January Recap – Joint ACEC/APWA Meeting with Senator Anthony Cannella

anthony_cannellaOur 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!

President’s Message

ed_hendersonI have great news to announce!  The Sierra Chapter has been awarded the ACEC-CA Golden Chapter Award for our accomplishments during the 2010 / 2011 term.  The Golden Chapter Award recognizes our efforts in membership development, service to chapter members, advancement of the profession, service to the community, and grassroots programs.  Receiving recognition is great, but saving money is even better.  The Golden Chapter Award delivers both.  All Sierra Chapter member firms will receive a fifteen percent discount on their registration fee for the annual conference in Maui.  Aloha!

This award is a great accomplishment for our chapter and we all share in the reward.  The credit for earning the award goes to our dedicated members who regularly participate at our chapter events and state functions.  Whether you attend monthly dinner meetings, legislative visit day, the annual conference or take on leadership roles on the chapter or state boards, I thank you for your service to our organization and profession.

There are several events coming up in February that are important for Sierra Chapter Members to participate in.  Make sure to check out the calendar of events and click on the links to register for these events.  Keep up the great work Sierra Chapter!