AB 22 (Blumenfield) – Oppose
As Introduced on December 3, 2012
AB 22, by Assembly Member Bob Blumenfield, would prohibit a city,
county, or city and county that has an ordinance in operation
that requires the city, county, or city and county to repair or
reconstruct streets, sidewalks, or driveways that have been
damaged as a result of tree growth from repealing the ordinance
without the concurrence of the local electorate by majority
vote.
AB 22 is similar to AB 2231 (Fuentes) from the 2012 legislative
session, which attempted shift the burden onto counties and
cities for the entire cost of sidewalk repairs, even if the
damage to a sidewalk resulted from a tree on private property, in
various different forms. CSAC opposed all versions of the 2012
legislation and will oppose AB 22 in the 2013 legislative session
for the same reasons. Specifically, AB 22 as introduced,
undermines the role of local elected officials to make important
local municipal decisions that best suit the needs and resources
of their community.
Vote Thresholds
SCA 4 (Liu) – Support
As Introduced on December 3, 2012
SCA 4, by Senator Carol Liu, would provide that the imposition,
extension, or increase of a special tax by a local government for
the purpose of providing funding for local transportation
projects requires the approval of 55% of its voters voting on the
proposition.
CSAC supports a reduced voter threshold for the imposition of a
local tax for transportation purposes as it provides local
governments with a better tool for raising additional, much
needed transportation funds in communities across California.
Whether seeking an extension of an existing sales tax or the
imposition of a new sales tax for transportation, many counties,
both small and large, would benefit from a reduced voter
threshold to provide local revenues for transportation purposes.
