Municipal Law Institute

California Constitution Center, Berkeley Law, The Bar Association of San Francisco and League of California Cities present

Municipal Law Institute

A Vision for 2020: Applying Lessons Learned in Elections, Voting, and Security for the Municipal Practitioner

Date March 6, 2020
MCLE Registration
Coffee Station 		 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. 
Program 9:00 - 4:15 p.m.
MCLE 6 Hours

9:00 - 9:15 a.m. - Welcome / Opening Remarks
9:15 - 10:15 a.m. - The Impact of California Cannabis Coalition v. City of Upland on Tax Initiatives

ln 2017, the California Supreme Court issued a 5-2 decision in City of Upland expressing a decision on a narrow issue, that local measures introduced by voter initiative were not required to be presented in a general election, but could be presented in a special election instead. This panel will discuss this decision which sparked a greater debate about whether local tax initiatives are subject to a two-thirds supermajority vote as required under the California Constitution.

Moderators 
Rob Ewing
Darren C. Ziegler

Speakers
Dr. David A. Carrillo, Executive Director, California Constitution Center , Berkeley Law
Scott Reiber, Chief Tax Attorney, City and County of San Francisco
Wayne Snodgrass, Deputy City Attorney, City and County of San Francisco
10:30 - 12:00 p.m. - Voting Rights Litigation and Strategy

In 2001, the California legislature enacted the California Voting Rights Act, an expansion of the federal Voting Rights Act, providing a right of action by racial minorities who allege dilution of their vote in at-large municipal electoral systems. Since then, local jurisdictions have encountered litigation and significant exposure to costs and fees associated with settling and defending voting rights lawsuits. This session will address current trends in litigation and real-world strategy and war stories involving litigation involving the California Voting Rights Act and federal voting rights cases involving equal protection.

Moderators 
Anais Martinez Aquino
Dion O’Connell

Speakers
Harit Trivedi, Deputy City Attorney, Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office
Robin Johansen, Olson Remcho
Thomas Willis, Olson Remcho
George S. Cardona, Special Counsel/Chief of Staff, Santa Monica City Attorney's Office
12:00 - 1:00 - Luncheon / Keynote Address - Holding Local Governments and Their Officials Accountable

Speaker
Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, Berkeley Law


1:15 - 2:45 p.m. - Redistricting After 2020 Census

Following completion of the 2020 census, California will review and adjust district boundaries. AB 849 makes significant changes to the process that cities which elect their council by districts will need to follow. This presentation will discuss newly enacted legislation, AB 849, that completely revamps the rules of redistricting—both substantive and procedural—for cities and counties.

Moderators
John Abaci
Nubia Goldstein
Isaac Rosen

Speakers
Chris Skinnell, Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni
Sean Welch, Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni
Douglas Johnson, National Demographics Corporation
3:00 - 4:15 p.m - Elections Security

In 2002, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was granted responsibility for promoting the security and resilience of “critical infrastructure” (systems that if incapacitated would have a debilitating impact on national security), but not regulatory authority over “election infrastructure” (e.g., polling places, voter registration databases, voting systems, etc.). The federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC), created by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), has provided a broad range of assistance to states in implementing HAVA requirements, and researching issues in election administration. Following the series of cyber attacks during the 2016 election, DHS designated the election infrastructure used in federal elections as a component of U.S. critical infrastructure. Although conducting elections is solely the responsibility of states and localities, this session will explore the status of election security efforts and challenges facing federal, state and local election officials.

Moderators
Sandra Lee
Dion O'Connell

Speakers
Susan Lapsley, Deputy Secretary of State and Counsel for Secretary of State Alex Padilla
Dr. Barbara Simons, Board of Advisors, U.S. Election Assistance Commission and Board Chair of Verified Voting
Timothy Perry, Chief of Staff, Governor's Office of Emergency Services
Chris Reidel, Supervisory Protective Security Advisor, CISA Region IX
4:15 p.m - Reception to follow.


Sponsor Inquiries - Email: cle@sfbar.org

Event Code: G201604

Printable Flyer
Registration Fees
$100 General Admission 
$50 Nonprofits and Government (email cle@sfbar.org to receive discount code) 


To Register
Sign-in to your account and select Register Myself at the bottom of the page. Use Forgot Username or Forgot Password if you don't know your account information. Don't have an account? Select Create Account. 

Note

To receive MCLE credit, you must sign in during the designated MCLE registration period. This activity is approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of California. BASF is a certified provider: Provider #103

Special Requests 
People with disabilities should contact BASF regarding reasonable accommodations.
When
3/6/2020 9:00 AM - 4:15 PM
Where
BASF Conference Center 301 Battery Street 3rd Floor San Francisco, CA 94111
 

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