Hot Topics: Several Issues Percolating as Legislature Returns from Break
The Legislature returns on August 17th to a flurry of activity as
session adjourns for winter recess on September 11th. That leaves
a very short window to tackle some complex issues facing the
Legislature. In addition to the list of priority bills outlined
in each policy section, there are a number of significant issues
that require a two-thirds vote for passage. At the top of the
list is the push for a transportation funding package to address
the 10-year $135 billion shortfall facing state and local
transportation systems.
The Governor called a special session on transportation and
infrastructure to focus attention on the need to reinvest in
maintenance of our highways, road, streets and bridges. CSAC
joined a broad coalition of transportation stakeholders in an
effort to bring forward principles to assist the Legislature and
Governor in reaching consensus on a comprehensive transportation
package. Please see
this story in CSAC News for more information abou the
coalition, and
click here for the specific bills that have been introduced
as part of the Special Session.
The health special session is also important to CSAC as the
Managed Care Organization (MCO) tax needs to be revamped to avoid
a billion dollar hole in the State’s General Fund. Several
proposals have been introduced or discussed to address this
issue, including the potential for a proposed tobacco tax, as
outlined in the
Health and Human Services Section.
CSAC has also joined a coalition to pursue a funding source to
deal with stormwater and flood control. With the drought
continuing to plague California, water supply and water
conservation remains critical. Further, a recent court decision
has thrown into question conservation rates imposed by water
agencies throughout California. These water- related issues need
to be addressed through a constitutional amendment requiring the
tough two-thirds vote. See more information in the
Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Section.
Other hot bills of note that fall within the purview of the
Agriculture, Environmental and Natural Resources policy area,
include the medical marijuana bills, AB 234 (Wood), AB 266
(Bonta) and SB 643 (McGuire). CSAC continues to advocate for
strong language protecting local control and explicit county
taxing authority. The groundwater adjudication bill, AB 1390
(Alejo), also remains on our radar screen as additional
amendments are needed to allow CSAC to remove its opposition.
Again, please see the
Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Section for
more information in this issue
The Administration is pursuing an increase to the state’s solid
waste disposal fee, or “tipping fee” to address a structural
deficit of the Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery
(Cal Recycle) (funding tied to diminishing waste stream) and the
need for funding for infrastructure to process organic materials.
The focus on infrastructure is tied to the state’s goal of
reducing the amount of organic materials in our landfills. The
Administration is also focused on reducing short-lived climate
pollutants– which includes methane—by diverting organic materials
from disposal. This, combined with the mandate for commercial
organics recycling, which was passed last year (AB 1826:
Chesbro), creates a great funding need for organics
infrastructure. Please see theAgriculture,
Environment and Natural Resources Section for more
information on this issue.
You should also be aware of two bills of note in the
Government Operations and Finance policy area. One would
create a sales tax exemption that could impact County revenues,
and the other, a proposed Constitutional Ammendment, would add
members to the Boards of Supervisors in counties with more than
two million people.
Please see the
Employee Relations Policy Area for an overview of a ballot
measure for which the Attorney General has just issued a title
and description. It would allow voters to weigh in on
compensation and retirement benefits for public employees.
CSAC remains at the forefront of these local government issues
and will continue to update counties on their progress. Please
visit the Legislative Tracking page on our website to view all
legislation CSAC is monitoring and don’t hesitate to contact
staff with any questions.