Any League of California Cities member city or group of California cities, including Cal Cities Divisions, that provide a program or service that has proven tangible and measurable results with a minimum of one year of actual implementation are eligible to apply. Instructions must be followed carefully as this will facilitate the fair evaluation of all applications and ensure fairness among entries.

Application

  1. For the best experience with the application process please use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox vs. Internet Explorer.
  2. Please complete all fields of the three-part electronic application. Part 1 will collect your contact and program info, and allows you to set up a password to access your entry (your username will be your email address), Part 2 will allow you to upload up to 10 program photos and Part 3 asks that you have obtained approval from your mayor and city manager/administrator (or clerk in non-manager cities) of the application being submitted. Check the box that indicates you have their approval and provide their contact information in the appropriate fields. This section you do not need a formal resolution.
  3. Please address the following in your narrative in 1500 words or less:
    • The Challenge Describe the need or concern that prompted the development of the program.
    • The Solution Describe the steps taken by the city to address the problem/challenge. Explain how the program's objectives were met. If there is a partnership with other agencies, please highlight the involvement of the partners in the solutions.
    • The Results Describe the results of the program. How did the program affect the community or improve service delivery? What, if any, was the cost or resource savings? What effect, if any, did the program have on enhancing the city's fiscal stability? What lessons are instructive to other cities?
  4. Only one application and narrative per category may be submitted by a city. A program or activity may only be submitted for one category.
  5. Please submit your application online at www.helenputnam.org/application.php. No hard copies will be accepted.
  6. One set of photographs of the program must be uploaded to the online submission form.
    • 10 digital photographs of the project, preferably pictures showing people doing or using the program or project. Digital photos must be less than 2MB to upload to the website. Please note that once determined, award winners will be contacted for higher resolution photos for publication in Western City Magazine (at least 300 dpi). We recommend setting your camera to the highest resolution possible and then editing your photos down to 2MB for online submission. Acceptable formats for uploading photos are jpg or pdf files. Please enter caption information for the photos you upload, explaining what is being shown and the name and title of people in the photos.
    • All materials will become part of the Cal Cities's library collection to share with other cities, both online and onloan, and will not be returned to the city. The submission of this application warrants that all materials submitted do not violate any copyright or other proprietary rights of others; that the materials are original works; that any photographs or videos are clear of any ownership or copyright restrictions, and those persons in the pictures or videos have agreed to or have no objection to Cal Cities using the pictures in promoting the city's program or in any other Cal Cities material.
Example Scoring Sheet:
Score Sheet

Scoring Criteria

The selection juries will judge each entry on:

  • the impact of the problem/challenges and how well it is outlined
  • the innovativeness of the solution
  • the quality of the results achieved

In addition, the following criteria will be used in the evaluation and scoring process. Be sure to address these criteria in your application. (Some criteria may not apply to a particular category; no penalty will apply.)


2024 Strategic Advocacy Priorities

Leadership from Cal Cities' Board, 16 Regional Divisions, 10 Municipal Departments and five Diversity Caucuses gathered in Carlsbad in late November for the annual League Leaders Summit, which serves as the organization's strategic planning meeting and sets advocacy priorities for 2024. After spirited discussion amongst many perspectives, the Board voted to adopt the following four priorities to guide Cal Cities' legislative activities in 2024:

  1. Safeguard local revenues and bolster local economic development.
  2. Strengthen climate change resiliency and disaster preparedness.
  3. Improve public safety in California communities.
  4. Expand investments to prevent and reduce homelessness and increase the supply of affordable housing.

League of California Cities adopts 2024 Advocacy Priorities | Cal Cities