As the requirement for counties to redraw their supervisorial
district approaches, the laws governing the process are drawing
attention from state legislators. Two bills of particular
importance are SB 139, which requires many large and medium-sized
counties to create independent redistricting commissions, and AB
849, which increases transparency and outreach requirements.
Two major legislative deadlines are right around the corner, with
proposals in flux that will have significant impacts on
California counties. The most immediate deadline, the House of
Origin deadline, is tomorrow, May 31. By midnight tomorrow,
Senate bills and Assembly bills must be passed through the house
where they originated or they are considered dead for the year.
The state’s net liability for retiree health and dental benefits
has gone down to $85.59 billion, according to a
report published yesterday by State Controller Betty T. Yee.
The liability, often referred to as the Other Post-Employment
Benefits (OPEB) liability represents the present-day cost to
provide health and dental benefits to state retirees and their
dependents earned as of June 30, 2018.
The court’s decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc.
opened new pathways for California to collect use tax,
specifically the ability to impose new requirements on
out-of-state retailers with no physical presence in the state.
This is important to counties and other local government agencies
because use tax revenues fund a wide variety of both local and
state services, including public safety, transportation, health,
and human services.
The California Complete Count Office is hosting an informational
webinar at 10 a.m. on March 1, titled
“Protecting the Confidentiality of 2020 Census Statistics.” The
lead presenters are from the U.S. Census Bureau and the webinar
is free and open to the public. Interested parties must
register online.
With a number of special elections already slated to take place
in 2019, CSAC has submitted a coalition letter requesting
Department of Finance (DOF) to reimburse counties for the cost of
special legislative vacancy elections in the current and previous
fiscal years. CSAC has been shining a spotlight on this issue for
several years, given the State’s decision to stop funding special
elections in 2007 and the resultant strain on county budgets.
Tax receipts are lower than expected at this point in the fiscal
year; however, both the Department of Finance (DOF) and
Legislative Analysts’ Office (LAO) higher revenues in April to
partially offset the current shortfall. They agree this is a side
effect of the 2018 federal tax reform, causing Californians to
pay more of their total tax liability in April instead of
December. Additionally, sales tax continues to miss the mark, but
could be a product of computer delays at the California
Department of Tax and Fee Administration.
The White House recently released the
American Broadband Initiative Milestones Report, providing a
roadmap for how the federal government can increase rural
broadband access and highlighting actions that federal agencies
are taking to promote private-sector investment in broadband
infrastructure.
The report’s recommendations are grouped into three categories:
With the state budget in a surplus position, there has been
heightened attention by both the Legislature and Newsom
Administration on paving the way for local economic development.
Proposals on the topic are currently all over the map; however,
they all illustrate the desire for workable tools to finance
economic development and housing projects.
Counties that contract with CalPERS for retirement or health care
benefits are strongly encouraged to participate in their Stakeholder Perception
Survey and share feedback across a wide variety of metrics,
such as customer service, fund sustainability, and communication.
Several county budget priories passed their first hurdle this
week, as the Assembly Budget Committee approved AB
72 and AB 73. The bills would make it easier for the state to
reimburse counties for disaster-related costs and provide
property tax backfills to counties and other local
agencies for fire-related property losses. They also provide
funding to modernize the 9-1-1 system and to assist with
emergency preparedness outreach.
California Complete Count – Census 2020 invites you to
participate in a webinar about State, Federal, and local efforts
to achieve a complete count in California’s rural communities.
Participants will learn about the unique challenges facing rural
communities due to the first ever “digital census,” and other
factors impacting hard-to-count communities in rural regions.
The California Complete Count – Census 2020 Office is hosting a
special informational call next week to discuss enumeration
strategies for areas affected by wildfires. A lot has changed
since the 2010 Census, particularly the growing frequency and
severity of California wildfires. Therefore, unique tactics will
need to be deployed in order to reach fire victims and any other
individuals living in non-conventional housing.
