Dear CALBO Friends and Colleagues,

Spring is upon us. Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, the state legislature is writing new laws, and home project permits are being pulled. Though our state continues to work through the pandemic, our industry has shown its resilience and has not missed a beat in the year since COVID-19 began its impact.

First and foremost, I again want to thank everyone who joined us in December for Education Week 2020. I could not be more proud in knowing that with everything we were up against, CALBO was able to execute a training event with both in-person and virtual components, training over 2,600 people. The hard work of the CTI Commission, the instructors, the subject matter experts, and the rest of the CALBO team that came together to make this event a success cannot be overstated.

But with every success comes a pivot to the future. And I am pleased to report that the future at CALBO looks bright. We have begun the final planning of our next event, a hybrid annual conference, and training that will closely duplicate the style we saw success with in December. In-person and virtual options will be available once again in Newport Beach. I also want to let you know about CALBO’s first virtual job fair. On April 15, the CALBO Outreach & Communications Committee is coordinating an innovative way to connect new talent with our industry. Registration information for both of these events can soon be found on the CALBO website.

So much of what we look forward to as a profession is tied to our ability to meet in-person again, and that time is coming. I am heartened to hear that many of our members have received their COVID-19 vaccinations and are on track to getting back to a place of familiarity.  

The return to normalcy is emerging in all aspects of what CALBO is doing. Our policy committees are hard at work advocating in Sacramento, reviewing code standard proposals, and preparing helpful information and education on emerging trends. Plans are coming together now for Education Weeks in Fall 2021, which will look much like you remember. And of course, I am eager and excited for our 60^th Annual Business Meeting in Los Angeles in March 2022.  Though the past year has been tough on many fronts, I have to express to all of you how lucky I feel to have been able to lead this amazing organization in this past year and how honored I continue to be that the membership entrusted me to it.

I and the CALBO Board of Directors will keep up the hard work and look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.

Stay well,

Shane G. Diller, M.P.A
Assistant Director, Development Services
City of Elk Grove