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.
Workshops have always been a mainstay of CSAC annual meetings.
We bring in experts on specific topics who spend 90 minutes
or so talking to county leaders about the issue du jour. This
year, though, we are including a pair of workshops that will
follow a different format: roundtable discussions.
These discussions will focus on two issues that have generated
dialogue in opinions throughout our 58 counties: water and
medical marijuana. During the two discussions, our members will
be the experts. We expect the conversations to be lively,
informative and opinionated.
Six weeks from today, CSAC will kick off its 116th Annual
Meeting. 116 years…think about it. Since 1895, county
supervisors have been coming together to discuss common concerns
and potential solutions. Back then, California was home to less
than 2 million people.
As reported on the County Voice earlier
this month, the State Controller has so far been able to
avoid issuing IOUs because of the massive deferrals of payments
to counties and schools.
It’s been another extremely challenging year for California’s 58
counties. The demand for county services is soaring at a time
when resources are dwindling. Yet throughout all this, there is a
beacon of hope and inspiration: our county family.
Each year, CSAC conducts the Challenge Awards program to
recognize California Counties’ most innovative programs – and the
people behind them. This year, CSAC received nearly 250 program
entries.
Like many of the bills to expand employee benefits that have come
before it, AB 2151 by Assembly Member Norma Torres sounds simple
enough. Under current law, peace officers and firefighters
do not report accidents that occur in safety vehicles to their
private insurance company. Well, of course not. A CHP
officer’s driving record should not be affected by an accident
that occurs while pursuing a suspect.
But here is where AB 2151 starts to veer off the road.
AB 602, a bill by Assembly Member Mike Feuer, would extend the
statute of limitations for challenges to a housing element,
ordinance, or program to five-years.
CSAC has serious concerns with this measure and is calling
on every county to request the Governor veto the measure.
Why is this measure is such a threat to local governments and the
development of housing for all Californians?
State Controller John Chiang announced today that he would not
have to resort to issuing IOUs during the month of
September. Cash receipts for August were above the
Governor’s May Revision estimates by 3.9% (about $260 million),
while disbursements were down by $1.2 billion. Counties
should note that accelerated deferrals of payments to counties
and schools have significantly assisted in providing the cash
cushion necessary to avoid the issuance of IOUs.
While the state’s cash situation appears to be manageable for the
month, each passing week without a state budget places
significant stre
Today, the Senate Local Government Committee approved the
August 20 version of AB 155 by Assembly Member Tony Mendoza
on a 3-1 vote. This bill now requires that local agencies
wishing to seek Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection either receive
approval from the California Debt and Investment Advisory
Commission (CDIAC) or seek a review of its financial position
from the State Auditor. Either way, local agencies would
face delays prior to entering federal court. As a result,
CSAC is m
