ONLINE TRAINING

• Brown Act (PPT, 830 kb)
   This workshop provides an overview of the Brown Act and how to comply with Brown Act requirements.
• Grant Writing (PPT, 1.7mb)
  This workshop provides an overview of how to write a grant proposal.

Links to Useful Information (websites, forms, and more)

• Watershed Program
  The new Statewide Watershed Program is being administered by the Department of Conservation. The program website includes program documents, advisory committee information, updates, and valuable information about watershed management.
• State Controller’s Website
  California special districts, including RCDs, are required to complete an annual financial report and submit it to the State Controller’s Office. The controller’s website includes reporting forms and other information, including audit guidelines (at bottom of page), information regarding accounting, and more.
• Secretary of State Local Government Records Program
  The Secretary of State’s Local Government Records Program has some useful information for RCDs (and other local governments) on their website. The site includes Local Government Records Management Guidelines that provide helpful information about records retention and other records management issues.
• Division 9
  Division 9 of the Public Resources Code designates RCDs as special districts of the state. This is the portion of California Law that gives RCDs their roles and responsibilities. Every RCD director and staff member should have a good working knowledge of Division 9.  
• Complying with the Brown Act
  The Attorney General’s website includes helpful information about complying with the requirements of the Ralph M Brown Act. This publication is from 2003 but still provides a basic overview of the law.
  
  In 2001 the Attorney General’s office issued an Opinion regarding email and compliance with the Brown Act. You can access that opinion here.
  
  You can access the text of the Brown Act at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate?WAISdocID=6815592595+1+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve 
• Conflict of Interest: Attorney General’s Online Ethics Training Course for Local Officials (FREE)
  Cities, Counties, and Special Districts are required by law (AB 1234) to provide their officials with mandatory ethics training. The Attorney General has developed a free ethics training course available at the Attorney General’s website. The link to the local government training and addition information is on the right side of the page under the blue header labeled FREE ON-LINE ETHICS TRAINING COURSE AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL OFFICIALS.
• Fair Political Practices Commission
  The Fair Political Practices Commission is the state agency that oversees conflict of interest issues for both state and local government. Their website includes a variety of useful conflict of interest information.
  
  Special district officials (RCD Directors and some staff) are required to disclose financial interests on a Form 700, also available on the Fair Political Practices Commission website.

OTHER USEFUL SITES

• Official California Legislative Information Website
  This site provides access to existing California Law, Bills, Legislative Information and more. You can use this site to track the status or read the text of bills, from 1993 to present time, considered by the Legislature. Bill information is updated every evening.

  To access existing California law click on the California Law button, then click on the code that contains the law for which you are searching. For example, Division 9 is in the Public Resources Code so to view Division 9 you would click the box next to Public Resources Code. To see a Table of Contents of the entire code just click the search button at the bottom of the page. If you have something more specific you are looking for type some key words in the white box near the bottom of the page, for example, “resource conservation districts”. This will give you all the code sections in the Public Resources Code that mention resource conservation districts.

• California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD)
  The CARCD Website includes a variety of helpful information about RCDs. Including an RCD directory, association activities, district tools, and other information related to RCD and the association.