A little more than a month after the grant application period
opened, the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration recently announced having made grant awards of
$3.5 million across seven trial entities nation-wide for the
Internet For All initiative’s
Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. The Awardees are
located in New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington.
Let’s get funding to California!
During an offsite meeting in Monterey July 17-19, the California
Public Employees’ Retirement System’s (CalPERS) Board of
Administration approved increased health plan premiums (with a
6-5 split vote), beginning in January 2024.
This week, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System’s
(CalPERS) Pension and Health Benefits Committee received an
update on the Rate Development Process and the 2024 proposed
premiums for the CalPERS health plans.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will provide an
overview of various federal and state funding opportunities for
local agencies for broadband. The webinar will unpack: the
Broadband, Equity, and Access Deployment (BEAD) Program, the Last
Mile Federal Funding Account, the California Advanced Services
Fund (CASF), the Broadband Mapping Program, and the Digital
Equity Program.
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System’s (CalPERS)
Pension & Health Benefits Committee will receive a presentation
on the preliminary 2024 health premiums on Wednesday, June 21,
2023. Once the CalPERS Pension & Health Benefits Committee
concludes its closed session, it will host a special briefing on
the proposed rate changes. This briefing will provide county
employers with insight on health rate changes for employees and
how plan changes may impact their health benefits.
CPUC Comment Period on Order Instituting Rulemaking
Extended until May 8, 2023
On March 1, 2023, The California Public Utilities Commission
(CPUC) released an order instituting rulemaking for the Broadband
Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, being implemented
in California by the CPUC. The deadline for the comment period
was extended from May 1 to May 8.
With the return of the Legislature last week from Spring Recess,
the 2023-24 Legislative Session continues in earnest. The end of
next week, April 28, 2023, marks the deadline for policy
committees to hear and report fiscal bills introduced in their
house to their respective fiscal committees. The deadline for
nonfiscal bills to be heard by policy committees is the
subsequent week.
Supervisors and county staff throughout the state convened in
Sacramento County for the 2023 CSAC Legislative Conference to
engage, empower and
elevate our collective county voice.
CSAC’s five policy committees – AOJ, AENR, GFA, HHS and HLT
– held important discussions to help steer the Association’s
policy and direction. Below is a recap from each policy
committees’ meeting.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is preparing to
submit a proposed rule as early as May 2023, which would require
all state and local governments to take measures to ensure their
websites are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990 (ADA). Specifically, the DOJ would amend its Title II ADA
regulation to provide technical standards for public entities to
ensure they are complying with existing ADA obligations to make
government websites accessible to individuals with disabilities.
The California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS)
announced that most California Public Employees’ Pension Reform
Act (PEPRA) members working at public agencies will experience an
increase in their contribution rate for their pensions, effective
July 1, 2023. This stems from the change in the discount rate and
actuarial assumptions in late 2021.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is accepting
nominations for county elected officials to serve on the FCC’s
Intergovernmental Advisory Council (IAC) for an upcoming term of
two years. The deadline to submit self-nominations is April 7th,
2023.
The first of a two-year legislative session is underway with the
highest number of bills introduced in over a decade. We will
continue to engage with you as bills are amended and move through
the Legislature. CSAC is currently soliciting feedback on the
bills listed below. Please send your feedback to
Brian Cote.
On March 15-16, 2023, CSAC’s Government Finance and
Administration team attended the 2023 Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
Public Sector Employment Law Annual Conference in San Diego. The
Conference is geared towards Public Agency Management and
included a variety of informative and engaging presentations, as
a resource to stay up-to-date with legal developments, gain
insights into current legislative implementation challenges and
future reform opportunities, and to network with public
employment agencies. Here are takeaways from several sessions:
CSAC is delighted to be part of a broad local government
coalition co-sponsoring
AB 817 (Pacheco) Open meetings: teleconferencing: subsidiary
body, along with the California Association of Recreation and
Park Districts, League of California Cities, Rural County
Representatives of California, and the Urban Counties of
California.
The United States Department of Commerce’s National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is
seeking input on how to structure nearly $2.7 billion in grant
programs to ensure everyone in America has the digital skills and
devices they need to realize the full potential of high-speed
Internet access.
In March 2022, the California Broadband Council issued a “Call to
Action” to provide high-speed internet service to 90 percent of
all eligible low-income households by 2024. In response, the
California Emerging Technology Fund, along with multiple
stakeholders, are coordinating a statewide mobilization effort to
promote the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
Governor Gavin Newsom recently
announced that California is extending the state tax filing
and payment due dates to October 16, 2023, for Californians
impacted by the winter storms in December and January. This
aligns with the federal government, which announced that the
United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) extended various due
dates until October 16, 2023, as well.
With Governor Gavin Newsom
declaring the end of California’s COVID-19 State of Emergency
on February 28, 2023, California counties are transitioning to a
new environment. Threats of emergency persist, as evidenced by
recent flooding, earthquakes, and frequent wildfires.
Accordingly, CSAC is proud to co-sponsor
Assembly Bill 557, authored by Assemblymember Gregg Hart – Open
meetings: local agencies: teleconferences, along with the
California Special Districts Association and League of California
Cities.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
recently announced that it will develop rules for determining
grant funding, eligibility, and compliance for funds distributed
to California under the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and
Deployment (BEAD) Program created under the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
GFA attended the 2023 National Association of Counties (NACo)
Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. from February 11-14,
2023. During the Broadband Summit on Local Coordination and
Digital Equity, four National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) administered programs created under the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to drive high-speed internet
access, affordability, and adoption were discussed:
· Broadband Equity, Access
and Deployment Program (BEAD), $42.45B
On February 14, 2023, the California Public Employees’ Retirement
System’s (CalPERS) Board of Administration voted to submit the
final rulemaking package defining limited duration employment to
the Office of the Administrative Law (OAL). CalPERS began this
rulemaking action on June 17, 2022, and subsequently revised the
text of the proposed regulations on December 1, 2022.
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development and
the California Department of Technology are hosting a webinar
featuring the California Local Jurisdiction Permitting Playbook:
Updates and Strategies.
The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) is thrilled
to report the appointments of Supervisor Luis Alejo, District 1,
Monterey County and Supervisor Valerie Starkey, District 2, Del
Norte County to the Middle-Mile Advisory Committee.
The deadline is approaching for completing the Governmental
Accounting Standards Board’s (GASB) survey regarding its
Post-Implementation Review (PIR) of its pension
standards—Friday, January 20, 2023.
This survey is administered by a private-sector organization that
establishes accounting standards for federal, state, and local
governments.
