HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOARD STANDING COMMITTEES - 12102018 - Legislation Cte Agenda Pkt
LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
December 10, 2018
**NOTE TIME CHANGE***11:30 A.M.
651 Pine Street, Room 101, Martinez
Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, Chair
Supervisor Diane Burgis, Vice Chair
Agenda
Items:
Items may be taken out of order based on the business of the day and preference
of the Committee
1.Introductions
2.Public comment on any item under the jurisdiction of the Committee and not on this
agenda (speakers may be limited to three minutes).
3. APPROVE the Record of Action for the November 5, 2018 meeting of the
Legislation Committee, with any necessary corrections.
4. REVIEW the revised Draft 2019 State Legislative Platform, provide direction to
staff on any recommended changes, and RECOMMEND its adoption by the Board
of Supervisors.
5. REVIEW the Draft 2019 Federal Legislative Platform, provide direction to staff on
any recommended changes, and RECOMMEND action to the Board of Supervisors.
6.Adjourn
The Legislation Committee will provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities
planning to attend Legislation Committee meetings. Contact the staff person listed below at least
72 hours before the meeting.
Any disclosable public records related to an open session item on a regular meeting agenda and
distributed by the County to a majority of members of the Legislation Committee less than 96
hours prior to that meeting are available for public inspection at 651 Pine Street, 10th floor,
during normal business hours.
Public comment may be submitted via electronic mail on agenda items at least one full work day
prior to the published meeting time.
Page 1 of 115
For Additional Information Contact:
Lara DeLaney, Committee Staff
Phone (925) 335-1097, Fax (925) 646-1353
lara.delaney@cao.cccounty.us
Page 2 of 115
LEGISLATION COMMITTEE 3.
Meeting Date:12/10/2018
Subject:Record of Action for Legislation Committee
Submitted For: LEGISLATION COMMITTEE,
Department:County Administrator
Referral No.: 2018-30
Referral Name: Record of Action
Presenter: L. DeLaney Contact: L. DeLaney, 925-335-1097
Referral History:
County Ordinance (Better Government Ordinance 95-6, Article 25-205, [d]) requires that each
County Body keep a record of its meetings. Though the record need not be verbatim, it must
accurately reflect the agenda and the decisions made in the meeting.
Any handouts or printed copies of material or testimony distributed at the meeting will be
attached to the meeting record.
Referral Update:
Attached for the Committee's consideration is the Draft Record of Action for its November 5,
2018 meeting.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
APPROVE the Record of Action with any necessary corrections.
Attachments
Attachment: Draft Record of Action
Minutes Attachments
No file(s) attached.
Page 3 of 115
D R A F T
LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Monday, November 5, 2018
*** NOTE TIME CHANGE***10:00 A.M.
651 Pine Street, Room 101, Martinez
Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, Chair
Supervisor Diane Burgis, Vice Chair
Agenda Items:Items may be taken out of order based on the business of the day and preference of the Committee
Present: Karen Mitchoff, Chair
Diane Burgis, Vice Chair
Staff Present:Devorah Levine, Assistant Director, EHSD
Allison Pruit, EHSD staff
Erick Untal, Legislative Analyst, ASA III, EHSD
Kathy Gallagher, EHSD Director
John Cunningham, Principal Planner, DCD
John Kopchik, DCD Director
Amalia Cunningham, Economic Development Manager, DCD
Julia Taylor, Senior Management Analyst, CAO
Lara DeLaney, Senior Deputy County Administrator
Attendees: Mariana Moore
Ben Palmer
1.Introductions
Committee members, staff, and attendees introduced themselves.
2.Public comment on any item under the jurisdiction of the Committee and not on this
agenda (speakers may be limited to three minutes).
No public comment was received.
3.APPROVE the Record of Action with any necessary corrections.
Unanimously approved as presented.
AYE: Chair Karen Mitchoff, Vice Chair Diane Burgis
Passed
Page 4 of 115
4.ACCEPT the End of Session Report from the state's advocates, Nielsen Merksamer, and
provide direction to staff, as needed.
The report from Ben Palmer was for information only and was accepted by the Committee.
AYE: Chair Karen Mitchoff, Vice Chair Diane Burgis
Passed
5.REVIEW the Draft 2019 State Legislative Platform, provide direction to staff on any
recommended changes, and RECOMMEND action to the Board of Supervisors.
Staff reviewed the Draft 2019 Platform. The Committee asked clarifying questions and directed staff to
make changes to the Draft Platform and return the item at the Committee's next meeting for additional
input.
AYE: Chair Karen Mitchoff, Vice Chair Diane Burgis
Passed
6.The next meeting is currently scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on December 10, 2018 in Room
101 of 651 Pine Street, Martinez.
The December meeting was subsequently changed to start at 11:30 a.m.
7.Adjourn
The Legislation Committee will provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities planning to attend Legislation
Committee meetings. Contact the staff person listed below at least 72 hours before the meeting.
Any disclosable public records related to an open session item on a regular meeting agenda and distributed by the County to a
majority of members of the Legislation Committee less than 96 hours prior to that meeting are available for public inspection at
651 Pine Street, 10th floor, during normal business hours.
Public comment may be submitted via electronic mail on agenda items at least one full work day prior to the published meeting
time.
For Additional Information Contact:
Lara DeLaney, Committee Staff
Phone (925) 335-1097,
lara.delaney@cao.cccounty.us
Page 5 of 115
LEGISLATION COMMITTEE 4.
Meeting Date:12/10/2018
Subject:2019 Draft State Legislative Platform
Submitted For: LEGISLATION COMMITTEE,
Department:County Administrator
Referral No.: 2018-31
Referral Name: Draft State Platform
Presenter: L. DeLaney Contact: L. DeLaney, 925-335-1097
Referral History:
At its November 5, 2018 meeting, the Legislation Committee reviewed the first Draft 2019 State
Legislative Platform and directed staff to make changes to the document and return it to the
Legislation Committee at its next meeting for further review.
Referral Update:
Staff has made the revisions directed by the Legislation Committee at its November meeting and
also incorporated additional changes requested by staff.
Changes include:
1. Adding a County-sponsored bill proposal related to Illegal Dumping.
2. Adding a Legislative Advocacy Priority related to Homelessness and reordering the Priorities in
alphabetic order.
3. Adding policies #71 and #72, which were recommended by the Women's Commission and
reviewed by Health Services.
4. Incorporating the restructured Human Services section of the Platform. Policy revisions from
the adopted 2018 Platform are highlighted in green. New policy proposals are highlighted in
yellow. (Pages 22-36)
5. Adding support for the creation and funding of a State Wellness Trust, as recommended by the
Public Health Director. (Policy #97)
6. Adding support for legislation that would improve access to Criminal Offender Record
Information (CORI) for research and evaluation purposes. (policy #256)
Attachment A is the revised Draft 2019 State Platform.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
REVIEW and APPROVE the revised 2019 Draft State Legislative Platform and RECOMMEND
Page 6 of 115
REVIEW and APPROVE the revised 2019 Draft State Legislative Platform and RECOMMEND
its adoption by the Board of Supervisors at its January 22, 2019 meeting.
Attachments
Attachment A: Draft 2019 State Platform
Minutes Attachments
No file(s) attached.
Page 7 of 115
2019 DRAFT
STATE LEGISLATIVE
PLATFORM
Contra Costa County
December 10, 2018
Attachment A
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1
Table of Contents (to be updated)
COUNTY-SPONSORED LEGISLATION ............................................................................................... 2
LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY ADVOCACY PRIORITIES ............................................................. 2
STATE PLATFORM POLICY POSITIONS .......................................................................................... 6
Agriculture................................................................................................................................................. 6
Animal Services ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Child Support Services .............................................................................................................................. 8
Climate Change ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Delta Water Platform ................................................................................................................................ 9
Economic Development ............................................................................................................................ 9
Elections .................................................................................................................................................... 9
Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Response ..................................................................................... 9
Eminent Domain ..................................................................................................................................... 10
Flood Control and Clean Water............................................................................................................... 10
General Revenues/Finance ..................................................................................................................... 11
Health Care ............................................................................................................................................. 13
Human Services ....................................................................................................................................... 19
Indian Gaming ......................................................................................................................................... 28
Land Use/Community Development ....................................................................................................... 28
Law and Justice System ........................................................................................................................... 31
Levees...................................................................................................................................................... 32
Library……………………………………………………………………………………………………… .......................................... 34
Pipeline Safety…………………………………………………………………………………………………… ................................ 34
Telecommunications and Broadband ..................................................................................................... 35
Transportation ........................................................................................................................................ 35
Veterans .................................................................................................................................................. 38
Waste Management................................................................................................................................ 39
Workforce Development ........................................................................................................................ 40
Attachment A
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Draft 2019 Platform 2
2019 STATE LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Each year, the Board of Supervisors adopts a State Legislative Platform that establishes priorities
and policy positions with regard to potential State legislation and regulation. The State Legislative
Platform includes County-sponsored bill proposals, legislative or regulatory advocacy priorities
for the year, and policies that provide direction and guidance for identification of and advocacy
on bills which would affect the services, programs or finances of Contra Costa County.
COUNTY-SPONSORED LEGISLATION
1. Seniors/Persons with Disabilities Transportation Funding Program
The “Seniors/Persons with Disabilities (SPD) Transportation Program” creates a mechanism to
strategically increase funding for transportation programs serving the senior/disabled population.
It is acknowledged at the local, regional, state and federal levels that transportation programs for
this population are underfunded and underdeveloped. These deficiencies will increase as
demographic ad public health shifts amplify these issues.
2. Sales Tax Exemption Proposal for On-Call Volunteer Fire Departments
This proposal would remove a logistical barrier to the purchase of equipment used exclusively by
volunteer, on call fire departments by exempting those purchases from applicable sales and use
taxes. Such a change would be consistent with exemptions in other states and remove an artificial
barrier that can delay the purchase of necessary firefighting equipment. Volunteer on-call fire
departments provide the same service as full-time departments in areas that simply do not generate
the tax revenue needed for 24-hour shift crews. For these departments, such as the Crockett-
Carquinez Fire Department, the cost to replace an aging fire engine can represent between 80 and
110 percent of their total yearly budget. As a result, these small districts must continue to keep
older engines in service well past their recommended replacement in order to amass sufficient
funds to purchase a replacement. This results in higher maintenance costs, more down time, and
most importantly, greater risk for our firefighters.
3. Illegal Dumping
Seek legislation that specifically raises the fines for unpermitted haulers, changing the violation of
hauler permit requirements from being an infraction to a misdemeanor.
LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY ADVOCACY PRIORITIES
Each year, issues emerge through the legislative process that are of importance to the County and
require advocacy efforts. For 2019, it is anticipated that critical issues requiring legislative
advocacy will include the following (in alphabetical order):
Attachment A
Page 10 of 115
3
Health Care – Counties play a critical role in California’s health reform efforts. Counties serve
as employers, payers, and providers of care to vulnerable populations. Consequently, counties
actively participate in discussions of how to best reform and preserve the health care system in
California and implement the national health care reform legislation passed in 2010, The Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The optional Medi-Cal Expansion, in effect on Jan. 1, 2014, was a significant part of the State
Budget process in 2013. The ACA had required states to expand Medicaid programs to allow
childless adults at or below 138 percent of poverty to be eligible for Medicaid (known as Medi-
Cal in California). The Supreme Court struck down that mandate but allowed it to be an option for
states, which California exercised.
However, significant unknowns remain including questions about the actual impact of the ACA
coverage expansions on counties and the number of uninsured individuals to whom counties will
still need to provide services. Counties will retain the Section 17000 responsibility, and there will
be significant variations in the impacts of both the ACA and AB 85 for the different types of
counties: county hospital (12 counties including Contra Costa County), payor/clinic and County
Medical Services Program (CMSP) counties.
The County will continue to work on the implementation of required health care reform measures
to maximize federal revenue. The County will support efforts to provide counties with the
necessary tools to implement health care reform which may include performing eligibility and
enrollment, preserving existing county resources from 1991 Realignment, providing for a smooth
transition for the various operational systems, and supporting legislation to ensure that low-income
families are covered under the Affordable Care Act while opposing legislation which would reduce
Medi-Cal eligibility. In addition, the County will continue to work to reduce uncompensated
health care costs, work on the adequacy of rates under the new health care system, and advocate
for adequate state funding for community-based health and social service networks to improve
service coordination, health outcomes and quality of life.
Homelessness
With the growing numbers of homeless, the County will work on the implementation of the No
Place Like Home program, the Homeless Emergency Aid Program, and the SB 2 funding program,
to ensure that Contra Costa County receives its fair share of funding and that the guidelines work
for implementation in the county. In addition, Contra Costa County will advocate for additional
funding that reduces and prevents homelessness; expands the availability of permanent supportive
housing; and provides counties with the ability to maximize and leverage available Federal, State
and local funds to provide services for at-risk and homeless families and individuals.
Realignment Implementation – The battle for constitutional protections for 2011 Realignment
concluded successfully on November 6, 2012 when Proposition 30 was passed by the voters.
Proposition 30 provides constitutional guarantees to the funding that supports Realignment and
safeguards against future program expansion without accompanying funding. With these
provisions in place, Contra Costa County continues to implement the array of programs transferred
under 2011 Realignment, confident that funding is secure and programmatic responsibilities are
Attachment A
Page 11 of 115
Draft 2019 Platform 4
defined. However, the County remains concerned that the funding is not sufficient and is also
concerned about liability issues arising from the new responsibilities.
Any future proposals to realign programs to counties must have constitutionally guaranteed
ongoing funding and protections. The County will oppose any proposals that would transfer
additional program responsibility to counties without funding, constitutional protections, county
participation and approval. The County will also oppose efforts that limit county flexibility in
implementing programs and services realigned in 2011 or infringe upon our ability to innovate
locally. The County resolves to remain accountable to our local constituents in delivering high -
quality programs that efficiently and effectively respond to local needs. Further, we support
counties’ development of appropriate measures of local outcomes and dissemination of best
practices.
With regard to Public Safety realignment, counties have received parolees whose latest crime f its
the specified “non-violent, non-serious, non-sex offender” (N3) definition but who have a criminal
background that includes violent, serious and/or sexual crimes. Under the current legislation, the
person’s latest offense/crime determines if they meet the N3 criteria. These individuals should
stay under the responsibility of the state.
