Should the statutes and internal regulations that govern the
information practices of state agencies also be applied to all
local agencies? AB 2677 would do just that in regard to how
personal information is stored and shared, without regard to the
many differences between state agencies, counties, school
districts, cities, and all manner of special districts. In doing
so, it would impose tremendous costs, both upfront and ongoing,
new civil liabilities, and would even threaten termination for
employees that make mistakes in how the information is handled.
During the Middle Mile Advisory Committee meeting last week, the
state’s contracted third party administrator, GoldenStateNet,
released new draft maps of the statewide middle mile network
design. The maps contain a number of changes, including
additions, to previous proposals, so interested county officials
should be sure to examine how they would affect their regions.
April is always a busy month in the Legislature, and this year is
no different. Tomorrow, April 29, marks the deadline for policy
committees to hear and report all fiscal bills introduced in
their house of origin. As the vast majority of bills are keyed
fiscal, policy committees have heard thousands of bills over the
last few months. Below you will find an update on key bills the
CSAC Government Finance and Administration team are currently
tracking.
CSAC will be
co-hosting a webinar with the California Emerging Technology
Foundation (CETF) this Friday, April 29 at 9:00 a.m. focused on
how counties can increase enrollment in the federal Affordable
Connectivity Program (ACP).
CSAC will be co-hosting a webinar with the California Emerging
Technology Foundation (CETF) next Friday, April 29 at 9:00 am
focused on how counties can help increase enrollment in the
federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Created through
the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, ACP
provides a $30-per-month service subsidy for low-income
households. This webinar will highlight a successful case study
that counties can replicate and build on to increase
participation among eligible households.
The state and federal governments will both be presenting
webinars in the coming days for local agency technical
assistance.
The CPUC will host the first of two webinars on the Local Agency
Technical Assistance Program this Tuesday, April 5 from
10-11 a.m. The program dedicates $50 million in
reimbursable grants to local agencies and Tribal governments for
pre-construction work on last-mile broadband connections to
unserved and underserved areas. Of this $50 million, at
least $5 million is set-aside for Tribes.
The state is nearing a final decision for how to distribute $2
billion of last-mile broadband infrastructure funds. A
preliminary decision adopted earlier this month addressed
questions like how much will go to projects in each county, what
types of organizations are eligible, and what kinds of
affordability requirements the state will attach to the funded
projects.
SB 1100 by Senator Dave Cortese passed out of Senate Governance
and Finance Committee today with a 4-1 vote. The bill, which is
co-sponsored by the CSAC and the Urban Counties of
California, seeks to give local boards tools to curb the
increase in disruptive and threatening behavior seen in many
local public meetings across the state.
Update #2:On April 19, CalPERS began the
process of adopting the temporary duration regulations for
retired annuitants.
As amended, the regulations would allow employers who are
unable to fill positions to extend appointments for retired
annuitants, as described in
the staff analysis.
At its meeting last Thursday, the CSAC Board of Directors voted
overwhelmingly to oppose a proposed initiative designed to make
it harder for the state, counties, and other local agencies to
approve or collect taxes and other revenues. The measure has not
collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, but its
proponents are attempting to qualify it for the November ballot.
Consistent with recent years in the California Legislature, an
array of Workers’ Compensation bills have been introduced that
aim to further expand presumptions, create additional time
constraints for reviews, and increase financial costs and
penalties to employers – all with little to no data to support
what effectively erodes the workers’ compensation no-fault system
in California. CSAC will continue to advocate on behalf of
counties to mitigate detrimental administrative and financial
impacts while endeavoring to find a balance between workers and
employers that is data-driven.
Tied by strict federal funding deadlines, California agencies are
working swiftly to implement the historic $6 billion investment
in broadband infrastructure. CSAC staff have provided an overview
of the progress of these investments to date, as well as
important funding opportunities for counties in the near future.
Building on last year’s historic $6 billion investment in
broadband infrastructure, CSAC is currently evaluating a package
of bills that seek to increase data collection, expand
connectivity, and increase affordable broadband options for
Californians. The bills below are generally in line with the
broadband portion of CSAC’s
2022 Policy Priorities, as approved by the Board of Directors
in December.
Amidst Russia’s violent and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,
California leaders are calling on state pension systems to cut
financial ties to Russia. According to a
letter sent to CalPERS, CalSTRS, and University of California
Retirement Plan chairs on Monday, California holds over $1.5
billion in investments in relation to Russia’s financial markets.
Several newly introduced bills would change the requirements for
local Brown Act meetings and state Bagley-Keene meetings. The
bills follow two years of changes to public meetings caused by
the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing hostility and incivility
exhibited in many communities.
Tomorrow, February 18, marks the final day for members of the
California State Legislature to introduce new bills for the
2021-22 legislative session. Although new bills have trickled in
daily since the Legislature reconvened on January 3, members
often wait until the final deadline week to introduce the bulk of
their new proposals. With hundreds of bills introduced each day
this week, this year is shaping up no differently.
This week, the Senate approved
SB 213 (Cortese) to move off the Senate floor and over to the
Assembly with a final vote of 21 senators, narrowly allowing its
move into the Assembly. At its core, this bill will impose
significant financial burdens on employers in the health care
industry who are already struggling under the effects of labor
shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic. For California
Counties, this means costs to taxpayers.
