With a sagging economy and ever fewer tools at cities' disposal, how can cities move projects forward, create jobs and improve their communities?

Join the LA Division February 2 as we welcome three experts on public nancing and project development from the Los Angeles oce of the international law rm of SNR Denton. Speakers including former Assembly Minority Leader Rod Pacheco will discuss options available for cities to promote project development and open new doors for revitalized communities.

The holidays have brought news to a slow crawl, but there’s no shortage of drama in the state of Michigan over the fate of municipal authority in several distressed cities, with Detroit featuring most prominently in the latest headlines. Critics contend the issues posed by a controversial emergency-manager law speak to not only the rights of local governments but democracy itself. Around a year ago the state of Michigan approved a new law that gave Emergency Financial Managers (EFM) greater power over the decisions of local officials.

The 2011 legislative year was marked by extensive defensive positioning on the part of cities and the League due to the attacks on Prop 22, redevelopment and local control.  City-state relations were far from harmonious this legislative session, starting with the radical proposal to eliminate RDAs. The governor’s most aggressive and extreme proposals concerned local government and little in the way of compromise or reforms were sought on the part of the Administration.