The County will also support efforts to provide additional funding/grants to those counties that
have a commitment to lowering the crime rate and reducing recidivism through the provision of
innovative, comprehensive, evidence-based programs for offender populations and their families.
The County will also continue to support efforts to ensure that the receipt of Local Community
Corrections Funds matches the amounts anticipated from the state, without undue delay. Finally,
the County also supports more funding for mental health and behavioral health programs and
facilities in order to meet the requirements of Realignment and the goal of reducing recidivism.
State Budget – The state’s continuing economic recovery, prior budget cuts, and record returns
have combined to bring the State Budget to “remarkably good shape,” according to the Legislative
Analyst’s Office. While the Governor's Budget identifies cost pressures and budget risks in health
and human services programs, of particular concern to counties is the inadequate reimbursement
for our ever-increasing cost of operating several human services programs: the “Human Services
Funding Deficit,” formerly referred to as the “Cost of Doing Business.” The annual shortfall
between actual county expenses and state reimbursement has grown to over $1 billion since 2001,
creating a de facto cost shift to counties. The funding gap forces counties to reduce services to
vulnerable populations and/or divert scarce county resources from other critical local services. It
also increases the risk of state and federal penalties.
Due to the restructuring of In-home Supportive Services (IHSS) funding in the State Budget (SB
90), the new Maintenance of Effort will shift program costs to counties; Contra Costa County
anticipates a resultant decrease in IHSS administration funding. At the same time, the County
expects that IHSS caseloads and authorized hours per case will continue to increase. In Contra
Costa County, the number of caseloads increased by 16% from FY 2013 -14 to FY 2016-17; the
number of providers grew by 13%; and average authorized hours per case increased by 19%. The
new proposed administrative funding is not expected to match the growing need for increased
administration time and support needed to meet the demand of the growing IHSS population.
Attachment A
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5
Anticipated negotiations for the FY 2019-2020 State budget will re-examine the funding structure
for IHSS and determine the sustainability of county revenues and programs.
Water and Levees /The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta – The enactment of the Delta Reform
Act (2009), a bill that established the co-equal goals for reliable water supply and ecosystem
restoration for the Delta, created the Delta Stewardship Council, and supported the proposed Bay
Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) --an effort to construct a pair of massive tunnels under the Delta,
now recast as the California WaterFix (CWF)-- will bring significant, large-scale change to the
Delta as we know it. The scope and content of these changes, as well as enduring political battles
between northern and southern California over water, will continue to guide legislative and
administrative agendas in the coming year. Enabling legislation was also passed in 2009 for a state
water bond, which was delayed from the 2010 and 2012 ballots but successfully passed on the
2014 state ballot, as Proposition 1.
Significant future impacts on the County in the areas of water quality and supply, levee stability,
ecosystem health, local land use authority and flood control are anticipated.
Particular areas of concern for 2019 include, but are not limited to: (1) the ongoing development
of the California WaterFix (CWF) and whether the state water bond appropriates funds specific to
the CWF; and (2) the impacts of the Delta Plan on local land use authority, efforts to expedite state
bond funding for levee improvement projects, and the development of flow standards that will
impact water quality and ecosystem health in the Delta. The County’s adopted Delta Water
Platform, as well as the Strategic and Action Plans, are incorporated in this Platform by reference.
Attachment A
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Draft 2019 Platform 6
STATE PLATFORM POLICY POSITIONS
A brief background statement accompanies policy positions that are not self-evident. Explanatory notes
are included either as the preface to an issue area or following a specific policy position. Please note that
new and revised policy positions are highlighted. The rationale for the policy position is italicized.
Agriculture
1. SUPPORT efforts to ensure sufficient State funding for pest and disease control and
eradication efforts to protect both agriculture and the native environment, including glassy-
winged sharpshooter, light brown apple moth, and Japanese dodder activities; high risk
pest exclusion activities; pesticide regulatory and law enforcement activities; and noxious
weed pest management. Agriculture is an important industry in Contra Costa County.
Protection of this industry from pests and diseases is important for its continued viability.
2. SUPPORT continued appropriations for regulation and research on sudden oak death , a
fungal disease affecting many species of trees and shrubs in native oak woodlands. The
County’s natural environment is being threatened by this disease.
3. SUPPORT funding for agricultural land conservation programs and agricultural enterprise
programs, and support revisions to State school siting policies, to protect and enhance the
viability of local agriculture. The growth in East County and elsewhere has put significant
pressure on agricultural lands, yet agriculture is important not only for its production of
fresh fruits, vegetables and livestock, but also as a source of open space.
4. SUPPORT legislation to establish legal authority where needed to facilitate the efforts by
the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Department of Boating and
Waterways to survey and treat all infestations of the South American spongeplant and to
rid the Delta of this and other invasive aquatic species through integrated pest management
methods. Invasive aquatic species are a threat to agriculture, the environment and
recreation in the Delta. This position includes support for efforts by the Department of
Boating and Waterways to secure multi-year permits for eradication of multiple invasive
aquatic plant species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, its tributaries, and its marshes.
5. SUPPORT the CSAC policy statement regarding revisions to the California Conservation
Act of 1965 (the Williamson Act) to support legislative changes that preserve the integrity
of the Williamson Act, eliminate abuses resulting in unjustified and premature conversions
of contracted land for development, and to fully restore Williamson Act subventions. The
state subventions to counties also must be revised to recognize all local tax losses.
Attachment A
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7
Animal Services
6. SUPPORT efforts to protect local revenue sources designated for use by the Animal
Services Department; i.e., animal licensing, fines and fees. Fines, fees, and licensing are
major sources of revenue for the Animal Services Department. The demand for animal
services is increasing each year as does the demand on the General Fund. It is important
to protect these revenue sources to continue to provide quality animal service and to meet
local needs.
7. SUPPORT efforts to protect or increase local control and flexibility over the scope and
level of animal services. Local control over the scope of animal services is necessary to
efficiently address public safety and other community concerns. Local control affords
jurisdictions the ability to tailor animal service programs to fit their communities. Animal
related issues in dense urban areas vary from those in small, affluent communities.
8. SUPPORT efforts to protect against unfunded mandates in animal services or mandates
that are not accompanied by specific revenue sources which completely offset the costs of
the new mandates, both when adopted and in future years. Unfunded mandates drain our
limited fiscal resources and, at the same time, chip away at local control over the scope
and level of services.
9. SUPPORT efforts to ensure full funding of State animal services mandates, including
defense of the Department of Finance’s lawsuit against the State Commission on Mandates
regarding the State obligations for reimbursement of local costs for animal services
incurred in compliance with SB 1785. The County invested large sums of money to comply
with SB 1785, with the assurance that our cost would be offset by reimbursements from the
State. Failure by the State to honor the reimbursements negatively impacts the County
General Fund and Animal Services’ budget.
10. SUPPORT efforts to protect and/or increase County flexibility to provide animal services
consistent with local needs and priorities. The demand for quality animal service
programming continues to increase each year. The County is experiencing population
growth and changing demographics. It is incumbent upon the Animal Services Department
to be flexible enough to adjust to the changing needs and priorities.
11. SUPPORT efforts to preserve the integrity of existing County policy relating to Animal
Services (e.g., the Animal Control Ordinance and land use requirements). Contra Costa is
looked upon as one of the model Animal Services Departments in the state. Its policies,
procedures, and ordinances are a yardstick against which other Animal Control
organizations are measured. The local control exercised by the Board of Supervisors is
key to that hallmark.
Attachment A
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Draft 2019 Platform 8
Child Support Services
12. SUPPORT the establishment of a statewide electronic registry for the creation and
release/satisfaction of real property liens to collect delinquent child support payments.
California law currently provides that recording an abstract or notice of support judgment
with a County Recorder creates a lien on real property in that county. This requires
potentially recording the judgment in each of the 58 counties in order not to miss a property
transaction. An electronic registry simplifies the creation of liens and the release or
satisfaction of liens by creating a single statewide point of contact, and the entire process
could be managed electronically by automated processes with our centralized child
support case management system.
13. SUPPORT amendment of current code to clarify that county recorders may not charge a
fee or tax to record any child support agency document. A new code section or amendment
to Government Code §27383 which states “No fee shall be charged by the recorder for
services rendered to the State, to any municipality, county in the State or other political
subdivision thereof, except for making a copy of a paper or record,” can clarify that any
document prepared by the local child support agency and then sent for recording is
covered by the exemption, a technical point not currently acknowledged by all county
recorder offices.
14. SUPPORT efforts that require the Department of Child Support Services to provide
documents, forms, and letters in digitized format and distribute by any means that the
department determines is feasible, including email, website and SMS texting.
15. SUPPORT efforts that create new child support enforcement methods or enhance existing
child support enforcement methods.
16. SUPPORT efforts to ensure that any reduction in funding for the department of Child
Support Services at the State level is not passed down as a reduction to the local child
support agency.
17. SUPPORT efforts to increase funding for the child support program. OPPOSE efforts to
reduce funding for the child support program.
18. OPPOSE efforts that restrict the child support agency from having access to customer data.
19. OPPOSE efforts that eliminate or restrict existing child support enforcement methods.
Climate Change
20. SUPPORT the CSAC Climate Change Policy Statements and Principles which address a
broad range of issues affected by climate change, including water, air quality, agriculture,
forestry, land use, solid waste, energy and health. The document is largely based on
existing CSAC policy and adapted to climate change. Additionally, the document contains
a set of general principles which establish local government as a vital partner in the
Attachment A
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9
climate change issue and maintain that counties should be an active participant in the
discussions in the development of greenhouse gas reduction strategies underway at the
state and regional level.
21. SUPPORT efforts to ensure that the implementation of AB 32 results in harmony between
the greenhouse gas reduction target created by the Air Resources Board for each
regional/local agency, the housing needs numbers provided by the state Department of
Housing and Community Development pursuant to housing element law, and the
Sustainable Communities Strategy developed through the Regional Transportation Plan
processes.
22. SUPPORT legislative or administrative efforts that favor allocation of funding from the
California Greenhouse Gas Cap and Trade Program to jurisdictions that are the largest
emitters of greenhouse gas, have disadvantaged communities that are disproportionately
affected by environmental pollution, have Natural Community Conservation Plans or
similar land conservation (fee title and easement) efforts that will address climate change
and have demonstrated a local commitment to climate protection (e.g. established
emissions reduction targets, prepared Climate Action Plans, etc.). The County has several
good projects that would sequester carbon, such as Creek and wetland restoration
projects. The County also has several creek and wetland restoration projects with carbon
sequestration capacity that would likely be eligible for such allocations. Similarly, the
County supports land conservation projects that may occur as fee title or easement
acquisitions, these also will likely be eligible.
23. SUPPORT efforts to expand eligible expenditures of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund
to investments in accessible transit/transportation systems (serving seniors, disabled,
veterans) which result in more efficient (shared trips, increased coordination) service and
corresponding reductions in greenhouse gas production.
24. SUPPORT efforts to ensure life-cycle costs are considered when planning new projects in
the state. A key challenge for State and local agencies is funding the ongoing operation
and maintenance of infrastructure. This includes all aspects of the built environment:
buildings, roads, parks, and other infrastructure. As California begins to implement more
aggressive climate goals, the State should be thinking about new methodologies for
anticipating project costs. In particular, it is evident that California will need a different
transportation system than the one we have currently, and that this new transportation
system will be more expensive to maintain. Traditional accounting methods that look only
at initial project cost lead to situations where infrastructure fails, at greater replacement
cost than if ongoing operation and maintenance had been included from the beginning.
This would include methodologies for internalizing the social and environmental costs of
projects.
25. SUPPORT revisions to the Public Resources Code and the Air Resources Board’s
Investment Plans to provide Cap and Trade funding for the conservation of natural lands,
parks and open space through fee title acquisition as well as easements.
Attachment A
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Draft 2019 Platform 10
26. OPPOSE changes to the California Environmental Protection Agency’s protocols for
designating disadvantaged communities which result in a reduction in the number or size
of disadvantaged communities in Contra Costa County. Disadvantaged communities are
prioritized for receipt of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds, the funding source for a
number of state grant programs. Contra Costa County has a number of communities and
neighborhoods that are economically and socially disadvantaged and located near large,
current and former industrial sites. These industrial operations contribute through the Cap
and Trade program to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The state designations should
continue to reflect the disproportionally acute needs of these communities.
27. SUPPORT funding and infrastructure to help protect vulnerable communities and
populations as the mean temperature of the region steadily increases due to global climate
change. As California and the East Bay region experiences more frequent and prolonged
periods of extreme heat, extreme heat will impact human health, demand on health
services, potable water, agriculture, vectors, wild fires, and demand on electricity.
Delta Water Platform
To protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta from various detrimental forces that are
affecting its health and resources, it is the policy of Contra Costa County to support
implementation of projects and actions that will help improve the Delta ecosystem and the
economic conditions of the Delta. Contra Costa County has adopted a Delta Water
Platform to identify and promote activities and policy positions that support the creation
of a healthy Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Contra Costa County will use this Platform to
guide its own actions and advocacy in other public venues regarding the future of the Delta.
Economic Development
28. SUPPORT an amendment to the California Competes (State incentive program) guidelines
to consider qualifying low-income census tracts within unincorporated areas of a county
(that as a whole does not qualify as low-income) in the enhanced scoring category. (This
is a similar situation to that highlighted in AB 1804, where unincorporated areas were left
out of an incentive program.)
29. SUPPORT legislation to dedicate net proceeds from State Lands Commission lease
revenues for public benefit in the County in which they are generated with a focus on
increasing public access to and enjoyment of the waterfront.
30. SUPPORT the State layering existing State economic development programs and
incentives with Federal Opportunity Zone tax credit incentives.
Elections
31. SUPPORT legislation to adjust precinct sizing from 1,000 voters per precinct to 1,250
voters per precinct. With the option of being able to have up to 1,250 voters per precinct,
Attachment A
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11
the best polling locations in a neighborhood can be selected, and that same site is more
likely to be used for several elections, thus avoiding the need to change poll sites for voters.
