State and local governments are struggling to hire public finance professionals. Is this due to a shortage of qualified individuals, or something else? We talk with Heidi Voorhees, co-founder of GovHR USA and GovTempsUSA about recruiting strategies and how government agencies can incentivize professionals - from recent college grads to those working in the private sector - to work in public finance. In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss what college graduates look for in potential employers, and how employers can make themselves competitive for applicants.

From small municipalities to large urban centers, how do we define "politics" in local government budgeting? How do elected officials and finance professionals build trust and credibility with the public? And what does politics mean as we "reinvent" local budgeting. Join us for a master class on these and other questions in our third and final interview from the 2024 GFOA conference, where we sat down with Rick Cole, Chief Deputy Comptroller for the City of Los Angeles; Mike Bailey, Director of Internal Audit for Northshore School District in Washington; Amelia Powers Gardner, Commissioner of Utah County, UT; Daniel Ramos, OMB Director for Harris County, TX; and Andrew Scott, Deputy COO of Portland Metro.

How has Detroit turned around their finances to receive a major credit upgrade? What challenges still linger, especially when it comes to using federal money and tax credits effectively to invest in the community? Learn the answers to these questions and more in our second installment of interviews from the 2024 GFOA conference, where we spoke with Kevin Bain, Director of Strategy for the City of Detroit.

Our state treasurer series continues with Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs. We discuss responsible financial stewardship; the state of ESG; Illinois' investment strategies; and hear about some unique and fascinating unclaimed property stories! In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss the effects of out-migration on Illinois' economy and the challenges of creating policy to reverse this trend.

Housing affordability, the boom-and-bust cycle of the tech industry, and fiscal policymaking at the ballot box. How does a credit analyst view California's unique state and local public finance? Join us as we sit down with Jennifer Johnston, Senior Vice President and Director of Municipal Bond Research at Franklin Templeton to hear her perspective. In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss the latest budget deal reached in California to address its deficit, and what $16 billion in budget cuts means for the state.

In our season 3 premiere, we caught up with speakers from the panel on "Rethinking Financial Reporting" at the 2024 GFOA Conference in Orlando. We dive into themes from the panel like technology in finance, the future of financial reporting, and careers in government finance with our guests, David Guo, Regents Distinguished Professor of Public Finance at the Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs at Wichita State University; Jennifer Becker, Financial Services Director for the City of Burbank, California; and Sharon Edmundson, Director of Municipal Finance Programs for the NC League of Municipalities in Raleigh, North Carolina.

We wrap up Season 2 with California Treasurer Fiona Ma. We cover California’s deficit; the challenge and opportunity of ESG investing; why housing affordability is California's number one policy challenge; how she advocates for Calfornia's agriculture; why she's a card carrying SAG member; and how Kristi Yamaguchi helped her save San Francisco's Cow Palace, among many other topics. In Ripped from the Headlines, we look deeper into California's plan to put multiple bond proposals on the ballot to address some of its ongoing challenges.

As we wrap up season 2, we look back at some of the themes that dominated the season. These key themes include state revenue challenges, the emergence of AI in public finance, cybersecurity, the impact of e-sports on public finance, the economies of "industry" cities, and how municipalities are thinking about building back better.