CSAC officers and staff had the pleasure this week to meet with
the Steering Committee members of our Corporate
Associates Program. These regular meetings are a great venue
for sharing ideas and planning for the future. CSAC receives
insight from leaders in a variety of industries, including
utilities, health care, communications, finance, construction
management, human resources, and high-tech.
More than 300,000 Alameda County residents received health
services from the county in 2010. Of the 100,000 people enrolled
in indigent care, two-thirds were seen at Highland Hospital.
Highland is the only trauma center in Alameda County where
anyone, regardless of income or insurance status, can be treated
for gunshot wounds or injuries sustained in automobile accidents.
In fiscal year 2009-2010, more than 76,000 people received
emergency care.
The county’s ability to provide this level of service may be in
jeopardy if aspects of Gov.
Four women and one man now govern rural Trinity County, a first
in the history of the Rhode Island-sized, forested mountain
county of 14,000 people, in far Northern California.
One of the original 27 counties in the state, Trinity County was
also the only county in California that Ross Perot won in the
1992 election. That same 1992 election is also known as the
“Year of the Woman”, signifying the fact that a number women were
elected to significant public offices. This included the
election of two women as U.S.
In his first full day in office, Governor Jerry Brown met with
CSAC leadership in our 1100 K Street offices for an hour this
morning. The media wasn’t far behind.
The Secretary of State’s Office has certified the November 2
General Election and reports that the 59.6 percent turnout was
the highest for a gubernatorial election since 1994. Nearly
60 percent turnout isn’t bad, but then again, that is a
percentage of the number of registered voters who cast ballots –
not the percentage of those who are eligible to vote.
California is not shy of controversy, particularly when it comes
to water. One only has to utter the words “the Delta” and many
decade-long debates come to mind. Many recent discussions and
impending decisions regarding the Delta have brought this natural
resource back into the spotlight.
In November, California voters rejected Proposition 19, a measure
that would have legalized the recreational use of marijuana in
the golden state. Despite earlier polls suggesting that
Californians were ready for more lax pot laws, the measure was
defeated 54 to 46 percent. CSAC took an official “oppose”
position on the measure, largely based on the challenging
regulatory and enforcement aspects of the proposition.
While some might be breathing a little easier with the defeat of
Proposition 19, California is still struggling to reckon with its
first effort to legalize marijuana.
The County Engineers Association of California (CEAC) have
elected Julie Bueren as their first woman president.
Bueren, Public Works Director for Contra Costa County, began her
career with the county in 1981 as a Junior Civil Engineer. and
over the last 29 years, her experience spanned several of the
Department’s divisions: Flood Control, Design, Construction
and Transportation Engineering.
Today I presented Chief Justice Ronald M. George with the CSAC
2010 President’s Award. Chief Justice George is retiring at the
end of the year after a distinguished 38-year career on the
bench, the last 14 of which he has served as the Chief Justice.
His tenure has been marked by extraordinary achievements, and he
leaves an enormous legacy of solid court reforms, strong
advocacy, and exemplary collaboration.
There are so many things that can be said about the Chief.
County supervisors-elect from all around California have come
together today and tomorrow in Riverside County to participate in
the CSAC New
Supervisors Institute. This is the first session of a
certificated three-part curriculum conducted by the CSAC
Institute for Excellence in County Government and CSU Sacramento
Center for California studies.
Today I presented Chief Justice Ronald M. George with the CSAC
2010 President’s Award. Chief Justice George is retiring at the
end of the year after a distinguished 38-year career on the
bench, the last 14 of which he has served as the Chief Justice.
His tenure has been marked by extraordinary achievements, and he
leaves an enormous legacy of solid court reforms, strong
advocacy, and exemplary collaboration.
There are so many things that can be said about the Chief. His
biography
is extraordinarily impressive.
Today, the Legislative Analyst’s Office released its November
forecast, also known as “California’s
Fiscal Outlook,” and the news is bad. Really, really
bad. According to the LAO economic analysis, the state will
face a $25.4 billion budget deficit in the coming year: a
projected deficit of $6 billion in 2010-11 and $19 billion in
2011-12.
There are a few noteworthy issues that contribute to this dire
warning. First, the LAO anticipates that the state will be
unable to secure about $3.5 billion of
“All politics is local” is a phrase we often hear. And it is no
exaggeration. Take California county supervisors for example;
they are extremely close to their constituents. They live in the
same neighborhoods, shop in the same grocery stores, attend the
same houses of worship… Easy access, no hiding. So when these
residents declare in large numbers that they want their county
supervisor to represent them at the state level, they know what
they are talking about.
That’s what happened on Tuesday when five county supervisors were
elected to higher office.
After nearly a year of discussion and negotiation, the federal
government approved California’s five-year, Medicaid Section 1115
hospital financing waiver on Tuesday. Under California’s waiver,
now dubbed the “Bridge to Reform,” the state will receive
approximately $10 billion in federal funds over five years.
Every two years at the CSAC Annual Meeting, we conduct a workshop
that provides county officials with an opportunity to satisfy
their state law (AB 1234) ethics training requirements. At
our upcoming Annual Meeting in Riverside County, this workshop
will be held on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 16.
The course is being conducted by the Executive Director/Ethics
Program Director of the Institute for Local Government, JoAnne
Speers.
Last week, Stateline.org, a website that compiles information and
stories on state politics and policy, ran an interesting series
of stories called “Behind on Bills: The high cost of states’
hidden debt.” Focusing on state budget situations in
California, Illinois, and New York, the stories highlight the
troubling trend of states failing to fund programs in a timely
manner and outline the downstream impacts of these state cash
crunches. It’s something to be concerned about,
particularly as we’re in the third consecutive year of
significant cash delays and deferrals to counties and other enti
Each year, when CSAC staff and leadership begin planning our
Annual Meeting, we examine timely topics and issues that
will be of particular importance to California counties at the
end of the year. Among the topics we will be covering at our
upcoming Annual Meeting, set for Nov. 16-19 in Riverside County,
is one that all counties must face in the near future:
redistricting.
It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since this issue was last
addressed, but it is time again for counties to prepare for local
redistricting. On Tuesday afternoon (Nov.
The Governor has signed SB 863 the budget trailer bill that
contains clean-up language to AB 2530 (Chapter 391, Statutes of
2010) and a $10 million appropriation for Williamson Act
subventions. The new law sets forth an alternative funding source
option that would shorten Williamson Act contracts to nine or 18
years, depending on the current term of the contract, in exchange
for the landowners forfeit of no more than 10 percent of their
tax benefit.