32. SUPPORT full state reimbursement for state mandates imposed upon local registrars by
the Secretary of State, including special state elections. The state has committed to
reimburse Counties for the cost of certain state mandates. That reimbursement process,
SB 90, can be lengthy and contentious. The SB 90 process is also subject to uncertainties
including partial payments, delayed payments, and now, suspended or no payments. In
lieu of the SB 90 process for Elections, there is merit in the examination of having the state
pay its pro-rata share of costs when state candidates/measures are on the ballot.
Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Response
33. SUPPORT legislation that would give local agencies more authority to train volunteers,
provide funding for Community Emergency Response Training (CERT), and help clean-
up oil spills without taking on additional legal liability.
34. SUPPORT legislation that would require the state’s Oil Spill Prevention and Response
Agency to improve communication and clean-up technology, increase safety standards for
ships and establish special protections for ecologically sensitive areas.
35. SUPPORT legislation that would require responses to future oil spills in a shorter
timeframe, with a more regional approach.
36. SUPPORT measures that enable counties and other local agencies to better exercise their
responsibilities to plan for and respond to emergencies and disasters without taking on
additional legal liability and oppose those that do not recognize or support the county and
local agency role in the State’s Standardized Emergency Management System.
37. SUPPORT legislation or other measures requiring the creation or utilization of emergency
rock stockpiles suitable for levee repair throughout the Delta, enabling increasingly
efficient and less costly prevention of levee breaks and enhancement of initial response
capabilities.
38. SUPPORT legislation that expands school safety improvement programs such as education
regarding and placement of automated external defibrillator(s) (AED(s)) in schools.
39. SUPPORT legislation that would require cleanup of clandestine drug labs and other areas
where illicit drugs are manufactured or handled and where there is a threat to the health
and safety of the public and emergency responders, and would make the costs of cleanup
recoverable from the responsible party and liens on property. The existing legislation is
narrowly focused on the manufacturing of methamphetamine. Fentanyl use, storage, and
production are growing throughout the state. Properties may be contaminated by
hazardous chemicals used or produced in the manufacture of or the handling Fentanyl and
Carfentanyl where those chemicals, remain and where the contamination has not been
remediated.
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Eminent Domain
40. SUPPORT legislation that maintains the distinction in the California Constitution between
Section 19, Article I, which establishes the law for eminent domain, and Section 7, Article
XI, which establishes the law for legislative and administrative action to protect the public
health, safety, and welfare.
41. SUPPORT legislation that would provide a comprehensive and exclusive basis in the
California Constitution to compensate property owners when property is taken or damaged
by state or local governments, without affecting legislative and administrative actions taken
to protect the public health, safety, and welfare.
Flood Control and Clean Water
42. SUPPORT authorization for regional approaches to comply with aquatic pesticide permit
issues under the purview of the State Water Resources Control Board. Contra Costa
County entered into an agreement with a neighboring county and several cities to share
the costs of monitoring. While it makes sense for local government to pool resources to
save money, State Board regulations make regional monitoring infeasible.
43. SUPPORT efforts to provide local agencies with more flexibility and options to fund
stormwater programs. Stormwater permit requirements issued by the Regional Water
Quality Control Boards are becoming more and more expensive, yet there is no funding.
Stormwater services, encompassing both water quality and drainage/flood control, could
be structured like a utility with the ability to set rates similar to the other two key water
services: drinking water and wastewater.
44. SUPPORT efforts to provide immunity to local public agencies for any liability for their
clean-up of contaminations on private lands. This will be more critical as the Regional
Water Quality Control Boards institute Total Maximum Daily Loads, which establish a
maximum allowable amount of a pollutant (like mercury) in the stormwater from a
watershed.
45. SUPPORT efforts to require the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to provide 200
year flood plain mapping for all areas in the legal Delta. SB 5 requires the County and
cities in the Delta to insure certain development projects must have 200 year level of
protection and to make certain related findings. DWR has revisited developing 200-year
flood plain maps, but if they do, only working in areas protected by project levees which
does not include any areas within Contra Costa County.
46. SUPPORT legislation to enable Zone 7 Water Agency to become a new public agency,
separate and apart from the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation
District, with territory in both Alameda and Contra Costa counties and the power to provide
specific services, insofar as the legislation is guided by adopted Principles of
Understanding.
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General Revenues/Finance
As a political subdivision of the State, many of Contra Costa County’s services and programs are the result
of state statute and regulation. The State also provides a substantial portion of the County’s revenues.
However, the State has often used its authority to shift costs to counties and to generally put counties in the
difficult position of trying to meet local service needs with inadequate res ources. While Proposition 1A
provided some protections for counties, vigilance is necessary to protect the fiscal integrity of the County.
47. SUPPORT the State's effort to balance its budget through actions that do not adversely
affect County revenues, services or ability to carry out its governmental responsibilities.
48. OPPOSE any state-imposed redistribution, reduction or use restriction on general purpose
revenue, sales taxes or property taxes unless financially beneficial to the County. (Note that
a redistribution of sales and property tax may be beneficial to Contra Costa County in the
event that sales tax growth lags behind property tax growth.)
49. OPPOSE efforts to limit local authority over transient occupancy taxes (TOT).
50. OPPOSE any efforts to increase the County's share-of-cost, maintenance-of-effort
requirements or other financing responsibility for State mandated programs absent new
revenues sufficient to meet current and future program needs.
51. SUPPORT efforts to ensure that Contra Costa County receives its fair share of State
allocations, including mental health funding under Proposition 63 and pass-through of
federal funds for anti-terrorism and homeland security measures. The State utilizes a
variety of methods to allocate funds among counties, at times detrimental to Contra Costa
County.
52. SUPPORT efforts to receive reimbursement for local tax revenues lost pursuant to sales
and property tax exemptions approved by the Legislature and the State Board of
Equalization.
53. SUPPORT continued efforts to reform the state/local relationship in a way that makes both
fiscal and programmatic sense for local government and conforms to the adopted 2010
CSAC Realignment Principles, with an emphasis on maximum flexibility for counties to
manage the existing and realigned discretionary programs.
54. SUPPORT efforts to relieve California of the federal Child Support penalties without
shifting the cost of the penalties to the counties.
55. SUPPORT a reduction in the 2/3rd vote requirement to 55% voter approval for locally-
approved special taxes that fund health, education, economic, stormwater services, library,
transportation and/or public safety programs and services.
56. SUPPORT efforts to authorize counties to impose forfeitures for violations of ordinances,
as currently authorized for cities. This would provide the County with the opportunity to
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require deposits to assure compliance with specific ordinance requirements as well as
retain the deposit if the ordinance requirements are not met. Currently, the County is
limited to imposing fines which are limited to only $100 - $200 for the first violation, which
has proven to be an ineffective deterrent in some cases.
57. SUPPORT efforts to redefine the circumstances under which commercial and industrial
property is reassessed to reduce the growing imbalance between the share of overall
property tax paid by residential property owners versus commercial/industrial owners.
58. SUPPORT efforts to reduce County costs for Workers’ Compensation, including the ability
to control excessive medical utilization and litigation. Workers’ Compensation costs are
significant, diverting funds that could be utilized for County services. Workers’
Compensation should provide a safety net for injured employees, for a reasonable period
of time, and not provide an incentive for employees to claim more time than medically
necessary.
59. SUPPORT state actions that maximize Federal and State revenues for county-run services
and programs.
60. SUPPORT legislative compliance with both the intent and language of Proposition 1A.
61. SUPPORT the provisions of Proposition 22 that would protect County revenues,
particularly as related to transportation revenues and excluding those provisions related to
redevelopment funds.
62. SUPPORT full State funding of all statewide special elections, including recall elections.
63. OPPOSE efforts of the State to avoid state mandate claims through the practice of repealing
the statues, then re-enacting them. In 2005, the State Legislature repealed sections of the
Brown Act that were subject to mandate claims, then re-enacted the same language
pursuant to a voter-approval initiative, and therefore, not subject to mandate claims.
64. SUPPORT strong Public Utilities Commission (PUC) oversight of state-franchised
providers of cable and telecommunications services, including rigorous review of financial
reports and protection of consumer interests. AB 2987 (Núñez), Chapter 700, statutes of
2006 transferred regulatory oversight authority from local government to the PUC.
65. SUPPORT timely, full payments to counties by the State for programs operated on their
behalf or by mandate. The State currently owes counties over $1 billion in State General
Funds for social services program costs dating back to FY 2002-03.
66. SUPPORT full State participation in funding the County’s retiree and retiree health care
unfunded liability. Counties perform most of their services on behalf of the State and
Federal governments. Funding of retiree costs should be the responsibility of the State, to
the same extent that the State is responsible for operational costs.
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67. SUPPORT legislation that provides constitutional protections and guaranteed funding to
counties under Realignment.
68. OPPOSE the establishment of specific or stricter standards for the use of personal services
contracts by counties, that would make contracting with community-based organizations
more difficult for counties.
Health Care
The County remains concerned about the implementation of any health care reform measures that could transfer
responsibility to counties, without commensurate financing structures or in a manner not compatible with the County’s
system. The County supports a concept of universal health coverage for all Californians. Toward that end, the County
urges the state to enact a system of health coverage and care delivery that builds upon the strengths of the current
systems in our state, including county-operated systems serving vulnerable populations.
Currently, California has a complex array of existing coverage and delivery systems that serve many, but not all,
Californians. Moving this array of systems into a universal coverage framework is a complex undertaking that
requires sound analysis, thoughtful and deliberative planning, and a multi-year implementation process. As California
moves forward with health care reform, the County urges the state to prevent reform efforts from exacerbating
problems with existing service and funding. The state must also consider the differences across California counties
and the impacts of reform efforts on the network of safety-net providers, including county providers. The end result of
health reform must provide a strengthened health care delivery system for all Californians, including those served by
the safety net.
69. SUPPORT state action to increase health care access and affordability. Access to care and
affordability of care are critical components of any health reform plan. Expanding
eligibility for existing programs will not provide access to care in significant areas of the
state. Important improvements to our current programs, including Medi-Cal, must be made
either prior to, or in concert with, a coverage expansion in order to ensure access.
Coverage must be affordable for all Californians to access care.
70. SUPPORT Medi-Cal reimbursement rate increases to incentivize providers to participate
in the program.
71. SUPPORT Medi-Cal reimbursement rate increases through Proposition 56 funding to
provide quality reproductive health care services.
72. SUPPORT reimbursement for a maximum of 2 visits taking place on the same day at one
location if the patient suffers illness/ injury requiring additional diagnosis/ treatment, or if
the patient has a medical visit and mental health or dental visit. Requires an FQHC or RHC
that currently includes the cost of encounters with more than one health professional that
take place on the same day at a single location as a single visit for purposes of establishing
the FQHC’s or RHC’s rate, to apply for an adjustment to its per-visit rate by 2020; after
the department has approved that adjustment, requires a medical visit and another health
visit that take place on the same day at a single location to be billed as separate visits.
73. SUPPORT actions that address provider shortages (including physicians, particularly
specialists, and nurses). Innovative programs, such as loan forgiveness programs, should
be expanded. In an effort to recruit physicians from other states, the licensing and
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reciprocity requirements should be re-examined. Steps should be taken to reduce the
amount of time it takes to obtain a Medi-Cal provider number (currently six to nine
months).
74. SUPPORT efforts that implement comprehensive systems of care, including case
management, for frequent users of emergency care and those with chronic diseases and/or
dual (or multiple) diagnoses. Approaches should include community-based providers and
could be modeled after current programs in place in safety net systems.
75. SUPPORT efforts that provide sufficient time for detailed data gathering of current safety
net funding in the system and the impact of any redirection of funds on remaining county
responsibilities. The interconnectedness of county indigent health funding to public health,
correctional health, mental health, alcohol and drug services and social services must be
fully understood and accounted for in order to protect, and enhance as appropriate,
funding for these related services.
76. OPPOSE safety net funding transfers until an analysis of who would remain uninsured (e.g.
medically indigent adults, including citizens, who cannot document citizenship under
current Medicaid eligibility rules) is completed in order to adequately fund services for
these populations.
77. SUPPORT efforts to clearly define and adequately fund remaining county responsibilities.
78. SUPPORT state action to provide an analysis of current health care infrastructure (facilities
and providers), including current safety net facilities across the state, to ensure that there
are adequate providers and health care facilities (including recovery facilities), and that
they can remain viable after health reform.
79. SUPPORT efforts to provide adequate financing for health care reforms to succeed.
80. SUPPORT measures that maximize federal reimbursement from Medicaid and S-CHIP.
81. SUPPORT state action to complete actuarial studies on the costs of transferring indigent
populations, who currently receive mostly episodic care, to a coverage model to ensure that
there is adequate funding in the model.
82. SUPPORT efforts that ensure that safety net health care facilities remain viable during the
transition period and be supported afterwards based on analyses of the changing health
market and of the remaining safety net population.
83. SUPPORT state action to implement a Medi-Cal waiver in a manner that maximizes the
drawdown of federal funds for services and facilities, provides flexibility, and ensures that
counties receive their fair share of funding.
84. SUPPORT efforts to increase revenues and to contain mandated costs in the County's
hospital and clinics system.
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85. SUPPORT efforts to obtain a fair-share of any state funds in a distribution of funding for
the integration of IHSS and managed care.
86. SUPPORT efforts to increase the availability of health care (including alcohol and other
drugs recovery) to the uninsured in California, whether employed or not.
87. SUPPORT legislation that improves the quality of health care, whether through the use of
technology, innovative delivery models or combining and better accessing various streams
of revenue, including but not limited to acute and long term care integration.
88. SUPPORT legislation to protect safety net providers, both public and private. Legislation
should focus on stabilizing Medi-Cal rates and delivery modes and should advocate that
these actions are essential to the success of any effort to improve access and make health
care more affordable.
89. SUPPORT state efforts to increase the scope of benefits and reimbursement rates contained
in Minor Consent Medi-Cal to give youth with substance abuse disorders access to a
continuum of care, including residential and outpatient treatment.
90. SUPPORT efforts to give incentives to providers to establish more youth substance use
disorder residential treatment facilities within the county.
