Our annual joint meeting with the Sacramento Chapter of APWA was a big success this year, thanks to guest speaker Senator Anthony Cannella. Over 100 APWA and ACEC members came out for a great event at the Woodlake Hotel (formerly the Radisson) as we kicked off the new year on January 6th.
Senator Cannella, who comes from a political family (his father was former Assemblyman Sal Cannella) and represents the people of the 12th District (think Modesto, Merced, Los Banos, Hollister, and Salinas), is a Civil Engineer with a degree from the University of California, Davis. In 2010, He was elected to the State Senate after two terms as Mayor of Ceres.
Senator Cannella talked about the many challenges facing our State including the need to shore up our water infrastructure, balancing the budget, and alleviating chronic unemployment (as high as 40% in parts of his District). He came across as a very level headed legislator who is determined to do the best he can to help the citizens of California. If only we could get more engineers into the legislature!
