For all questions about the Annual Meeting, please contact csgwam@csg.org.
(Schedule as of Sept. 8, 2023)
Sunday, November 12
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2:00-6:00 p.m. | Registration Opens Attendees are asked to check-in at the registration desk to receive meeting information and credentials. |
| 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Networking Hour Get to know your hosts, meet fellow guests, and learn about the opportunities Universal City offers to recreate, relax, and rejuvenate. |
| 5:30-6:30 p.m. | WLA Alumni Reception |
| 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Friends & Family Meet n’ Greet |
| 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Welcome Dinner The meeting will kick off with an evening event that celebrates the state’s diversity. California “knows how to party,” so join in as the host committee rolls out the red carpet for you! |
Monday, November 13
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 7:15 a.m.-6:00 p.m. | Registration Open Attendees are asked to check-in at the registration desk to receive meeting information and credentials. |
| 7:30-8:15 a.m. | Opening Ceremony & Breakfast Open to all registered attendees and guests, this morning’s breakfast will feature the Annual Meeting Opening Ceremony. Following the posting of the colors, pledge of allegiance, and national anthem, CSG West Chair, Assemblymember Mike Gipson will offer an official welcome to kick off the meeting activities. |
| 8:30-10:00 a.m. | Navigating Conflict in the Legislature through Effective Dialogue Conflict is an important and inevitable component of the legislative process. In this interactive session, participants will learn the main communication traps that stall effective negotiations, and the tools to counteract them, before having an opportunity to put those lessons into practice. The workshop will be led by internationally acclaimed negotiations expert, Elizabeth McClintock, who brings over 25 years of working with public sector officials across the country and the globe. |
| 8:30-10:00 a.m. | Building More Effective Healthcare Solutions: Psychedelics Research, Psilocybin Therapy, and Collaborative Care Engage in a robust conversation on relevant issues facing Western states. This session will focus on increasing research and legislation around psychedelics research, psilocybin therapy, and collaborative care to combat health issues such as anxiety, depression, addiction, and PTSD. Western legislators will exchange in a discussion about what each state is doing to enact such legislation. The Health Committee hosts this session. |
| 8:30-10:00 a.m. | Nominating Committee (invite only) During this session, Nominating Committee members will convene interviews of applicants for the 2024 CSG West Vice Chair and CSG National Vice Chair positions. Due to the nature of the session, attendance is strictly limited to members of the Nominating Committee and interviewing candidates only. |
| 8:30-9:20 a.m. | How Digital Credentials Can Transform Government Digital identity is the future! New technology for issuing, presenting and verifying cryptographically secure digital identity credentials is being built into the web, mobile operating systems and digital wallet apps. It is now possible to create and hold digital versions of all our traditional paper physical credentials — from birth certificates to business licenses and beyond. This Learning Lab, from a leading innovator in digital identity, will explain the new world of digital identifiers and verifiable credentials, explore how this technology can benefit governments, and explain why it’s important to support open protocols and interoperable, platform-neutral data formats for digital credentials. Block sponsors this Legislative Learning Lab. |
| 10:00-10:30 a.m. | Refreshment Break at the Capitol Connections Café A great place to connect with colleagues, the Capitol Connections Café welcomes attendees to sit, sip, and recharge between sessions. |
| 10:30-12:30 p.m. | Accelerating Energy Infrastructure and Ecological Restoration Projects: Permitting Reform at the Federal and State Level The National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and other permitting processes, intended to protect our environment while allowing for the development and siting of critical energy infrastructure, can create delays, increase costs, and sometimes fail to provide environmental and community protection against unintended consequences. Each state follows NEPA for federal-funded projects and may have permitting requirements that are more stringent than the federal standards. In the West, where federal lands are often the path for infrastructure, the challenges and delays can be even more significant. Legislators will examine the benefits and drawbacks of the permitting process and how permitting can be improved across the region. The Energy & Environment Committee hosts this session. |
| 10:30-12:30 p.m. | Trends in Government Accountability, Transparency, and Oversight Participating legislators will exchange ideas on successes and improvements to enhance legislative oversight in their respective chambers, including an overview of the nuts and bolts of legislative oversight and how it can be an effective tool to further government accountability, transparency, and responsiveness. The Legislative Oversight Working Group hosts this session. |
