IPPS helps public sector
organizations in the greater Sacramento region
improve opportunities to enter public service,
particularly for underserved communities and
individuals. At the end of the year, IPPS began
focusing on a renewed vision for collaboratively
addressing shared challenges related to educating,
recruiting, and retaining a robust, inclusive public
sector workforce within the Sacramento region.
Building Pathways for the
Public Sector Workforce of the Future
64%
of 2022 ILG Annual
Survey respondents
identified a limited
hiring pool of qualified
candidates as a major
workforce issue for
their agency.
53%
of respondents also
noted that training the
next generation of local
government employees
to lead presents a
challenge. In this photo: ILG’s inaugural cohort of the Summer Jobs and Ambassadors in Motion Program.
ILG Annual Report 2022 7
Ascent Environmental
Bang the Table/Granicus
Best Best & Krieger LLP
Braver Angels
Burke Williams & Sorensen
California Air Resources Board
California Association of County
Executives
California Coalition for Rural Housing
California Department of Housing and
Community Development
California Department of Industrial
Relations
California Strategic Growth Council
City of Sacramento
City of San Diego
Climate Resolve
Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC
Connect Consulting Services
Davy Architecture
Enterprise Foundation
Estolano Advisors
Farallon Strategies
Hanson Bridgett
HdL Companies
International City/County Management
Association
Governor’s Office of Planning
and Research
Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
MioCar
Mobility Development Group
Municipal Management Association
of Northern California
Municipal Management Association
of Southern California
Natural Resources Defense Council
Peckham & McKenney
PlaceWorks
PRO Youth & Families
Provost & Pritchard
Public Health Advocates
Regional Government Services
Renne Public Law Group
Richards Watson & Gershon
Sacramento Employment
& Training Agency
So Cal Gas
Social Pinpoint
Southern California Edison
The Housing Workshop
Tripepi Smith & Associates
Urban Math
San Joaquin Council of Governments
San Joaquin Regional Transit District
Sigala Inc.
UC Davis Institute of Transportation
Studies
And more…
Thank You to Our Partners
ILG continues to be responsive to
key workplace issues that impact
local governments. ILG explored
the public sector apprenticeships
pipeline in 2022, bringing a
webinar to local governments in
partnership with the California
Division of Apprenticeships
Standards and local government
workforce experts. The webinar
brought together local government
staff who are interested in
apprenticeships as a potential
workforce solution. In late 2022,
ILG also hosted a series of
workforce webinars focusing
on topics including recruitment
retention, hybrid working policies,
and succession planning for
encouraging the next generation
We would not be able to provide the technical assistance, trainings, and resources we do without the support of our partners. Thank you to our partners for their continued support.
ILG is the nonprofit training and education
affiliate of the League of California Cities,
the California State Association of Counties
and the California Special Districts
Association. Our mission is to empower
local government leaders and deliver real
world expertise to help them navigate
complex issues, increase their capacity and
build trust in their communities.
to lead. Each session featured
workforce, legal, and human
resources partners who served
as expert panelists addressing
local agency’s biggest workforce
concerns. Team ILG is excited
to continue this workforce and
civics education programming
momentum into 2023.
8 ILG Annual Report 2022
CHAIR
Teresa Acosta
Councilmember, Carlsbad
VICE CHAIR
Brett Channing
Deputy City Manager, Lake Forest
TREASURER/SECRETARY
Lydia Romero
City Manager, Lemon Grove
MEMBERS
Michele Beal Bagneris, City Attorney/
City Prosecutor, Pasadena
Don Bartz, General Manager,
Phelan Piñon Hills CSD
Virginia Bass, Supervisor,
Humboldt County
Carolyn Coleman, Executive Director,
League of California Cities
Monica Davis, Assistant Director,
Planning and Building Department, City
of Oakland, MMANC Representative
Ruben Duran, Partner, Best Best &
Krieger LLP
Randi Johl, Legislative Director &
City Clerk, Temecula
James Keene, Retired City Manager
Paolo Kespradit, Management
Analyst, West Hollywood, MMASC
Representative
Dallin Kimble, County Executive Officer,
Mariposa County, CACE Representative
Graham Knaus, Executive Director,
California State Association of Counties
Pat Martel, Retired City Manager,
Cal-ICMA Representative
Neil McCormick, Chief Executive
Officer, California Special Districts
Association
Judith Mitchell, Former Councilmember
Richard Montgomery, Councilmember,
Manhattan Beach
Sue Novasel, Supervisor,
El Dorado County
Blanca Pacheco, Mayor Pro Tem,
City of Downey
Nat Rojanasathira, Deputy City
Manager, Monterey
Hilary Straus, General Manager,
Citrus Heights Water District
Stay Connected with ILG
Our ILG Team
Erica L. Manuel, CEO & Executive
Director
Karalee Browne Assistant Executive
Director
Melissa Kuehne, Senior Program
Manager
Roberto Carlos Torres, Senior Program
Manager
Taylor Buck, Program Manager
Nikita Sinha, Program Manager
Hanna Stelmakhovych, Program
Manager
Seth Yund, Program Manager
Kristy Bivens, Office Manager
@InstLocGov @InstituteFor
LocalGovt
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Government
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Our 2022 Board of Directors