Government, Finance & Administration Policy News – July 13, 2017
This week, CSAC efforts have paid off in a number of ways as they relate to Government, Finance and Administration policy. Most notably, two key measures easing the financial burden of elections administration sailed out of policy committee, and in more good news, a troublesome measure related to parcel tax notification was successfully halted. A status report on each of these measures is provided below, in addition to a brief update on a proposed constitutional amendment that CSAC is tracking closely.
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AB 448 (Daly) – Parcel Tax Notification for Out of
Jurisdiction Residents
AB 448 was pulled from Committee by the author this week after significant pressure from CSAC and a host of other local agency stakeholders. The bill exacerbates a poorly drafted measure from last year that unfortunately was signed into law and as a result, counties are required to contact out of jurisdiction property owners regarding any parcel tax gaining voter approval through US Mail. AB 448 provides that the notice must be made within 30 days of approval of the parcel tax by the voters and additionally requires that counties process the notifications for school and special districts located within their jurisdiction. The bill, as currently drafted, is problematic for a number of reasons as outlined in CSAC’s latest opposition letter. Thankfully, however, due to the author’s decision to pull the bill from the committee hearing this week, it is now stuck in a standstill until next January should the author wish to move it forward. -
AB 467 (Mullin) – Transportation Tax Ballot
Measures
AB 467 continues to move forward unopposed and is headed for the Senate Floor. CSAC is the sponsor of this measure which would allow a county elections official to replace the adopted county transportation expenditure plan in the voter information guide with a notification that directs voters to view the expenditure plan on the transportation authority’s Internet Web site. CSAC has successfully garnered bipartisan support for the measure and will continue working to keep the momentum going. For more information on AB 467, see CSAC’s latest support letter and the full text of the measure. -
AB 668 (Gonzalez Fletcher) – The Voting Modernization
BondAct of 2018
AB 668 passed Senate Elections Committee where CSAC articulated strong support for the measure. The next stop is Senate Appropriations Committee before it can go to the full Senate membership for a vote. If signed by the Governor and approved by voters, the measure will represent the first major investment in county voting systems since 2002. For more information, see CSAC’s latest support letter and the full text of the measure. -
SCA 12 (Mendoza) – County Governance Structure for
Large Populations
CSAC continues its opposition to SCA 12, a measure that would require a county with a population of five million or more after the 2020 census to expand the number of supervisorial districts and create a directly elected county executive officer. CSAC Executive Director Matt Cate provided lead testimony at the Senate Elections Committee hearing this week, contributing to a robust discussion on the problems inherent in the bill. Unfortunately, the bill passed out of committee; however, there are still several opportunities for CSAC and its partners to stop the measure before it gets to the Governor’s desk. For more information, see CSAC’s latest opposition letter and the full text of the measure.
The Legislature breaks for summer recess next week, only to start back up again in late August full speed ahead in order to dispense of all viable bills by the September 15 deadline. Don’t hesitate to contact either Dorothy Johnson or Tracy Sullivan with questions on these or any other bills related to Government, Finance & Administration.