| 10:30-12:30 p.m. | Engaging Stakeholders: Broadening Support and Impact Working in a legislative environment requires lawmakers to engage with a wide variety of audiences to bring effective policy into law. Participants will walk away from this session with a deeper understanding of how to balance the interplay between elected officials, government affairs groups, community leaders, and industry experts. Bringing her decades of experience working in government affairs and executive coaching to the table, this session will be led by award-winning author and speaker, Cicely Simpson. |
| 10:30-11:20 a.m. | Small Businesses Catching the AI Wave Small and medium-sized businesses utilize Meta’s platforms to reach new and existing customers, build their brand, and grow their businesses. Meta is an AI leader and this panel explores how AI powered business tools will help small businesses grow whether it is finding new employees, automating processes or targeting ads. Meta sponsors this Legislative Learning Lab. |
| 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m. | Challenges with Sleep Disorders — Impact on Healthcare This session will address the impact that sleep, sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia, have on individuals’ overall health, co-morbidities, society, and the healthcare system. This session will address challenges patients face, such as the requirements for step therapy, pre-authorization, and co-pay accumulator policies have on the patients and the healthcare system. It will also highlight legislative efforts to address these issues. Jazz Pharmaceuticals sponsors this session. |
| 12:30-2:15 p.m. | General Session Lunch & Keynote – Erik Wahl Erik Wahl is an internationally recognized artist, TED speaker, and No. 1 bestselling author. Erik’s presentation inspires leaders to be increasingly agile and outlines how to use disruption as a competitive advantage. Some will be disrupted others will choose to be the disruptor. Choose wisely. |
| 2:15-2:30 p.m. | Refreshment Break at the Capitol Connections Café A great place to connect with colleagues, the Capitol Connections Café welcomes attendees to sit, sip, and recharge between sessions. |
| 2:30-3:20 p.m. | Prescription for Change: Progress and Potential in Prescription Drug Pricing Affordability and accessibility to prescription drugs are important for patients with chronic conditions. Learn about the supply chain affecting prescription drug costs and potential solutions for patients to pay the lowest price possible for their life-saving and life-sustaining medications. Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition sponsors this Legislative Learning Lab. |
| 2:30-4:00 p.m. | Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk: Can Communication facilitate Accommodation in the US-China Relationship? Despite recent high-level exchanges between the US and China, including visits to China by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and the US Senator delegation by Chuck Schumer, the US-China relationship has remained at the lowest point since President Nixon’s historical visit to China in 1972, with hawkish tones and disputes over Taiwan and tech-war becoming the new normal. Their talks have become exchanges of accusations rather than finding solutions. How has the relationship got to this point? Why has communication failed to facilitate mutual accommodation? What are driving tensions and the root causes of this crisis? What is the prospect of the Sino-US competition? How can Washington and Beijing stabilize the relationship? Suisheng Zhao’s talk will see answers to these important questions. |
| 2:30-4:00 p.m. | Decoding School Funding Formulas In today’s educational landscape, it is crucial to comprehend the mechanisms that underpin school funding formulas. Led by two distinguished school finance experts with experience spanning all 50 states, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of funding formula structures, examine their impact on resource allocation, and explore emerging trends and policy implications in funding formula reform. The Education Committee hosts this session. |
| 5:00-6:00 p.m. | Sponsored Receptions – Visit California – EdChoice – Canada |
| 6:30-9:00 p.m. | Evening Event – Dinner at Madame Tussauds Meet some of your favorite stars past and present, in wax, at Madame Tussauds Hollywood wax museum. Join us for this evening event right on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. |
Tuesday, November 14
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 7:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. | Registration Open Attendees are asked to check in at the registration desk to receive meeting information and credentials. |
| 7:30-8:30 a.m. | Leadership Coffee Talk and Breakfast with Women in Government Women in Government host this breakfast conversation with exclusive seating for Leadership Coffee Talk participants. |