91. SUPPORT efforts to extend Drug Medi-Cal and Minor Consent Medi-Cal Coverage to
incarcerated youths, many of whom are in custody due to drug related crimes. This could
greatly decrease recidivism in the juvenile justice system.
92. SUPPORT funding and policy changes to support coverage of medically necessary alcohol
and substance use related disorder treatment at the same level as other medical conditions
in health care services, including county’s responsibility for Federal Financial Participation
(FFP) portion to increase Drug Medi-Cal reimbursement rates and incentivize providers to
participate in the program.
93. SUPPORT legislation that extends the restrictions and prohibitions against the smoking of,
and exposure to, tobacco products to include restrictions or prohibitions against electronic
cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in various places, including, but not limited to, places of
employment, school campuses, public buildings, day care facilities, retail food facilities,
multi-family housing, and health facilities; preventing the use of tobacco, electronic
smoking devices (e-cigarettes) and flavored tobacco by youth and young adults;
eliminating exposure to second-hand and third-hand smoke; restrictions on advertising of
electronic smoking devices; reducing and eliminating disparities related to tobacco use and
its effects among specific populations; increasing the minimum age to 21 to purchase
tobacco products; and the promotion of cessation among young people and adults. Support
legislation that extends restrictions and prohibitions against the sale of flavored tobacco
products, prohibits the sale of tobacco products in stores that operate a pharmacy and
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establishes distance and density restrictions on the establishment of a new tobacco retailer
within proximity of youth sensitive venues such as schools, day cares, or parks.
94. SUPPORT and encourage state, federal and/or private funding for pharmaceutical research
for the development of new cannabis products which would meet Federal Drug
Administration (FDA) standards of known strengths and attributes (and without
unnecessary side effects) which would be dispensable through pharmacies and medical
facilities consistent with State and Federal law.
95. SUPPORT legislation and administrative actions that further align a statewide regulatory
framework for the commercial cannabis industry and that continue to authorize local
jurisdictions to adopt more restrictive measures to protect the health, safety and welfare of
their residents.
96. OPPOSE legislation and state regulation that seeks to weaken or eliminate local control
over the commercial cannabis industry. Currently, and until the proposed Bureau of
Cannabis Control regulations take effect, local government retains control over allowing
or prohibiting the operations of mobile cannabis delivery in their jurisdictions.
97. SUPPORT funding and policy changes to support population-based chronic disease
prevention efforts such as the creation and funding of a State Wellness Trust with
allocations to counties and other key partners to implement programs, policies and
strategies to prevent chronic disease. Collectively, these include efforts to move up-stream
from the treatment of illness associated with chronic disease to advance a policy, systems
and organizational-change approach to address the underlying environmental factors and
conditions that influence health and health behaviors.
98. SUPPORT funding and policy changes to support developing a workforce with
gerontological expertise to manage the exponential growth in the chronically ill aging
population.
99. SUPPORT efforts that would advance a Health-In-All-Policies approach to policy work
done across the County. This implies consideration of how health is influenced by the built
environment and a connection with land use planning and development.
100. SUPPORT ongoing study of the health impacts of global and regional climate change and
ongoing countywide mitigation and adaptation efforts.
101. SUPPORT efforts that would preserve the nature and quality and continuity of care
associated with safety net services historically provided at the local level, such as the
California Children’s Services (CCS) and Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP)
programs, which are being transitioned into managed care at the state level.
102. SUPPORT efforts that promote aging in place through the utilization of long-term supports
and services and caregiver support services.
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103. SUPPORT increasing the level of funding for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS)
and Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) to meet the increase in cost to provide
services and to meet the tremendous increase in the aging population.
104. SUPPORT maintaining level or enhanced funding, streamlined processes and greater
flexibility for use of State and Federal funding to respond to Public Health Emergency
Preparedness initiatives including Pandemic Influenza, emerging diseases, and continued
funding for all categories related to Public Health Preparedness, including Hospital
Preparedness Program, Homeland Security, Cities Readiness Initiative and core Public
Health Preparedness.
105. SUPPORT increased funding and policy changes for Tuberculosis (TB) prevention and
treatment, to reflect the increased risk of transmission faced across the Bay Area. The Bay
Area, including Contra Costa County, experiences more cases of active Tuberculosis than
do most states in the nation. The demographic make-up of our communities combined with
frequent international travel between the Bay and areas where TB is endemic, present an
added risk and thus the need to maintain adequate funding and program infrastructure.
106. SUPPORT increased funding for the public health infrastructure, capacity and prevention
services as outlined in the public health components of the Affordable Care Act and the
National Prevention and Public Health Fund.
107. SUPPORT recognition of Local Public Health Departments as an authorized provider for
direct billing reimbursement related to the provision of Immunization, Family Planning,
HIV, STD and TB services.
108. SUPPORT the reversal of the pre-emption language regarding local Menu-Labeling that is
included the Affordable Care Act.
109. SUPPORT enhanced funding and capacity for public health programs, specifically:
a. Prevention programs in the areas of chronic disease, specifically, obesity, diabetes,
asthma and cancer;
b. Prevention and risk reduction programs in the area of HIV, STD, teen pregnancy, injury
prevention as well as health promotion programs, such as nutrition and activity
education;
c. Oral health programs, especially those which address the needs of children and those
with oral health disparities;
d. Protecting the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF), as established in the
Affordable Care Act;
e. Increased resources dedicated to surveillance and prevention programs targetin g
chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and asthma, as well
as injury and violence;
f. Funding and initiatives that support the surveillance, prevention and local preparation
for emerging diseases, such as Zika, novel Influenza, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C,
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Chlamydia, and seasonal Influenza and public health programs which provide
screening, diagnosis, and treatment;
g. Provide for adequate State funding for children’s programs, including the California
Children’s Services (CCS) program for clients who are not Medi-Cal eligible to assure
that counties are not overmatched in their financial participation;
h. Programs which seek to monitor and address the needs of Foster youth, especially those
on psychotropic medication; and
i. Best practice programs which seeks to protect and enhance the health of pregnant
women and that address maternal, child and adolescent health needs.
110. SUPPORT efforts to strengthen needle exchange programs as part of an overall program
to combat the spread of HIV and other diseases; allowing items associated with needle
exchange programs such as, cookers, sterile water, and cotton to be distributed along with
clean needles; and the elimination of the federal ban on funding needle exchange programs.
111. SUPPORT legislative efforts to reduce or eliminate lead and toxic substances in consumer
products, particularly those used by infants and children.
112. SUPPORT legislative efforts to reduce exposure to toxic air pollutants and the reduction
of greenhouse gases.
113. SUPPORT funding, policy and programs dedicated to suicide, injury and violence
prevention. Additionally, support efforts aimed at reducing health disparities and inequities
associated with violence against women, communities of color and the LGBT community.
Programs which seek to limit the effects of injury, violence and abuse on children, seniors
and persons with disability.
114. SUPPORT funding and policy changes to support program development aimed at reducing
the misuse of prescription drugs, most especially opioids, and increase prevention and
treatment of opioid disorders to eliminate overdoses and combat the opioid epidemic.
Additionally, support funding and legislation to restrict the sale and use of powdered
alcohol and other similar products marketed to youth.
115. SUPPORT necessary County infrastructure and adequate funding related to education,
regulatory, testing and enforcement functions associated with the State Medical Marijuana
regulatory controls.
116. SUPPORT legislation and/or similar policy efforts to tax certain beverages that contain
added sugars, by establishing a per fluid ounce health impact fee on sugar sweetened
beverages at the distributor level. In addition, support efforts which would create the Sugar
Sweetened Beverage Safety warning act, which would require a safety warning on all
sealed sugar sweetened beverages.
117. SUPPORT legislation and efforts that support healthy meals, adequate meal time, and
increased physical activity/education for school-age children.
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118. SUPPORT efforts to dedicate funding that sustains and expands non-infrastructure Safe
Routes to School programs that educate students, parents, and school staff about safe
walking and bicycling to school.
119. SUPPORT efforts to address the underlying determinants of health and health equity, such
as housing and prevention of displacement, educational attainment and livable wage jobs ,
and accessible transportation.
120. SUPPORT legislation that extends the restrictions and prohibitions against the smoking of,
and exposure to, marijuana products in various places, including, but not limited to, places
of employment, school campuses, public buildings, day care facilities, multi-family
housing, health facilities, alcohol and other drug treatment facilities, and homeless shelters;
further prohibit marijuana edibles to prevent youth/children access to harmful products;
restrictions on advertising of marijuana products targeting youth and near places frequented
by youth or alcohol and other drug treatment facilities.
121. SUPPORT funding, legislation, policy, and programs that would accomplish the following:
a. create an effective crisis response system of services for persons experiencing
homelessness, particularly families and transition-age youth;
b. increases permanent housing with services for persons experiencing or at-risk of
homelessness with a chronic disability; and
c. protects and expands the availability of affordable housing, particularly for the
Very Low and Extremely Low Income population.
Human Services
Over the past year, we have seen a renewed legislative interest in safety-net programs. At the state
level, these laws have focused on improving care and encouraging county agencies to take a more
holistic view of clients’ lives. At the federal level, there have been numerous attempts at safety
net reforms that would limit services. Both approaches are not without challenges. Many state
bills, while well intentioned, could shift new costs to counties without increasing revenues. Federal
laws that limit county’s ability to provide services would not only result in a decrease in revenue,
but would likely reduce the number and quality of available services. This could lead to vulnerable
families not receiving basic needs such as food, shelter, and access to healthcare. Efforts should
be made to preserve current funding streams, and enhance funding for new, innovative approaches
to service delivery in human services.
Creating Economic Security and Improving Safety-Net Programs
California has the highest poverty rate in the country, an issue that touches every county in the
state. In 2016, 10.2 percent of Contra Costa County residents (approximately 120,000 individuals)
lived below the federal poverty line. This includes nearly 34,000 children. However, the official
poverty line does not capture the true cost of living in the county. The Center for Community and
Economic Development estimates that for a single adult living in Contra Costa County to be self-
sufficient, they would need to earn about $28,000 a year—more than double the income of the
official poverty threshold. Nearly 19 percent of children in Contra Costa County live in food
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insecure households. This means that their family can only provide limited access to meals without
assistance. According to a recent study by the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, one in eight
residents of the two counties rely on the Food Bank every month. Most of their clients had a child
or dependent senior in their household and were either working or actively looking for work.
Safety net benefits such as CalFresh (SNAP), CalWORKs (TANF), and the Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC) keep over three million Californians out of poverty every year. Nationally, low- and
middle-income families are increasingly accessing the safety net, as the cost of living has outpaced
wage increases. In Contra Costa County, nearly one in four residents are enrolled in Medi -Cal,
despite our county having a lower unemployment rate than the national average. These policy
positions will support legislation and initiatives that remove barriers to self-sufficiency and create
economic inclusion for low-income residents of Contra Costa County.
122. OPPOSE legislative and budgetary actions that result in reduced level of services to
families, children, adults and seniors, or that lead to preemption of local control. These
actions may adversely impact EHSD’s ability to provide services to vulnerable residents.
123. SUPPORT continuous investment in the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC)
and efforts to increase access to California Earned Income Tax Credit, including increases
in tax credits and expanding eligibility to all ages. The CalEITC does not reach all workers
who are eligible for the federal EITC and California should help reduce tax burdens on
the working poor.
124. SUPPORT efforts to restore cuts to the Supplemental Security Income/State
Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program, increase grant amounts that would allow
improvement of quality of life, and/or reinstate the annual Cost of Living Adjustment
(COLA). SSI/SSP has not kept pace with the cost-of-living and many elderly and disabled
Contra Costa residents cannot afford necessities.
125. SUPPORT efforts to improve and expand emergency food assistance networks’ (e.g. local
food banks, and food pantries) ability to procure, store, and distribute nutritious food to
those in need.
126. SUPPORT allowing all individuals in receipt of Unemployment Benefits (UIB) t o be
automatically eligible for CalFresh. Applying for UI and CalFresh is duplicative because
requirements of both program are similar. This would decrease food insecurity for the
unemployed in a way that streamlines applications and demands fewer internal resources.
127. SUPPORT efforts to increase CalFresh benefit amounts to better meet recipients’
nutritional needs, improve ease and accessibility of the CalFresh application and
recertification processes, and adjust CalFresh eligibility requirements to include currently
excluded populations with significant need.
128. SUPPORT efforts for a more flexible framework that allows the state to supplement
CalFresh benefits if federal assistance is insufficient or unavailable and streamline
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enrollment. Recent natural disasters have underscored the need for greater flexibility for
the state.
129. SUPPORT legislation that would create access to community-supported agriculture
through CalFresh. Contra Costa County has many food deserts, and these programs could
be leveraged to help residents get access to fresh, healthy food.
130. SUPPORT efforts that would ease data sharing across safety-net programs, including those
administered by the Health Department, such as WIC. These programs allow data sharing
at the state level, but not at the county level. Identifying eligible, but not enrolled, clients
would allow for targeted outreach to improve the lives of children and families.
131. SUPPORT efforts to allow reverse direct certification between CalFresh and children on
free and reduced lunch. While families on CalFresh are considered eligible for free and
reduced lunch, there are more families who have free and reduced lunch status but are not
enrolled in CalFresh. Current outreach and data sharing guidelines are confusing for
families and have resulted in under-utilization of CalFresh.
132. SUPPORT a waiver that would allow county social services agencies to process CalFresh
applications for jail inmates and suspend, rather than terminate, CalFresh eligibility when
a recipient is detained in a county jail. This would allow these applicants to more quickly
access resources when released and reduce duplicative administrative work for the county.
133. SUPPORT efforts to allow currently detained inmates to pre-enroll for benefits when they
are schedules to be released. This would ensure more immediate access to support and
resources as formerly incarcerated individuals re-enter society. Research has shown that
access to benefit programs may help reduce recidivism and keep our community safer.
134. SUPPORT efforts to expand CalFresh benefits for SSI recipients and their families. This
includes increasing the state supplement and allotting permanent funding streams to “hold
harmless” family members of SSI recipients who may be negatively impacted by the SSI
cash out. Families receiving CalFresh who are caring for a parent or disabled child on
SSI may be pushed deeper into poverty if the hold harmless waivers are not extended.
