October 2023: Heroes in Local Gov

In the midst of a crisis, you can learn a lot about people.

Members of the Tripepi Smith team were actively involved in the developing crisis of a land movement that affected homes in Rolling Hills Estates a couple of months ago. While our firm played a role in expediting communications and handling the media interest - which reached the shores of Japan and England - City staff were engaged in the much more important work of resident safety and support. We witnessed efforts that would make even the biggest government skeptic warm up to public service.

Rolling Hills Estates is a small city with just over 8,000 residents and only 20 full-time staff. And while the staff size is small, the response was mighty. From the weekend hours when residents first noted concerns to the all-hours response team the City assembled to address resident questions and coordinate with geologists and public safety, it was incredible. That culture of response came from the top as the City Council showed a deep investment in the well-being of their neighbors and support for City staff. Most importantly, aside from their time and effort, what I saw was compassion and a focus on people as friends and families. The crisis was narrow enough that staff knew the names of each person affected, and many could also rattle off exactly which home they were from, what their status was on finding shelter and additional personal facts about them.?

It quickly became clear that not only did City staff know them, but they cared about them. Indeed, the team’s response was so impressive that a newspaper published a well-deserved feature story on City staff’s efforts. As many who read this newsletter know, that rarely happens.?

Even if we don’t always hear about it in the news, we know that good things do happen at city halls all the time. Good people enter those halls each day with the goal of improving their communities. And because you work at the local level, that often means you know the names, families and stories of those you help. You can directly see the impact of your work - just another reason to love what you do.

Go Make an Impact Today,