| 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Policy Tour: Pure Water Southern California Water is too precious to use just once. So, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is making a major investment in a potential water recycling program that would reuse water currently sent to the ocean. Pure Water Southern California, will take cleaned wastewater and further purify it to produce a new, sustainable source of high-quality water for Southern California. This partnership with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts would produce up to 150 million gallons of water daily when completed and provide purified water for up to 1.5 million people, making it one of the largest water reuse programs in the world. Join us for a tour of the Pure Water Southern California Demonstration Plant to learn more about the facility, its innovative purification process and the importance of purified water to Southern California’s water supply. Metropolitan Water District sponsors this Policy Tour |
| 8:30-10:00 a.m. | Chairs Forum: Wrapping Our Heads Around Responsible AI As artificial intelligence (AI) technology evolves, lawmakers are now considering the implications of these technologies and advances in workforce development, algorithmic decision-making bias, and accountability. Experts from across fields will discuss innovations, opportunities, and responsibilities. |
| 8:30-9:20 a.m. | Increasing Plastics Recycling and Reducing Waste: Policy and Technologies to Achieving the Circular Economy CA, CO, and OR have adopted packaging recycling/waste reduction laws (EPR), while WA is currently implementing requirements for minimum percentages of recycled material in the manufacture of new plastic packaging. Company representatives will provide an overview of how their technologies and processes can divert more plastic from landfills and help meet these new requirements by creating recycled material that manufacturers can use to make new packaging, including for food and medical grade applications. American Chemistry Council sponsors this Legislative Learning Lab. |
| 10:00-10:30 a.m. | Refreshment Break at the Capitol Connections Café A great place to connect with colleagues, the Capitol Connections Café welcomes attendees to sit, sip, and recharge between sessions. |
| 10:30-12:30 p.m. | U.S. Dam Regulation & Safety and Hydrogen’s Future in the U.S. and Canada Dam infrastructure regulation and safety are significant issues in the U.S. Hear both a Western State approach and a national outlook. What can you do to ensure residents in your state are safe? Furthermore, Canada and the U.S. share ambitious energy transition goals, and hydrogen is a fuel for which both countries are increasing production. Are there opportunities for collaboration? What can we learn from one another? The Canada Relations Committee hosts this session. |
| 10:30-12:30 p.m. | Housing Affordability & Homelessness in the Rapidly Growing West The current housing crisis is among state policymakers’ most complex challenges. Participants in this session will assess both the effectiveness and persisting barriers of initiatives to address housing affordability, availability, and stability. Key areas of discussion will include topics often framed as contradictory to one another – such as increased housing production “versus” stronger tenant protections – and the diverse coalitions that may be needed to meet these challenges effectively. Part two of this session will focus on Community First! Village, a 51-acre master planned development that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for individuals coming out of chronic homelessness. Operating for over two decades in Austin, Texas, Community First! Village is rooted in a fundamental belief that “the single greatest cause of homelessness is a profound, catastrophic loss of family”. The community has garnered national interest, visiting state delegations, and features in major media outlets. Be sure to attend this special presentation. The Housing Committee hosts this session. |
| 10:30-11:20 p.m. | Energy Transition: Challenges and Opportunities Leading experts in climate and energy sciences recognize that achieving carbon neutrality will require multiple pathways of effort. Moreover, they recognize that those pathways must not only result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions but also be sustainable. Many communities, particularly coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities, already face economic and environmental challenges related to the energy transition. Join three of our nation’s National Laboratories to learn about their work with states to advance energy innovation and what they do to help inform a sustainable, affordable, and equitable energy transition through their research and community engagement efforts. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory sponsor this session. |
| 11:30-12:20 p.m. | People, Planet and Policy: How Leaders Across Government and Industry Are Working to Achieve Their Sustainability Targets Protecting people and the planet through sustainability policy is critical to the success of our local communities. Therefore, sustainability leaders in government and industry will join to lead this interactive panel discussion to share views and experiences of how they guide their organizations to meet sustainability targets in the communities in which they operate. Policymakers will gain insight into how to get more organizations focused on implementing sustainable practices in their respective districts. Covanta sponsors this Legislative Learning Lab |