135. SUPPORT exemptions to the “able-bodied adults without dependents” (ABAWD)
CalFresh work requirements. This population faces many barriers to employment,
including caring for disabled parents, housing insecurity, and interpersonal violence.
136. SUPPORT alignment of verification requirements for CalWORKS, CalFRESH and Medi-
Cal programs to simplify the customer experience and reduce the potential for error.
Consider letting all programs access the Federal Hub used through CalHEERs. Currently,
these programs have different requirements for client verification, though they are all
benefit programs. Alignment of verifications would make program administration more
efficient and improve the client experience.
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137. SUPPORT efforts to allow applicants for Medi-Cal and CalFresh to have the same
appointment and enrollment process. The eligibility guidelines for both programs are very
similar. Requiring separate enrollment processes creates additional administrative work
for the county and may delay needed support for vulnerable residents.
138. SUPPORT efforts to extend eligibility to zero share of Medi-Cal cost when recipients
report new earned income. Scheduled increases to state and local minimum wage may
impact eligibility to free health care.
139. SUPPORT fully funding administrative costs for Medi-Cal eligibility and renewal. Despite
a strong economy, Medi-Cal enrollment has not dropped significantly over the last three
years and high numbers of applications and renewals still come into the county every year.
140. SUPPORT allowing clinics to collect Medi-Cal payment for same-day mental health visits.
Current legislation covers same-day dental referrals, but not mental health. Improving
mental health may help ease homelessness and increase self-sufficiency.
141. SUPPORT allowing clinics to be reimbursed from Medi-Cal for telephonic and online
visits during emergencies and disasters. During emergency events patients may not be able
to easily come to a clinic office, but technology can allow providers to treat these patients.
Recent fires have underscored the need to allow greater flexibility when responding to
emergency events.
142. SUPPORT efforts to extend eligibility of CalWORKs benefit by exempting the first 6
months of earned income received from new employment or wage increases. This is
intended to create better financial stability when a family’s income increases due to
changes in local and state minimum wage law.
143. SUPPORT efforts to provide additional funds for family stabilization services for mental
health and substance abuse support to include all family members. Taking a holistic
approach to creating healthy families increases opportunities for healing and self-
sufficiency.
144. SUPPORT efforts to ensure that no CalWORKs grant falls below 50% of the federal
poverty line. This could include an increase to the CalWORKS Maximum Aid Payment
(MAP) and the annual funding of a CalWORKS cost of living adjustment (COLA). MAP
has not increased in ten years despite a rapidly rising cost of living in the Bay Area. This
would help prevent families from falling into deep poverty, which can cause toxic stress on
children and impede their ability to lead self-sufficient lives as adults.
145. SUPPORT efforts to increase County flexibility in the use of CalWORKs funds and in
program requirements in order to better support the transition of welfare dependent
families from welfare-to-work to self-sufficiency. Legislative changes to support these
initiatives could include the following:
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a. Welfare-to-Work. Extending the length of time families can receive Welfare to
Work services (job training and search and other employment related services)
including job retention services and eliminating the 24-month “time clock”.
Currently CalWORKS recipients are eligible to receive supportive services and
Welfare-to-Work services for up to 48 months if they are in compliance with
CalWORKS rules. Helping people move from poverty and significant education
gaps to full time employment in jobs that pay a high enough wage to be self-
sufficient is difficult. It can take longer than 48 months and allowing for the
flexibility to extend supportive services and training to 60 months would help. We
should allow participants to engage in activities according to their family needs
rather than add additional restrictions on the Welfare-to-Work program.
b. Diversion: Removing the criteria that someone has to be apparently eligible to
CalWORKs in order to qualify for diversion and base the criteria on the client’s
circumstance and ability to maintain the situation on their own without the need of
continued assistance. This includes efforts to increase the amount of the diversion
payment and allowing families to reapply for CalWORKs during their diversion
period without penalty.
c. Exempting job retention services from the time clock. These services help those
who obtain employment while on CalWORKs stay employed. Exempting these
services, while still needed, from the 24-month time clock would decrease the
likelihood of families losing income and returning to cash assistance.
d. Exempting the hard-to-serve from Welfare-to-Work activities and the 20%
exemption or providing flexibility in the time limit (dependent upon terms and
conditions of TANF authorization). Developing an eligibility definition to 250% of
the federal poverty level (FPL) would ensure more families meet income eligibility
requirements.
All of these measures would make it easier for CalWORKs families to enter
employment services, become employed, and continue with the support they need
in order to maintain their jobs.
146. SUPPORT establishing a General Assistance Program with a state share of funding. The
General Assistance Program is 100% County funded. Moving it to the State would relieve
pressure on the County budget and appropriately direct costs to the State.
147. SUPPORT efforts to create whole family care through a more comprehensive safety net of
services that enable families to be stable and have economic opportunities. Healthy infant
and toddler brain development is dependent on the health and security of their family.
Increasing Access to Housing and Ending Homelessness
According to the Self-Sufficiency Standard, a family of four in Contra Costa County would need
to earn $71,700 annually to cover basic costs for housing, food, health care, transportation,
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childcare, and taxes. This is equivalent to more than three full-time jobs at the California minimum
wage. The cost of living in Contra Costa County has increased exponentially. Fair market rent for
a two-bedroom apartment is now $2,173 a month, a 74 percent increase from 2007. Further, Contra
Costa County is home to over 2,200 homeless individuals, many of whom are minors and transition
age youth. Human Services has partnered with the Health Department to develop more robust
services for the homeless, however, most of these programs are contingent on grant funding rather
than permanent investments. These policy positions support legislation and initiatives that
strengthen housing justice to ensure all Contra Costa residents have access to safe shelter.
148. SUPPORT efforts to revise the definition of “homelessness” in the Welfare & Institutions
Codes to include families who have received eviction notices due to a verified financial
hardship or are temporarily staying in someone else’s home, thus allowing earl y
intervention assistance for CalWORKs families. Current law prevents CalWORKs from
providing homeless assistance until the CalWORKs family is actually “on the street.” This
rule change would enable the County to work with CalWORKs families who are being
threatened with homelessness to prevent the eviction and, presumably, better maintain the
family members’ employment status.
149. SUPPORT increase of daily rate available under Temporary Homeless Assistance for
CalWORKs families. Current rates do not reflect the cost of shelter in California.
150. SUPPORT efforts to secure permanent housing assistance for CalWORKs participants,
including initiatives to create support for shared housing. Permanent housing is key to
improving the overall health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations.
151. SUPPORT efforts that would create state grants and/or navigation services to establish or
expand programs that provide specified housing assistance and supportive services to
homeless youth. California has the highest rate of youth homelessness in the country.
152. SUPPORT efforts that would help to stabilize and provide housing supports for at-risk
Adult Protective Services clients. Homeless among seniors is increasing in the Bay Area,
and affordable housing that is also accessible to seniors’ needs is in increasingly short
supply.
153. SUPPORT increased investments in housing for victims of domestic violence and human
trafficking including the preservation of emergency and long-term housing options for
victims.
Creating Quality Early Care and Education
Care for a preschool age child in Contra Costa now tops over $10,000 a year. Access to quality
early care and education is critical for children’s development and allows parents to work and
attend school. Community Services currently serves over 2,000 children and their families each
year, providing high quality childcare and early education. Though we have been successful in
obtaining grant funds to offer care to more children, this is still woefully short of demand. Our
county would need to triple available childcare openings to meet the needs of Contra Costa
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families. These policy positions support legislation and initiatives that promote healthy child
development and the financial security of working families.
154. OPPOSE legislation, rules, regulations or policies that restrict or affect the amount of funds
available to, or the local autonomy of, First 5 Commissions to allocate their funds in
accordance with local needs. This gives First 5 Commissions greater spending flexibility
to respond to the unique needs of every community.
155. OPPOSE any legislation that increases tobacco taxes but fails to include language to
replace any funds subsequently lost to The California Children and Families Act/Trust
Fund for local services funded by tobacco taxes (Proposition 10 in 1998 and Proposition
99 in 1988).
156. SUPPORT efforts by the Contra Costa County’s executive directors and program
administrators of all Child Care and Development Programs to advocate for funding
adequate to maintain quality standards and ensure staff retention. Budgets in these
programs have stagnated or reduced. An increase would greatly help low-income people
find work and stay in jobs.
157. SUPPORT efforts to increase the number of subsidized childcare slots to address the
shortage of over 20,000 slots serving children 0-12 years of age in Contra Costa County;
and SUPPORT efforts to enhance the quality of early learning programs and maintain local
Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) for early learning providers. Affordable
childcare is key to low-income workers remaining employed and there is a significant
dearth of subsidized childcare slots. Increasing quality of early learning is important to
developing skills in the next generation.
158. SUPPORT legislation to expand early childcare and education and increase funding for
preschool and early learning, including the restoration of State Quality Childcare Funds.
Contra Costa County is experiencing a severe shortage of childcare availability, and
quality childcare is a foundation for success and stability as children develop.
159. SUPPORT the funding for Facility Restoration and Repair (FRR) through the California
Department of Education. Increasing the funding amounts for facility restoration of early
childhood education would allow for improved facilities at Head Start sites. Contra Costa
County has several childcare facilities in modular buildings not meant for long-term use
and other facilities in need of repairs.
160. SUPPORT alignment of family eligibility for subsidized childcare with cost of living
adjustments and higher minimum wage rates. The cost of childcare has risen substantially
in the Bay Area and is an obstacle for families to continue to work or attend school.
161. SUPPORT efforts that encourage access to early education home visiting programming.
This will support families in providing an environment that promotes healthy growth and
development of their young children.
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162. SUPPORT efforts that would allow CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work participants to
participate and achieve high school equivalency program without having their 24-month
clock be impacted during their time in the program. On average, high school graduates
earn more than $10,000 more than those without a diploma. Supporting education is a
sustainable pathway to self-sufficiency.
163. SUPPORT efforts to continue subsidized childcare for CalWORKs recipients who time out
while enrolled in a job training or education program. This will allow families to complete
job training and education programs, improving their chances of being self-sufficient in
the future.
164. SUPPORT legislation to continue subsidized childcare for CalWORKs recipients who find
become employed and are above the income threshold. Once employed, families may need
additional time to find new childcare arrangements. Stopping subsidized childcare may
jeopardize family’s ability to remain employed.
165. SUPPORT efforts to ensure funding of childcare for CalWORKs and former CalWORKs
families at levels sufficient to meet demand. The State of California has not fully funded
the cost of childcare for the “working poor.” Additional funding would allow more
CalWORKs and post-CalWORKs families to become and/or stay employed.
Protecting Aging Adults and Individuals with Disabilities
Contra Costa County has one of the highest concentrations of older adults in the country. Our
dependency ratio (the number of working adults to those under 18 and over 65-years-old), will rise
to a nearly one to one ratio by 2060. According to the California Elder Economic Security Index
(a county-specific measure of the minimum income necessary to cover basic needs for retired older
adults), the average senior in our county would need over double their Social Security payment in
order to be self-sufficient. Over one in ten Contra Costa residents has a disability, many of whom
live in poverty. Although in-home support services for these populations are among the fastest
growing within Human Services, state funding for aging adults and individuals with disabilities
was severely cut during the recession and continues to impact our ability to recruit and retain social
workers and home care workers. These policy positions support legislation and initiatives that
invest in services and supports for our rapidly growing elder population.
166. SUPPORT simplification of IHSS service hour calculation and allocation to insure
compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and efficiently provide services to
consumers. Recent changes in the administrative budget and database system have created
unfunded mandates within IHSS.
167. SUPPORT efforts to allow counties to use alternative reassessment approaches including,
but not limited to, telephonic reassessments. IHSS serves many people with disabilities that
do not change year over year (e.g., quadriplegics) and an in-person visit is not necessary
to reauthorize their eligibility. An increased aging population in Contra Costa County has
resulted in unprecedented numbers of IHSS applications, making timely year-over-year in-
person assessments more difficult.
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168. SUPPORT legislative efforts that allow for coordination of services and data, across state
and county departments that support aging and elder populations. Elders often are served
in multiple county systems, and increased coordination would support the holistic care of
our aging population.
169. SUPPORT creation of funding opportunities and policies which promote the development
of aging-friendly communities. Rising costs of living create barriers to aging in place,
potentially displacing seniors from their support systems and care providers. While
housing is an issue for many in Contra Costa County, there is an even greater shortage of
ADA accessible and senior-friendly affordable housing.
170. SUPPORT legislation and investments related to long-term care, senior housing
affordability, medical service access, transportation, isolation and other quality of life
issues to support aging with dignity.
171. SUPPORT efforts to develop emergency temporary shelter and/or short-term options for
Adult Protective Services population and consider options that include, but are not limited
to, licensing of facilities specifically for this population and exploring Medi -Cal billing
options to support clients in hospitals and other care facilities pending a more permanent
housing placement. Accessible housing is in increasingly short supply throughout the Bay
Area.
172. SUPPORT research that describes and assesses local service needs and gaps impacting
aging residents and that proposes specific and act ionable local strategies to address these
needs. Contra Costa County has one of the largest populations of seniors in the United
States and more assessment is needed to understand the best practices for how to support
this community.
173. SUPPORT efforts that identify, eliminate, and prevent in-home neglect of the elderly and
dependent adults and scams and fraud (internet and otherwise) targeted at the elderly and
dependent adults.
174. SUPPORT legislative efforts that would enhance confidentiality of DMV records for Adult
Protective Services social workers (a practice already in place for Child Protective
Services social workers).
175. SUPPORT legislation that would reduce Medi-Cal share of cost for adults 65 and older, as
well as disabled individuals. Current guidelines for the aged and disabled population
burdens them with a higher share of cost than those who are not elderly or disabled.
Investing in Violence Prevention
We aim to prevent, interrupt and end child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse
and human trafficking in Contra Costa County. From August 2017 to August 2018, Employment
& Human Services received approximately 8,500 reports of child abuse and over 600 reports of
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elder abuse. In 2017 over 600 child abuse cases were investigated. Through a federal grant
administered through the Alliance to End Abuse, we know that around 200 survivors of human
trafficking are identified and receive services in our County annually. Between July 2016 and June
2017 our local Domestic Violence agency (STAND! for Families Free of Violence) received over
14,000 crisis calls and provided case management services to over 1,000 adults and 40 children.