The Government Finance & Administration (GFA) Policy
Committee will meet next week
on Wednesday, January 26, from 1:00 - 2:00
p.m. to discuss a proposed ballot initiative
proponents have labeled “The Taxpayer Protection and Government
Accountability Act.” The initiative would amend
the California Constitution to restrict the ability of the
state, counties, other local agencies, and the electorate to
approve or collect taxes, fees, and other revenues. This
will be a virtual only meeting, and the meeting materi
Following the release
last week of their final rule for use of ARPA’s local
recovery funds, the U.S. Department of the Treasury held a
webinar on multiple dates to provide an overview of the rule’s
provisions. The hour-long webinar recording is now
available online on YouTube, along with the
PDF of the slide presentation.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA) will host broadband grant program public virtual listening
sessions in connection with the five new broadband grant programs
authorized and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
Act: The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program;
the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program; and
the Digital Equity Act Programs, which include the State Digital
Equity Planning Grant Program, the State Digital Equity Capacity
Grant Program, and the Digital Equity Competitive Grant
Program. These publi
Demonstrating the urgency and collaboration appropriate to the
task, the state has announced the first 18 sections for the
statewide open-access middle-mile network just a few short months
after the network was authorized by SB 156.
Middle-mile infrastructure will not provide broadband service
directly to consumers, but it will make it faster and cheaper for
all internet service providers to provide last-mile service to
both unserved and underserved households, as well as those who
currently live in a broadband monopoly.
Nearly two months after California voters rejected an attempt to
recall Governor Gavin Newsom that cost counties and the state
about $276 million to conduct, state officials continue to
examine California’s recall system for potential reform.
Discussions for potential reforms include raising the signature
threshold to qualify a recall election, altering the election
process for successor candidates, and creating a malfeasance
standard for justifying a recall election.
County officials and personnel are invited to attend a two-day
conference on private 4G/5G networks, an alternative to
traditional Wi-Fi networks that might help local agencies
implement connected traffic signals, provide public services, and
help close the digital divide. The event, “Enterprise 5G Live,”
includes educational workshops, networking opportunities, and an
exhibit hall where attendees can connect and learn about private
wireless networks.
Governor Newsom met the October 10 deadline to take action on
measures approved by the Legislature and delivered to his desk.
To keep Counties informed of new laws that impact them, CSAC will
be publishing a series of articles to spotlight those laws in
each policy area. This week, the Government, Finance, and
Administration (GFA) policy area provides information on new
laws impacting broadband, elections, labor relations, and more.
California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), part
of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development
(GO-Biz), announced that it is now accepting applications from
California County governments to administer the California
Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program (MBCRG). Counties are
encouraged to apply for funding to provide $2,500 grants to
eligible microbusinesses that have been impacted by COVID-19 and
the associated health and safety restrictions.
Governor Newsom had until October 10, 2021 to sign or veto bills
passed by the Legislature last month. Following is an update on
major bills of interest or concern for the Government, Finance,
and Administration policy area, including victories broadband
access and public meeting requirements. For additional
questions, please contact Geoff Neill, Ryan Souza, or Danielle Bradley.
With the summer travel season behind us, the new school year in
full swing, and shrinking daylight hours, fall has arrived in
Sacramento. For members of the California State Legislature, fall
is a chance to pause the weekly back and forth commute from
Sacramento and reconnect with the communities they represent. As
the end of 2021 inches closer, this provides the perfect
opportunity for California’s Counties to reach out to their State
Senators and Assemblymembers who are using the year’s remaining
months to engage with their constituents and better learn about
the needs and priorities within their districts.
California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate, part of the
Governor’s Office of Business Economic Development (GO-Biz),
recently launched
calosba.ca.gov – a website that connects California’s small
business community with critical resources available through
state-funded small business technical assistance program and
other state resources.
Californians in Lassen, Nevada, Placer, and Plumas counties who
have been impacted by wildfires that started in July and August
2021 can now file for federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance
(DUA). The California Employment Development Department (EDD)
administers these benefits, which are available to workers,
business owners, and self-employed individuals who lost their
jobs or businesses, or had their work hours reduced due to the
ongoing wildfires.
One week remains before the Legislature reaches its deadline to
pass legislation for the year and the fate of two bills that
amend the Brown Act remain uncertain.
AB 339 (Lee) and
AB 361 (Robert Rivas) are both currently pending on the
Senate Floor at the time of this writing.
Only two weeks remain for the Legislature to act on bills before
adjourning for Interim Recess. Yesterday, both the Senate and
Assembly Appropriation Committees voted on hundreds of bills
sitting in their suspense files, many of which the CSAC
Governance, Finance, and Administration team have been
monitoring. Below is a summary of the outcomes.
SB 594 (Glazer), which aligns the elections calendar for the
June 7, 2022 primary with the new statewide redistricting
deadline, was passed out of Assembly Elections Committee earlier
this week with unanimous support.
An Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC) issued a
ruling late last week extending the deadline for formal
parties to submit opening comments on the statewide middle-mile
broadband network to Friday, September 3. The
ruling was issued in response to a request from the California
Cable & Telecommunication Association. The ruling also extends
the deadline for reply comments to Tuesday, September
21.
Join the California State Association of Counties
(CSAC), California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) and
Valley Vision for an informational webinar on
Thursday, August 26, 2021 at 1:30 PM about
practical things county officials can do to plan for, facilitate,
and incentivize broadband in their communities.
