California
During the first year of the Leadership for Healthy Communities Initiative, the Local Government Commission engaged hundreds of state and local leaders through workshops and dinner meetings in the six-county region of Sacramento, CA (history below). In the second year of work, Leadership for Healthy Communities focused on providing general background information and training opportunities to state and local leaders across all regions of California. The Local Government Commission and the National Conference of State legislatures are directing efforts.
Statewide California efforts consisted of outreach on active living and community design issues to local and state leaders in state government, the legislature and through the statewide associations of local elected officials. Through meetings, presentations, articles, publications and direct outreach the Active Living Leadership emphasized the importance of improving and creating livable, healthy communities that encourage residents to engage in routine physical activity. The LGC coordinated the education and outreach work closely with services provided by the California Healthy Transportation Network (HTN). HTN is a state initiative coordinated by the California Department of Health Services - with funding support from the Department of Transportation - that provides technical assistance on active living issues to local elected officials in different regions of the state. Specific activities included:
| May 15, 2004 | Visalia, CA | Creating Vibrant Neighborhoods for our Growing Latino Population -- Connecting Community Design and Health. This Forum provides an opportunity for local officials to identify community design strategies and programs that improve health by reducing the incidence of obesity and overweight of citizens. |
| May 20, 2004 | Riverside, CA | Healthy Transportation Network Local Official Briefing |
| May 28, 2004 | Oakland, CA | Smart Growth Codes Workshop. This session will provide local officials with tools to assist in community code and zoning reform that supports healthy community design. |
| July 17, 2004 | Santa Ana, CA | Creating Vibrant Neighborhoods for our Growing Latino Population -- Connecting Community Design and Health. This Forum provides an opportunity for local officials to identify community design strategies and programs that improve health by reducing the incidence of obesity and overweight of citizens. |
| July 23, 2004 | Chino, CA | Smart Growth Codes Workshop. This session will provide local officials with tools to assist in community code and zoning reform that supports healthy community design. |
| Summer 2004 | Northern CA | Building Walkable Communities Workshop. Learn about techniques to make your community more pedestrian friendly. A multitude of strategies and tactics will be presented for both new community design and retrofitting existing communities. |
| Summer 2004 | Southern CA | Building Walkable Communities Workshop. Learn about techniques to make your community more pedestrian friendly. A multitude of strategies and tactics will be presented for both new community design and retrofitting existing communities. |
| September 23, 2004 | San Diego, CA | Healthy Transportation Network Local Official Briefing |
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For more information or to request assistance, contact: | ||
Sacramento Region
Prior to the statewide initiative, the local government supported Active Living Leadership effort in the Sacramento region from 2002 - 2004. Work in the Sacramento region started in the fall of 2002 with a partnership between the Local Government Commission, International City/County Management Association (two of the Active Living Leadership's national partners) and a local organization - BRIDGE (Bringing Regional Issues for Discussion and Group Effort). These organizations worked together coordinating a series of dinner meetings for mayors, city council members, county supervisors and city/county managers to discuss strategies and techniques for implementing active living polices and programs. These monthly dinners bring national experts to the Sacramento region and provide opportunities for open discussion and peer exchange among a core group of leaders.
The first meeting held on February 6, 2003 focused on connecting community design, health and active living and provided an overview of the Leadership for Healthy Communities program. Topics for subsequent meetings have included public participation tools for creating livable, active communities and overcoming barriers to building more walkable communities and special presentations by national authorities such as Dan Burden, Will Fleissig, and Peter Katz. The final meeting held in February of 2004 highlighted the Sacramento Area of Council of Governments (SACOG) Community Design Funding Program. Presented by Mike McKeever, Manager of SACOG's Blueprint Project. These First Thursday dinner meetings continue to be supported through other funding mechanisms.
Get Involved
For more details, contact:
Leif Christiansen, LGC
leif@lgc.org
916-448-1198, Ext. 320