We recognize the interconnectedness of all forms of violence and seek to address the root causes
and underlying cultural norms that contribute to violence. We seek to prevent all forms of violence;
support whole-person services for victims, offenders and their families; and differentiate responses
for individuals based on risk assessment. We value respect and dignity for all. These policy
positions support legislation and initiatives that create a safer and more just community.
176. SUPPORT efforts that seek to address the impact of domestic violence, sexual assault,
human trafficking, elder abuse and child abuse; implement culturally relevant, trauma-
informed responses; connect victims to services; and prevent interpersonal violence.
177. SUPPORT efforts that differentiate risk and provide differential response based on risk and
needs for individuals affected by interpersonal violence. Differentiating risk and needs
allows for more appropriate, individual and realistic responses to individuals navigating
the systems. Differentiating risk and needs based off assessments decreases the chance of
further violence.
178. SUPPORT efforts to increase cross-agency and cross-system collaboration on
interpersonal violence cases including the sharing of confidential or protected
information in multidisciplinary team settings in order to increase support for survivors.
179. SUPPORT efforts that foster collaboration across protective and criminal systems, which
allow for facilitation of cross reporting of interpersonal violence.
180. SUPPORT efforts to increase language access and cultural responsive services for
survivors of interpersonal violence. We know that victims and offenders are more likely to
seek support if services are culturally responsive, language appropriate and trauma
informed.
181. SUPPORT efforts to address and prevent the underlying causes, stressors and triggers that
lead to violence.
182. SUPPORT efforts that ensure all survivors of interpersonal violence, and their families,
feel safe to access services. We value wrap-around supportive services for victims,
offenders and their families.
183. SUPPPORT efforts that seek to provide support and services for individuals who
experience secondary or vicarious trauma. We support efforts that seek to change the
cultural norms that do not permit, encourage, or openly engage staff to seek services. We
believe that staff who are exposed to secondary trauma deserve to receive the same whole
person care we advocate for on behalf of survivors.
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184. SUPPORT efforts to promote safety of Adult Protective Services workers conducting
required unannounced home visits by allowing them to request and receive from law
enforcement criminal record checks through the California Law Enforcement
Telecommunications System (CLETS). This would primarily be used for reported abusers
in the household.
185. SUPPORT efforts that seek to identify and eliminate elder financial abuse and elder
exposure to crime that may be committed through conservatorships, powers of attorney,
notaries and others who have the right to control elder assets, including through solutions
that allow access for Adult Protective Services to access financial records for investigation
of financial abuse and exploitation. Financial abuse is a fast-growing form of abuse of
seniors and adults with disabilities and current law does not authorize financial institutions
to grant access to financial records necessary to investigate the reported abuse without the
consent of the account holder or authorized representative.
186. SUPPORT efforts to establish an “umbrella code” or other efficient data-sharing systems
for the reporting of incidents of elder abuse to the Department of Justice, thus more
accurately recording the incidence of abuse. Current reporting policies within California’s
law enforcement community and social services departments are uncoordinated in regards
to the reporting of adult abuse. Under an “umbrella code,” law enforcement agencies and
social services departments would uniformly report incidents of elder abuse and California
would have much better data for policy and budget development purposes.
187. SUPPORT efforts that focus on dependent adult and elder abuse prevention including, but
not limited to, providing respite for caregivers.
188. SUPPORT efforts that prevent domestic violence and domestic violence homicide
including assessment of risk for assault or lethal force (including stalking and
strangulation) throughout the criminal justice system. Lethality risk assessments have been
found to increase awareness for law enforcement officers and service providers; increase
awareness for victims and the likelihood of victims engaging in formal services; force
professionals to look more closely at domestic violence cases and; create shared language
among providers and professionals.
189. SUPPORT efforts to increase understanding of the lethality risks of strangulation and to
document incidences of strangulation.
Ensuring Equity for Immigrant Communities
Contra Costa County is extremely diverse. Nearly one in four Contra Costa residents is an
immigrant. Immigrants contribute to our local economy as employees, homeowners, business
owners, and consumers. Recent federal policies have aimed to decrease immigrant’s access to the
safety net. Research has shown that fear of immigration enforcement can increase immigrants’
vulnerability to crime and decrease their utilization of health care and other services, straining
emergency systems when care can no longer be delayed. These policy positions support legislation
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and initiatives to create a more welcoming county and defend the rights of all immigrants in our
community.
190. SUPPORT the expansion of benefits and services for immigrants, refugees, and asylum
seekers. Nearly one-quarter of Contra Costa residents are immigrants. These residents
contribute to our communities and need access to vital services to ensure the health and
well-being of all.
191. SUPPORT the use of state funds to pay for CalFresh benefits for those Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals (DACAs) and PRUCOL (Permanent Residents Under the Color of
Law) who would otherwise be ineligible for CalFresh.
192. SUPPORT efforts to increase language access and cultural responsive services for
survivors of interpersonal violence.
193. SUPPORT efforts that would require the California Department of Social Services to
translate all state-provided materials used by In-Home Support Services providers into the
threshold languages. Contra Costa is a diverse county and having materials that include
the languages spoken by many county residents may increase access to these vital
programs.
194. OPPOSE any changes to “public charge” rules that may penalize immigrants for using vital
services they are legally allowed to access. The County has reaffirmed our commitment to
providing a safe, welcoming atmosphere for immigrants. Additional changes in public
charge regulations would further jeopardize the health and well-being of our county.
Investing in Healthy Families
The majority of households in Contra Costa County are families. Nearly 15% of children in our
county have experienced two or more adverse or traumatic events, including bullying and abuse
by a famil y member. County services help ensure the safety of children, as well as provide support
for parents to give their children more stable homes. These policy positions support legislation and
initiatives that promote stability for children who have experienced abuse and trauma, as well as
enhance family supports to reunify.
195. SUPPORT continued and improved funding for substance abuse treatment and mental
health services including those that provide alternatives to incarceration and Laura’s Law.
196. SUPPORT increased funding for Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention. Under the
Continuum of Care reform, more children need to be placed in home-based foster care
rather than congregate group homes. Recruiting and retaining quality foster parents is
critically important to maintain stability for children who have experienced abuse and
trauma.
197. SUPPORT efforts to limit hospital discharges for children under the care of CFS when
there is no safe and sustainable placement for the child secured. This may help increase
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placement stability for children and reduce homelessness for youth. Homeless youth are
more likely to be victimized than children who have home placements.
198. SUPPORT improved and complete funding to implement the Continuum of Care Reform.
This is the largest reform to Children and Family services in recent history and has created
a greater need for more home-based placement options, especially for children with severe
mental health or behavioral issues. It has also created greater demand for support services,
such as trauma-informed behavioral supports, and shifted costs to counties for group home
placements when a home placement cannot be secured. In order to provide stability for
these children, more funding is needed to support case management and secure quality
foster parents.
199. SUPPORT reforms to the Private Adoption Agency Reimbursement Program (PAARP)
that will reduce counties’ financial liability when claims exceed funding from the state. In
fiscal year 2017-18, counties were required to cover nearly $7 million in overages.
200. SUPPORT child-specific approval for kinship caregivers (and non-related extended family
members) to enable relatives to care for their related child/children, if in the child’s best
interest.
201. SUPPORT efforts to allow Title IVE-E foster care payments to family-based treatment
facilities in California, as permitted by the federal Families First Act, for children who are
in living with their parents in such facilities, therefore preventing family separation. These
facilities allow parents seeking mental health and substance abuse treatment to live with
their children, which disqualifies the family from maintenance services. However, research
generally shows improved outcomes for both children and parents when they are allowed
to stay together during treatment.
202. SUPPORT efforts that would amend the definition of “relative” as applied to state funded
Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payments (Kin-Gap) to be consistent with the federally
funded Kin-Gap. This will allow all Kinship guardianship cases to be treated uniformly
and allow more families to experience independence, normalcy and other benefits of
permanence as legal guardians.
Developing Contra Costa County’s Workforce
Contra Costa County is home to nearly 600,000 workers. Jobs here are growing, and our
employment rate is dropping. Still, the economic recovery varies here by region and there are
significant barriers to employment for many of our residents. Services targeted to those most in
need are essential to ensure that everyone has access to the education, training, and employment
support services necessary to gain meaningful and life-supporting employment. This includes
taking steps to ensure that the County is appropriately staffed and trained for future needs. The
policy positions support legislation and initiatives that enhance economic development programs
that promote shared economic prosperity and access to jobs.
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203. SUPPORT efforts to increase coordination between WIOA and title 5 (APS) to support
senior employment. Many seniors are seeking employment to make ends meet.
Coordination between existing funding streams would create more support for older
workers to enter the workforce, gain new skills, and live independently.
204. SUPPORT initiatives to support social work education for APS, similar to the Title IV-E
MSW program for Child Welfare Agencies. APS is also experiencing a social worker
shortage and as the population continues to age it is critically important that we have
staff able to support the unique needs of elder adults.
205. Support efforts to increase the flexibility of Workforce Development Board spending to
increase supportive services and respond to local workforce needs.
206. SUPPORT efforts to expand the Workforce Development Board’s ability to partner with
local community colleges in offer more training and education options with viable career
pathways that provide income mobility and livable wages.
207. SUPPORT efforts to Integrate Workforce Development Board services into the
CalWORKs program to create robust job training and support services within the county.
208. SUPPORT efforts for continuing training and education for social workers. Social
workers serve our community and should have access to the most up-to-date methods to
provide quality services.
209. SUPPORT efforts to raise wages for the early care and education workforce (such as
childcare workers, preschool/infant-toddler teachers). The wages for these positions have
not kept pace with other employment opportunities and makes it difficult to recruit and
retain quality teachers.
210. SUPPORT bills to increase teacher training and education, including funding to support
current county employees to obtain a teaching credential. There is currently a shortage of
quality, credentialed teachers in the county.
211. SUPPORT funding for statewide Adult Protective Services training. Law enforcement, first
responders, and other government workers respond to APS calls but do not necessarily
have training on the issues facing indigent adults and elders.
212. SUPPORT investments in continuous training and coordination of training for all law
enforcement officers, District Attorneys, Public Defenders, Probation Officers, Judges
and other court staff on issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking,
elder abuse, child abuse, and trauma informed approaches.
213. SUPPORT efforts that promote training, capacity building and deeper understanding for
students, educators and social service staff on trauma informed care, adverse childhood
experiences, healthy workplaces and schools.
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214. SUPPORT efforts to increase training on human trafficking (with a specific focus on labor
trafficking) for law enforcement, prosecutors and others involved in criminal
investigations.
215. SUPPORT efforts that seek to specialize and build expertise for designated staff and
systems (such as developing a commercially sexually exploited youth court or creating
human trafficking units) to better support survivors of human trafficking.
216. SUPPORT efforts to increase funding for the 2020 Census. Contra Costa has been
designated as a “hard to count” county by the federal government, and current funding
levels may not be adequate to hire the staff needed for an accurate count of our residents.
217. SUPPORT efforts to protect the visual images of people seeking assistance in public social
services facilities. Recently there have been incidences of public filming in social service
lobbies across the state, with customers risking being publicly associated with services and
becoming vulnerable to exploitation.
Indian Gaming Issues
Contra Costa County is currently home to the Lytton Band of the Pomo Indians’ Casino in San Pablo, a Class II
gaming facility. There has been a proposal for an additional casino in North Richmond. Local governments have
limited authority in determining whether or not such facilities should be sited in their jurisdiction; the terms and
conditions under which the facilities will operate; and what, if any, mitigation will be paid to offset the cost of
increased services and lost revenues. Contra Costa County has been active in working with CSAC and others to
address these issues, as well as the need for funding for participation in the federal and state review processes and
for mitigation for the existing Class II casino.
218. SUPPORT efforts to ensure that counties who have existing or proposed Class II Indian
gaming facilities receive the Special Distribution Funds.
219. CONSIDER, on a case by case basis, whether or not to SUPPORT or OPPOSE Indian
gaming facilities in Contra Costa County, and only SUPPORT facilities that are unique in
nature and can demonstrate significant community benefits above and beyond the costs
associated with mitigating community impacts.
220. OPPOSE the expansion or approval of Class III gaming machines at the existing gaming
facility in Contra Costa County unless it can be demonstrated that there would be
significant community benefits above and beyond the costs associated with mitigating
community impacts.
221. SUPPORT State authority to tighten up the definition of a Class II machine.
222. SUPPORT State legislative and administration actions consistent with the CSAC policy
documents on development on Indian Lands and Compact negotiations for Indian gaming.
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Land Use/Community Development
223. SUPPORT efforts to promote economic incentives for "smart growth," in Priority
Development and Priority Production Areas including in-fill and transit-oriented
development. Balancing the need for housing and economic growth with the urban limit
line requirements of Measure J (2004) will rely on maximum utilization of “smart growth”
and Sustainable Community Strategy principles. Priority Production Areas are locally
designated zones where manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and repair services
would be a priority consideration in determining future land use.
224. SUPPORT efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing, including, but not limited
to, state issuance of private activity bonds, affordable and low income housing bond
measures, low-income housing tax credits and state infrastructure financing. This position
supports a number of goals in the County General Plan Housing Element.
225. SUPPORT establishment of a CEQA exemption for affordable housing financing. Current
law provides a statutory exemption from CEQA to state agencies for financing of
affordable housing (Section 21080.10(b) of the California Public Resources Code and
Section 15267 of the CEQA Guidelines)—but not to local agencies. The current exemption
for state agencies is only operational if a CEQA review process has been completed by
another agency (e.g., by the land use permitting agency). Since the act of financing does
not change the environmental setting, the net effect of the exemption is streamlining the
process for providing financial assistance for already approved projects. AB 2518
(Houston) in 2006 was a Contra Costa County-sponsored bill to accomplish this, but it
was not successful in the Legislature.
226. SUPPORT efforts to obtain a CEQA exemption or to utilize CEQA streamlining provisions
for infill development or Priority Development Areas, including in unincorporated areas.
Section 15332 of the CEQA Guidelines is a Categorical Exemption for infill development
projects but only within cities or unincorporated areas of a certain size surrounded by cities.