| 12:30-2:15 p.m. | General Session Lunch & Keynote – Sekou Andrews Sekou Andrews is founder/CEO of SekouWorld, Inc., and one of the world’s most successful spoken word poets. He is the innovator of “Poetic Voice,” – a cutting-edge speaking category that seamlessly fuses inspirational speaking with spoken word poetry, like “Hamilton” meets “TED.” |
| 2:15-2:30 p.m. | Refreshment Break at the Capitol Connections Café A great place to connect with colleagues, the Capitol Connections Café welcomes attendees to sit, sip, and recharge between sessions. |
| 2:30-4:00 p.m. | Chairs Forum: State Efforts to Address Gun Violence Learn how Western states respond in different and innovative ways to curb gun violence in their respective states and communities. The session will feature a diverse and bipartisan panel of state legislators and stakeholders sharing their insights, perspectives, and relevant data. |
| 2:30-4:30 p.m. | Sustainable Western Agricultural and Water Agriculture and water resources in the West are under tremendous pressure from climate change and the need to meet the needs of a growing population. Challenges include leaving acreage unused due to lack of water, the threat of soil loss, erosion, and increased dust. Opportunities include the broad deployment and use of precision irrigation and agricultural inputs, smart water use technology, and increased water conservation. Western legislative leaders will discuss these issues and what the future of agriculture and water might look like. The Agriculture and Water Committee hosts this session. |
| 2:30-3:20 p.m. | Addressing the Health Care Affordability Crisis: Policy Solutions and Strategies Join this legislative learning lab for an insightful session into the rising costs of health care. Policymakers will better understand the underlying factors that contribute to rising costs and hinder affordable health care, including provider consolidation and anti-competitive contracting practices. Explore the potential policy solutions and evidence-based strategies to foster competition, promote transparency, and enable access to high-quality, affordable health care. Regence Health Policy Center sponsors this session. |
| 3:30-4:20 p.m. | Microgrids 101 Leading North American microgrid developers share how microgrids are a critical tool to meet aggressive clean energy targets. This session will include an overview of microgrids, how they can provide customers with resiliency, reduce strain on the grid, scale local clean energy, save ratepayer funds, and optimize clean energy within communities. Additionally, the session will cover barriers to building microgrids in the West. This session is sponsored by Schneider Electric and Sunnova. |
| 4:30-5:00 p.m. | Refreshment Break at the Capitol Connections Café A great place to connect with colleagues, the Capitol Connections Café welcomes attendees to sit, sip, and recharge between sessions. |
| 5:00-6:00 p.m. | Oregon Kickoff for the 2024 CSG West Annual Meeting Oregon, hosts of the 2024 Annual Meeting, invites you to a special reception. After, you can keep connecting as you head out on the town for a night out to appreciate local restaurants and attractions. |
| 6:00-7:00 p.m. | Sponsored Receptions – Civitas – Clean Power |
| 7:00 p.m. | Free evening to enjoy all that downtown Los Angeles has to offer. Take advantage of some discounts and special offers with the LA Perks Pass that are included with your registration. |
| 8:30-10:00 p.m. | SGAC Reception |
Wednesday, November 15
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 7:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Registration Open Attendees are asked to check in at the registration desk to receive meeting information and credentials. |
| 7:30-8:30 a.m. | Breakfast |
| 8:30-9:30 a.m. | Private Sector Forum (invite only) Private sector forum members will share insights and ideas aimed at strengthening the programs, services, and partnerships of CSG West. |
| 8:30-10:30 a.m. | Enhancing Reforms in Public Safety: Juvenile Justice and the Opioid Crisis Address some pressing issues facing states to achieve desired outcomes and safe communities. This session will include a panel of experts to address programs and legislation for reforms to the juvenile justice system. Additionally, the group will follow up on the opioid crisis to discuss what is being done to address the issue – what is working and what are the barriers? The Public Safety Committee hosts this session. |
| 8:30-10:30 a.m. | Powering the West Through a Reliable Energy Grid This informative and interactive session will focus on the importance of the safety and reliability of the power grid. This issue has an outsized role in the Western region’s economic stability, growth, and innovative potential. The Westrends Board hosts this session. |
| 10:30-12:00 p.m. | Executive Committee Meeting (invite only) Members of the CSG West Executive Committee will convene for their annual review of organizational business and confirmation of the incoming CSG West Vice Chair. Participation is limited to Executive Committee members. |
| 10:45 a.m. | First Bus Departs for Afternoon at Universal Studios After sessions conclude, participants will receive a complimentary ticket to Universal with an onsite dinner, followed by an exclusive back lot tour. This is an event not to be missed! |
| 12:30 p.m. | Second Bus Departs for Afternoon at Universal Studios |
| 7:00-10:00 p.m. | Dinner Event at Universal Studios |
Sessions are open to all registered attendees unless otherwise noted.