September 17, 2020

Last week, the California Supreme Court declined to review a state appellate court decision that allows local government special taxes to be increased by a simple majority, rather than two-thirds, if the tax increase is placed on the ballot by initiative petitions and not the governments themselves. This comes as a victory for those in favor of making tax increases easier to pass, as well as groups who might not seek taxes to benefit their causes via local initiative.

September 3, 2020

CSAC’s Government, Finance and Administration policy committee tracked a number of bills this legislative cycle. Here is a summary of the outcomes for a number of notable bills.

AB 107 (Budget): General Government: Assessment Appeals Deadlines

August 27, 2020

August 27, 2020

A new budget trailer bill, SB 815, would give county assessment appeals boards additional time to work through their backlogs and clarify that they are allowed to hold hearings remotely.

August 13, 2020

August 6, 2020

This week, Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-72-20 – his 44th COVID-related executive action – which extends until January 31, 2021 the deadline to hear property tax assessment appeals filed on or before March 4, 2020.

July 30, 2020

In a case closely watched by public agencies, their unions, and pension hawks, the California Supreme Court this morning unanimously upheld the “California Rule” that prevents most reductions to pensions for existing employees. However, the decision itself found in favor of the pension systems and against the union plaintiffs, by finding that the changes in question served “the constitutionally permissible purpose of closing loopholes and preventing abuse of the pension system.”

July 16, 2020

This week, the California State Library announced the launch of the California Grants Portal. The Portal allows users to browse nearly all grants and loans hosted by state agencies and departments, as well as to subscribe to email updates for new opportunities. The new Portal can be found at grants.ca.gov. 

July 9, 2020

The Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery has announced a new website and campaign, Calling All Californians: #ShopSafeShopLocal, which provides resources to small business on how to make modifications to protect against the spread of COVID-19. The website also encourages Californians to support small businesses in their communities.

June 25, 2020

The Government, Finance and Administration Policy Committee is requesting feedback on the following bills. Please send comments to Geoff Neill or Ada Waelder.

AB 398 (Chu) – Local Government and School Recovery and Relief Act

June 25, 2020

June 4, 2020

May 28, 2020

County costs for hearings to designate someone a sexually violent predator (SVP) are once again reimbursable after a hard-fought, long-awaited decision from the semi-obscure, quasi-judicial Commission on State Mandates. This represents a big win for counties in an area that is often a cause for frustration.

May 21, 2020

Should property taxes be refunded to landlords because of state regulations related to COVID-19? That’s the question at the heart of SB 1431, by Senator Steve Glazer.

May 15, 2020

May 15, 2020

May 15, 2020

Governor Newsom issued an Executive Order requiring counties to send vote-by-mail ballots for the November election to all registered voters, while also retaining options for in-person voting opportunities. The order will ensure that all registered voters have a chance to vote without risking their health by congregating at polling places.

May 7, 2020

May 7, 2020

April 23, 2020

Responding to impact of both the coronavirus itself and the government actions taken to lessen the resulting economic effects, CSAC today sent the Governor a letter outlining a variety of urgent county fiscal stability and budget needs, including backfilling deferred sales taxes, issuing an executive order on property taxes, and assisting any counties with critical cash flow needs.

April 9, 2020

A closely watched ballot measure proposal, which would amend the historic Proposition 13, submitted 1.7 million signatures last week, far exceeding the 997,139 verified signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot and likely assuring its placement on the November statewide ballot. The effort is being run by the Schools & Communities First campaign, which has already qualified a similar measure to be placed on the ballot, but is trying to replace that one with a modified version to exempt more small businesses from the tax increase.

April 2, 2020

This morning, the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) hosted the first in a series of daily webinars to train local governments on how to apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance. The webinar specifically focused on federal procurement under FEMA’s  grant standards, which is a requirement of receiving FEMA Public Assistance to help pay for the cost of responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

March 26, 2020