Without the exemption, housing projects in the unincorporated areas that are not
surrounded by cities (e.g. North Richmond, Montalvin Manor and Rodeo) are subject to a
more time-consuming and costly process in order to comply with the CEQA guidelines than
that which is required of cities, despite having similar housing obligations. The CEQA
exemption bill signed by the Governor in 2013 (SB 741) only applies to mixed-use or non-
residential projects in the unincorporated areas that are both within ½ mile of a BART
station and within the boundaries of an adopted Specific Plan.
227. SUPPORT efforts to reform State housing element law to promote the actual production
and preservation of affordable housing and to focus less on process and paper compliance.
228. OPPOSE efforts to limit the County’s ability to exercise local land use authority.
229. SUPPORT efforts to reduce the fiscalization of land use decision-making by local
government, which favors retail uses over other job-creating uses and housing. Reducing
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incentives for inappropriate land use decisions, particularly those that negatively affect
neighboring jurisdictions, could result in more rational and harmonious land use.
230. SUPPORT allocations, appropriations, and policies that support and leverage the benefits
of approved Natural Community Conservation Plans (NCCPs), such as the East Contra
Costa County NCCP.
231. SUPPORT the granting of approximately $24 million to the East Contra Costa County
NCCP from the $90 million allocation for NCCPs in Proposition 84.
232. SUPPORT the continued inclusion of NCCPs for funding in allocations from Propositions
1 and 64. Proposition 68 was passed in 2018; programs that support NCCPs were
subsequently allocated funding. In addition to the programs that are identified in Prop 68,
NCCPs are eligible to receive other funds, and the County should continue to support these
funding allocations. In 2018 the East County NCCP successfully increased CDFW’s Local
Assistance Program from $600,000 to $2.6M with funds from Prop 68. Continuing that
level of funding requires ongoing support from local agencies including Contra Costa
County.
233. SUPPORT $90 million for implementation of NCCPs and an additional $100 million for
watershed protection and habitat conservation in future park, water or natural resource
bonds.
234. SUPPORT the position that NCCPs are an effective strategy for addressing the impacts of
climate change and encourage appropriate recognition of the NCCP tool in implementation
of climate change legislation such as SB 375, AB 32 as well as an appropriate tool for
spending Cap and Trade revenues. Promote effective implementation of NCCPs as a top
priority for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
235. SUPPORT an increase to $1.6 million for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s
Local Assistance Grant program. SUPPORT efforts to streamline implementation of
NCCPs including exemptions from unnecessary regulatory oversight such as the Delta Plan
Covered Actions process administered by the Delta Stewardship Council.
236. SUPPORT alignment of State and Regional of Water Board permits (Section 401 clean
water act and storm water permits) and California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Streambed Alteration Agreement (Section 1602 of the Fish and Game code) and other State
natural resource permitting with California Endangered Species Act permitting through
NCCPs to improve the overall efficiency, predictability and effectiveness of natural
resource regulation.
237. SUPPORT legislation that would give local agencies specific tools for economic
development purposes in order to enhance job opportunities, with emphasis on attracting
and retaining businesses, blight removal and promoting smart growth and affordable
housing development, while balancing the impacts on revenues for health and safety
programs and healthy communities.
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238. SUPPORT legislation that would resolve the administrative funding gap for agencies
serving as the Successor Housing Agency. Such legislation should not have a negative
impact on the localities’ general fund. The Redevelopment Dissolution Act allows
Successor Agencies a modest allowance of tax increment funds to support Successor
Agency administrative costs. There is no such carve out for Housing Successors. However,
unlike Successor Agencies, Housing Successors have an ongoing obligation to monitor
existing affordable housing developments. These obligations will continue for up to 55
years.
239. SUPPORT legislation that would clarify the ability of successor agencies to former
redevelopment agencies to enter into contracts with its sponsoring jurisdiction and third
parties to fulfill enforceable obligations. The existing redevelopment dissolution statute
limits the contracting powers of successor agencies which is causing delays in their ability
to expeditiously retire certain enforceable obligations of the former redevelopment
agencies.
240. SUPPORT legislative and regulatory efforts that streamline compliance with the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by integrating it with other environmental protection
laws and regulations, modifying the tiering of environmental reviews, expanding the
application of prior environmental reviews, focusing areas of potential CEQA litigation,
and enhancing public disclosure and accountability.
241. OPPOSE CEQA reform efforts that reduce environmental protections for projects that
cross county or city boundaries.
242. SUPPORT efforts to improve or streamline CEQA for efficiency without losing sight of
its ultimate goal to thoroughly identify environmental impacts and mitigations.
243. OPPOSE efforts to change CEQA solely to accommodate one particular infrastructure
project or set of projects.
244. SUPPORT legislation that amends Section 20133 of the Public Contract Code to 1) delete
the existing sunset date of July 1, 2014 for design-build authority granted to counties, and
2) eliminate the current project cost threshold of $2.5 million required for the use of the
design-build method.
245. SUPPORT legislation that funds programs to remediate brownfield sites in the County and
modifies existing programs to make implementation easier or apply more broadly.
Specifically:
Consider modification to the Cleanup Loans and Environmental Assistance to
Neighborhoods (CLEAN) program that would simply the approval process for
applications;
Broaden the criteria for sites that are eligible for California Land Reuse and
Revitalization Act (CLRRA) to include all sites that are listed by the State or
Federal Government as contaminated; and
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Fully fund the California Recycle Underutilized Sites (CALReUse) program.
Law and Justice System
246. SUPPORT legislation that seeks to curb metal theft by making it easier for law enforcement
agencies to track stolen metals sold to scrap dealers through such means as requiring
identification from customers selling commonly stolen metals, banning cash transactions
over a certain amount, and requiring scrap dealers to hold materials they buy for a certain
period of time before melting them down or reselling them.
247. SUPPORT legislation that provides a practical and efficient solution to addressing the
problem of abandoned and trespassing vessels and ground tackle in an administrative
process that allows the California State Lands Commission to both remove and dispose of
such vessels and unpermitted ground tackle. Boat owners in increasing numbers are
abandoning both recreational and commercial vessels in areas within the Commission’s
jurisdiction. Our state waterways are becoming clogged with hulks that break up, leak,
sink and add pollutants to our waterways and marine habitat.
248. SUPPORT legislation that requires boater’s insurance. Currently, boaters are not required
to carry insurance in California.
249. SUPPORT legislation that provides better funding for local agencies forced to deal with
abandoned and sunken vessels and their environmental impacts.
250. OPPOSE legislative proposals to realign additional program responsibility to counties
without adequate funding and protections.
251. OPPOSE legislation that would shift the responsibility of parolees from the state to the
counties without adequate notification, documentation and funding.
252. SUPPORT legislation that will help counties implement the 2011 Public Safety
Realignment as long as the proposal would: provide for county flexibility, eliminate
redundant or unnecessary reporting, and would not transfer more responsibility without
funding.
253. SUPPORT legislation that will combat the negative impact that human trafficking has on
victims in our communities, including the impact that this activity has on a range of County
services and supports, and support efforts to provide additional tools, resources and funding
to help counties address this growing problem.
254. SUPPORT State legislation banning the sale of alcopop products by businesses that sell
alcoholic beverages. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is
responsible for regulating the type of alcohol products that a business may sell. A type of
flavored malt alcoholic beverage product known as “alcopops” has been identified as a
contributor to under-age drinking in the County. The term alcopops usually refers to
sweetened malt or alcoholic beverages that are typically sold in single-serving bottles or
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cans. The Board, through recommendations from the Public Protection Committee, has
adopted amendments to the Alcoholic Beverage Sales Commercial Activities Zoning
Ordinance that authorizes the County to prohibit the sale of alcopops at any establishment
not in compliance with the performance standards. Along with the code changes, various
implementation strategies were also approved in order to better coordinate efforts between
County Departments and agencies for streamlined implementation and enforcement of the
Ordinance.
255. SUPPORT legislative reform of current bail provisions that will replace reliance on money
bail with a system that incorporates a pretrial risk assessment tool and evidence-based
pretrial release decisions. The current reliance on fixed bail schedules and commercial
money bonds ignores public safety factors and unfairly penalizes poor people who are
awaiting trial. Bail reform in this manner will ensure that only dangerous persons who
cannot be safely supervised in the community while they are awaiting trial will be held in
custody pretrial. Locally, our County has moved in this direction with an AB109 fu nded
pretrial program.
256. SUPPORT legislation that would clarify that information under Penal Code section 13202
is local summary criminal history information, and support legislation that would add a
section to Penal Code section 13100 that states that access to Criminal Offender Record
Information (CORI) for a criminal justice agency to understand the impact of policies and
the effectiveness of programs is essential for the effective administration of criminal justice
and that this section seeks to encourage and improve access to CORI amount criminal
justice agencies for research and evaluation purposes.
Levees
257. SUPPORT administrative and legislative action to provide significant funding for
rehabilitation of levees in the western and central Delta. Proposition 1E, passed in
November 2006, provides for over $3 billion for levees, primarily those in the Central
Valley Flood Control Program. Language is included in the bond for other Delta levees
but funding is not specifically directed. The County will work to actively advocate for $1
billion in funding through this bond.
258. SUPPORT legislation that requires the levee repair funds generated by Proposition 1E be
spent within one year or legislative hearings conducted on expediting the expenditure of
bond proceeds through the Department of Water Resources Delta Levees Section. Many
public agencies, including reclamation districts charged with maintaining levees, have
complained about the state’s inaction in allocating and distributing the levee funds that
were raised by the bond sales authorized by Proposition 1E in 2008. Legislation could
require the immediate distribution of these funds to local levee projects. The Delta Reform
Act of 2009 authorized over $202 million for levee repairs. Legislative hearings may
produce explanations from the state as to why these funds are not being distributed or
identify methods to streamline administration of these funds.
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259. SUPPORT legislation to amend California Water Code Section 12986, to maintain the
state/local funding ratio of 75/25 for the state’s Delta Levees Subventions Program, which
provides funds for local levee repair and maintenance projects. The code provisions that
have the state paying 75% of project costs will expire on July 1, 2013. At that time the
matching ratio will change to 50/50. This means local reclamation districts will have to pay
a larger portion of project costs (50%, compared to their current 25% requirement). Many
districts do not have the funding to do so. The Delta Levees Subventions Program should
continue to use funds from bonds or other dedicated sources, rather than the state’s General
Fund. For the past several years the program has been funded from bonds. When these
bond funds run out, the program will have to be funded from the General Fund, unless
some other new dedicated funding source is established.
260. SUPPORT legislation dealing with the Delta, including levees and levee programs, level
and type of flood protection, beneficiary-pays programs, flood insurance, liability and other
levee/land use issues.
261. SUPPORT legislation/regulation requiring Reclamation Districts to develop, publish, and
maintain hazard emergency plans for their districts. Emergency response plans are critical
to emergency management, particularly in an area or situation like the Delta where a levee
break could trigger other emergencies. This legislation/regulation should also include the
requirement for plan review and annual distribution of the plan to the residents of the
district, County Office of Emergency Services and other government agencies that have
emergency response interests within the district.
262. SUPPORT legislation to amend California Water Code Section 85057.5 to bring the Delta
Stewardship Council’s “covered actions” land-use review process into consistency with
CEQA. This section of state code defines a “covered action,” which refers to local permit
decisions that are subject to potential revocation by the Council, as adopted in the Council’s
Delta Plan. The proposed process works as follows: (1) if a local permit application meets
the definition of a “covered action,” the jurisdiction must evaluate it for consistency with
all of the policies in the Council’s Delta Plan. (2) If the jurisdiction finds the project is
consistent with the Delta Plan, they notify the Council of this finding. (3) Anyone who
objects to the project may appeal the consistency finding, and it will be up to the Council
to make the final decision. Should the Council decide against the local jurisdiction, there
is no appeal process available to the jurisdiction or project applicant other than legal action.
“Covered actions” are defined in Section 85057.5 of the California Water Code. It defines
them as plans, projects or programs as defined by CEQA, and then goes on to grant several
exemptions to certain types of projects. It does not, however, provide exemptions for all
the project types that CEQA itself exempts. CEQA provides a lengthy list of categorical
exemptions for plans, projects and programs that generally do not have significant
environmental impacts, and projects that have compelling reasons to move forward quickly
(such as public safety projects). The entire list of categorical exemptions from CEQA also
should be exempt from the Delta Stewardship Council’s “covered actions” process.
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Library
263. SUPPORT State financial assistance in the operation of public libraries, including full
funding of the Public Library Fund (PLF), and the California Research and Education
Network (CalREN), an advanced network-services fabric serving the vast majority of
research and education institutions in the state.
264. SUPPORT State bonds for public library construction. The 2000 library construction bond
provided funding for two libraries in Contra Costa County. There is currently a need of
approximately $289,000,000 for public library construction, expansion and renovation in
Contra Costa County.
265. SUPPORT continued funding for the California Library Literacy and English Acquisition
Services Program, which provides matching funds for public library adult literacy
programs that offer free, confidential, one-on-one basic literacy instruction to English-
speaking adults who want to improve their reading, writing, and spelling skills.
Pipeline Safety
266. SUPPORT legislation that contains specific mitigations or solutions for installation of
Automatic Shutoff Valves for both High Consequence Areas (HCA) and for those that
transverse Active Seismic Earthquake Faults for all intrastate petroleum pipelines. State
Fire Marshal Annual Inspections of all Intrastate Petroleum Pipelines do not contain the
specific mitigations or solutions for installation of Automatic Shutoff Valves for both High
Consequence Areas (HCA) and for those that traverse Active Seismic Earthquake Faults
that are mandated for Gas Pipelines under AB 2856. The County has several petroleum
pipelines that should be classified under these categories and present the same explosive
nature as gas pipelines do.
267. SUPPORT legislation that contains specific language for protection of all seasonal and all
year creeks and all State Waterways where petroleum pipelines are present. New and
replacement pipelines near environmentally and ecologically sensitive areas should use
the best available technology including, but not limited to, the installation of leak detection
technology, automatic shutoff systems or remote controlled sectionalized block valves, or
any combination of these technologies to reduce the amount of oil released in an oil spill
to protect state waters and wildlife.
