CSAC president Jeff Griffiths opens term stressing homeless services, housing and wildfire work

Jeff Griffiths, president of the California State Association of Counties, used his opening remarks to outline priorities for his presidential year, singling out homelessness, affordable housing and wildfire management as areas where counties should work together.

Griffiths, who said he serves as a county supervisor in Inyo County, framed his remarks around the practical challenges facing rural counties and the role CSAC plays as a collective resource. "We have a lot of challenges ahead of us like homelessness, providing affordable housing, wildfire management," he said.

He described Inyo County’s geography and communities to illustrate those challenges, noting the county covers "over 10,000 square miles with only 19,000 people," is home to Mount Whitney and Death Valley, and attracts about "6,000,000 people" a year. He also invoked the Bristlecone Pines as a distinctive local feature.

Griffiths emphasized the hands-on nature of rural county service, saying he has no staff or office and often meets constituents in his backyard, which he uses for constituent meetings, nonprofit board gatherings and community events. He framed CSAC as a practical support for smaller counties, pointing to resources such as the grants initiative and the CSAC Institute.

On intergovernmental cooperation, Griffiths said CSAC will "build on our great relationships with NACO, with James Gore as president," and work with affiliates including the League of California Cities, UCC and RCRC. He urged members to be active so their "collective voice, 58 county strong, is heard in Sacramento and Washington, DC."

He closed the remarks with an informal invitation for members to visit his backyard and for him to visit theirs. The remarks in the transcript were introductory; no formal motions or votes were recorded in the provided transcript.