Roundup: Latest Actions from the Commission on State Mandates and What It Means for Counties
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Since last week, the Commission on State Mandates published nine recently received letters communicating the intent to pursue a joint Legislatively Determined Mandate. These letters are available on the Commission’s website here.
What is a Legislatively Determined Mandate?
As an alternative to the standard test claim process for the Commission on State Mandates to determine whether a new law is a reimbursable state-mandated program, the California Department of Finance and a local agency, school district, or statewide association can jointly request that the Legislature determine that a statute or executive order mandates a new program or higher level of service requiring reimbursement for local governments. Authority and procedures for this process are included in California Government Code Sections 17572-17574.5.
Recent Developments
Similar to the letters posted this week, other letters to initiate a joint request for Legislatively Determined Mandates were submitted to the Commission in October 2025. In April 2026, the Department of Finance published a response letter denying these requests and recommending that these matters be adjudicated via the traditional test claim process.