November 13, 2026— Cal-ICMA, an association made up of ICMA members serving local government management professionals across California, is pleased to announce it has formalized its relationship with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) to become the first legal Chapter of ICMA. This designation strengthens Cal-ICMA’s partnership with ICMA and will improve Cal-ICMA’s efforts to support local government professionals in California dedicated to serving and sustaining thriving local communities.
"This association status change is a critical milestone in Cal-ICMA’s ever increasing and evolving efforts to support the Council-Manager form of government in California to better serve our communities across the state. On behalf of the Cal-ICMA Board of Directors, I’d like to convey my gratitude to ICMA for our strong partnership,” said Kevin Woodhouse, Cal-ICMA’s 2026-27 President. Elisa Cox, Past President of Cal-ICMA in 2023-24 and current ICMA Western Region Vice-President, said “The concept of this status change work began during my Cal-ICMA Presidency and is now a reality thanks to the diligent work of each subsequent Cal-ICMA President – Hazel Wetherford, Dr. Peter Pirnejad, and Kevin Woodhouse, President-Elect Brett Channing, ICMA Western Regional Director Pat Martel, and ICMA’s Chief Financial Officer Sabina Agarunova and the entire ICMA Leadership Team.”
As a Chapter of ICMA, Cal-ICMA will continue to deliver and support high-quality professional development, networking, and career support opportunities to city and county managers, assistant managers, and other local government leaders throughout the state. Members will benefit from this association status change because Cal-ICMA can now focus its limited resources on program delivery rather than administrative expenses of forming a stand-alone non-profit organization.
"ICMA is delighted to have formalized our relationship with Cal-ICMA in a new way that serves our members, and professional local government in California,” said Julia D. Novak, ICMA CEO/Executive Director. “This status change is a win-win for both of our associations as we work together to deliver quality programs, tools and training that enhances service delivery.”
About Cal-ICMA
The mission of Cal-ICMA is to connect California professionals for the advancement of ethical and inclusive local government management. Cal-ICMA is the only association that includes and serves all ICMA members throughout California. The Cal-ICMA Board of Directors includes representation from a broad spectrum of local government organizations: Cal Cities, the California City Management Foundation, the Municipal Management Associations of Northern and Southern California, the California Association of County Executives, CivicPRIDE, the International Network of Asian Pacific Islander Public Administrators, the Local Government Hispanic Network, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, and Women Leading Government. Learn more at calicma.org.
About ICMA
ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, advances professional local government management worldwide through leadership, education, and resources for more than 14,000 members in 30 countries. Learn more at icma.org.
Media Contact:
Kevin Woodhouse
Cal-ICMA President, 2026-27
cal-icma@icma.org