Telecommunications and Broadband
268. SUPPORT clean-up legislation on AB 2987 that provides for local emergency notifications
similar to provisions in cable franchises for the last 20 years. Currently our franchises
require the cable systems to carry emergency messages in the event of local emergencies.
With the occurrence of several local refinery incidents, this service is critical for Contra
Costa. Under federal law, Emergency Alert System requirements leave broad discretion to
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broadcasters to decide when and what information to broadcast, emergency management
offices to communicate with the public in times of emergencies.
269. SUPPORT preservation of local government ownership and control of the local public
rights-of-way. Currently, local government has authority over the time, place, and manner
in which infrastructure is placed in their rights-of-way. The California Public Utilities
Commission is considering rulemaking that would give them jurisdiction to decide issues
between local government and telecommunication providers.
270. SUPPORT the expansion of broadband (high speed internet service) to drive economic
development and job opportunities, support county service delivery, and improve health,
education and public safety outcomes for residents. For communities to realize these full
benefits of broadband it must be capable of supporting current technology.
Access and adoption are both necessary elements that should be supported in state and
federal legislative or regulatory proposals. This entails the following:
• Establishing and maintaining reliable broadband in unserved or underserved
communities;
• Promoting the knowledge, skills and behaviors that comprise digital literacy;
• Making broadband affordable for all households;
• Maximizing funding for infrastructure; and
• Reducing infrastructure deployment barriers.
Transportation
271. SUPPORT increased flexibility in the use of transportation funds.
272. SUPPORT regional coordination that provides for local input in addressing transportation
needs. Coordinated planning and delivery of public transit, paratransit, non-
profit/community-based transit, and rail services will help ensure the best possible service
delivery to the public. Regional coordination will be essential to complete planning and
development of important regional transportation projects that benefit the state and local
road system such as TriLink (State Route 239), improvements to Vasco Road, completion
of remaining segments of the Bay Trail, improvements to the Delta DeAnza Regional Trail,
and the proposed California Delta and Marsh Creek Trails. Support for consistent,
coordinated deployment of advanced transportation/mobility technology such as
connected vehicles and automated vehicles, and advanced wireless is also in the public
interest. There may be interest in seeking enhanced local input requirements for
developing the Sustainable Communities Strategy for the Bay Area mandated by SB 375
for greenhouse gas reduction. It is important that the regional coordination efforts are
based on input gathered from the local level, to ensure the regional approach does not
negatively impact local communities. “Top-down” regional or state planning efforts
would be inconsistent with this goal. Consistent with that position, relief from the
requirements imposed on the County by the state relative to the Iron Horse corridor would
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foster coordination along this multi-jurisdictional corridor. Such relief could be provided
through administrative action or County sponsored legislation.
273. SUPPORT efforts to improve safety throughout the transportation system. The County
supports new and expanded projects and programs to improve safety for bicyclists,
pedestrians and wheelchair users, as well as projects to improve safety on high -accident
transportation facilities such as Vasco Road. Data on transportation safety would be
improved by including global positioning system (GPS) location data for every reported
accident to assist in safety analysis and planning. The County also supports the expansion
of school safety improvement programs such as stable/dedicated funding for crossing
guards, revised school zone references in the vehicle code, Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S)
grants, statutory authorization of an automated safety enforcement (speed cameras) pilot
program, efforts to improve the safety, expansion and security of freight transportation
system including public and private maritime ports, airports, rail yards, railroad lines, rail
bridges and sidings. The County also supports limits or elimination of public liability for
installing traffic-calming devices on residential neighborhood streets.
274. SUPPORT funding or incentives for the use of environmentally-friendly resources in
transportation construction projects. The County seeks and supports grant programs, tax
credits for manufacturers, state purchasing programs, and other incentives for local
jurisdictions to use renewable and environmentally friendly materials such as pervious
concrete, cool pavements, rubberized asphalt (made from recycled tires) that the County
has used as paving material on San Pablo Dam Road and Pacheco Boulevard, and other
emerging technologies/materials.
275. SUPPORT streamlining the delivery of transportation safety projects. The length of time
and amount of paperwork should be reduced to bring a transportation safety project more
quickly through the planning, engineering and design, environmental review, funding
application, and construction phases, such as for Vasco Road. This could include
streamlining the environmental review process and also streamlining all state permitting
requirements that pertain to transportation projects. Realistic deadlines for use of federal
transportation funds would help local jurisdictions deliver complex projects without
running afoul of federal time limits which are unrealistically tight for complex projects.
276. SUPPORT efforts to coordinate development of state-funded or regulated facilities such as
courts, schools, jails, roads and state offices with local planning. The County supports
preserving the authority of Public Works over County roads by way of ensuring the Board
of Supervisors’ control over County roads as established in the Streets & Highways Code
(Ch2 §940) is not undermined. This includes strongly opposing any action by a non-local
entity that would ultimately dilute current Board of Supervisors discretion relative to road
design and land use. In addition to being coordinated with local planning, there are well
documented conflicts between state school development policies and state policies related
to greenhouse gas reduction, safe routes to school, complete streets, and “Health In All
Policies.” The County supports administrative and legislative efforts to resolve these
conflicts.
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277. SUPPORT efforts to coordinate planning between school districts, the state, and local
jurisdictions for the purposes of: (1) locating and planning new schools, (2) funding
programs that foster collaboration and joint use of facilities, and (3) financing off-site
transportation improvements for improved access to existing schools. The County will urge
the California Department of Education’s current Title 5 update effort to include removing
the current conflict between current school siting policies and sustainable communities.
Related to this effort, the County supports reform of school siting practices by way of
legislative changes related to any new statewide school construction bond authorization.
The County takes the position that reform components should include bringing school
siting practices and school zone references in the vehicle code into alignment with local
growth management policies, safe routes to school best practices, State SB 375 principles,
and the State Strategic Growth Council’s “Health in All Policies Initiative.” The County
will also urge DOE's current Title 5 update effort to apply the requirements of Title 5, as
they pertain to evaluating the risks from hazardous materials, to schools being rebuilt on
the site of existing schools and to charter schools, and to include the evaluation of risks
from hazardous materials potentially released from nearby industrial facilities due to fire,
explosions or accidental releases to school siting criteria. Related to this, the County
supports the development of guidelines for assessing and mitigating the risks of siting new
schools near industrial facilities and rail lines due to potential explosions and fires from
the use, storage, manufacture and transportation of hazardous materials, similar to the
guidelines they have established for assessing and mitigating the risks from the
transportation of hazardous materials through pipelines. State financial and/or technical
support to offset the cost of adhering to new guidelines or requirements should be provided.
278. SUPPORT regional aviation transportation planning efforts for coordinated aviation
network planning to improve service delivery. Regional aviation coordination could also
improve the surrounding surface transportation system by providing expanded local
options for people and goods movement.
279. SUPPORT efforts to increase waterborne transport of goods and obtaining funds to support
this effort. The San Francisco to Stockton Ship Channel is a major transportation route
for the region, providing water access to a large number of industries and the Ports of
Sacramento and Stockton. A project is underway to deepen the channel, providing
additional capacity to accommodate increasing commerce needs of the Ports and
providing better operational flexibility for the other industries. Increased goods movement
via waterways has clear benefits to congestion management on highways and railroads
(with resultant air quality benefits).
280. SUPPORT legislative and administrative measures to enhance rail safety, increase state
oversight of railroad bridges, provide funding for the training of first responders, and
implement regulations that increase tank car safety standards for cars transporting crude
oil and other hazardous materials, and regulations that require railroads to share data with
state emergency managers and local responders.
281. SUPPORT funding increases for active transportation projects and planning. Funding is
needed for improved pedestrian infrastructure and enhancements and expansion of: trails,
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on-street bike facilities (Class II and III), and separated facilities (Class I and Class IV
[cycle track]). Funding is also needed for corridor and ”bicycle superhighway” planning,
trail access improvements, overcrossings, intersection improvements, Class I - IV inter-
connectivity projects (gap closures), wayfinding/signage projects, and facilities/designs
identified in emerging best practices.
282. OPPOSE efforts to condition or link the distribution of transportation funds to a
jurisdiction’s production of housing relative to RHNA (Regional Housing Needs
Allocation).
283. SUPPORT administrative or legislative mechanisms that facilitate coordination between
transportation agencies and utilities relative to expediting construction projects. Without
willing and proactive coordination, transportation projects are subject to delays and
substantially increased costs. These costs are borne by the taxpayers.
Veterans
284. SUPPORT legislation and budget actions that will continue the state's annual local
assistance for County Veterans Service Offices at a minimum of the $5.6 million
level. The eventual goal is to fully fund CVSOs by appropriating the full $11 million in
local assistance funding as reflected in Military and Veterans Code Section 972.1(d).
County Veterans Service Offices (CVSOs) play a vital role in the local veteran community,
not only within the Veterans Affairs claims process, but in other aspects as well. This
includes providing information about all veterans’ benefits (Federal, State and local), as
well as providing claims assistance for all veteran-related benefits, referring veterans to
ancillary community resources, providing hands-on development and case management
services for claims and appeals and transporting local veterans to VA facilities.
285. SUPPORT legislation and budget actions that will provide veterans organizations with
resources to make necessary repairs to, or replacement of, their meeting halls and facilities.
Across California, the meeting halls and posts of Veterans Service Organizations such as
the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars serve as unofficial community centers.
Many of these facilities are not compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act
accessibility standards, are not earthquake retrofitted, or have deteriorated in recent years
due to declining membership and reduced rental revenues as a result of the economic
downturn. The County will support legislation that would create a competitive grant
program for veterans’ organizations, classified by the IRS as 501c19 non-profit
organizations and comprised primarily of past or present members of the United States
Armed Forces and their family members, to use for repairs and improvements to their
existing facilities.
286. SUPPORT legislation that will improve the timeliness and quality of both VA benefits
claim decisions and VA healthcare services. Specifically, legislation that works toward
improving on the expedited processing of claims, providing VA healthcare, and
administering of benefits to populations with unique needs, such as homeless Veterans,
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Women Veterans, and Veterans experiencing service related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
or service related Traumatic Brain Injury.
Waste Management
287. SUPPORT legislation that establishes producer responsibility for management at the end
of their useful life of products, including pharmaceuticals, batteries, sharps and veterinary
medicine.
288. SUPPORT efforts to increase the development of markets for recycled materials.
289. SUPPORT legislative and regulatory efforts to allow third parties, under specific
circumstances and conditions, to collect and transport household hazardous waste to
collection facilities.
290. SUPPORT legislation that seeks to remedy the environmental degradation and solid waste
management problems on a State-wide basis of polystyrene containers and single-use
plastic bags typically given away for free at grocery, retail and other establishments.
291. SUPPORT legislation that does not require increased diversion from landfills without an
adequate funding mechanism.
292. SUPPORT legislation that would make changes to the used tire redemption program.
Instead of collecting a disposal fee from the consumer when new tires are purchased, a
disposal fee would be collected at the wholesale level and redeemed by the disposal site
when the used tires are brought to the site. The party bringing the tires to the disposal site
would also receive a portion of the fee.
293. SUPPORT legislation that relieves counties with privately-operated landfills from the state
requirement for maintaining a 15-year supply of disposal capacity for waste generated
within each county. In 1989, Contra Costa County amended its general plan to
accommodate construction of Keller Canyon Landfill. Due to the difficulty in siting
landfills and the requirements of Public Resources Code 47100 – Countywide Siting
Element, the County maintained authority to control the amount of waste disposed at this
facility from outside the county. Despite Contra Costa County’s opposition, AB 845
became law on January 1, 2013 and prohibits any jurisdiction from regulating the amount
of waste disposed at a privately-operated landfill based on its place of origin.
Because local jurisdictions can no longer control importation of waste to privately-
operated landfills, a host County that receives a significant amount of waste from outside
the county will have a greater need to undertake the difficult task of identifying new
disposal capacity pursuant to the Countywide Siting Element requirement. Since the state
believes there is no need for local jurisdictions to regulate disposal of solid waste by place
of origin, the state should remove existing statutes that require each County with privately-
operated landfills to identify sufficient disposal capacity for the waste generated by the
jurisdictions within that County.
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294. SUPPORT legislation that can reduce the amount of harmful pharmaceuticals (including
veterinary medicine) that ultimately enter waste water treatment facilities, bodies of water,
and landfills.
295. SUPPORT legislative and regulatory efforts to restrict payments from the Beverage
Container Recycling Program Fund for redemption of beverage containers sold out of state.
Fraudulent redemption of these beverage containers is costing the Fund from $40 million
to $200 million annually. This fraud combined with loans to the General Fund to reduce
the State budget deficit has significantly reduced the availability of funds f or increasing
recycling as intended under the law.
296. SUPPORT legislative and regulatory efforts that correct the imbalance between the
County’s regulatory authority to control the collection and disposal of solid waste
generated within the unincorporated areas and our exposure to state penalties for failing to
meet state mandates for diverting solid waste generated within these areas as a result of
Appellate Court decisions. In litigation where the County sought to protect its solid waste
franchise authority for unincorporated areas the court awarded franchise authority to the
Rodeo Sanitary District and Mountain View Sanitary District while the County remains
exposed to state penalties for failing to meet state mandates for reducing disposal of solid
waste generated in these areas.
297. OPPOSE legislative and regulatory efforts that require more of counties related to diverting
waste from landfills without concurrently establishing an adequate funding mechanism.
298. SUPPORT efforts that will help counties more effectively combat illegal dumping,
including but not limited to establishing a more reasonable burden of proof standard,
changing any remaining infractions to misdemeanors and increasing penalty amounts or
options (e.g. vehicle seizure).
299. OPPOSE legislative or regulatory efforts to eliminate any existing waste diversion credits
or disposal reduction credits.
300. SUPPORT legislative or regulatory efforts to reduce what counties are required to recycle
or divert from landfills if and when there is not an adequate market for materials which had
previously been recycled.
301. OPPOSE legislative or regulatory efforts that require counties to site, fund, approve, build
and/or operate organic processing facilities, including composting operations.
302. OPPOSE regulatory efforts related to solid waste management that impose requirements
on counties that directly conflict with or exceed the scope of authority of the enabling
legislation.
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Workforce Development
303. SUPPORT legislative and regulatory efforts that make the necessary changes to existing
law for the implementation of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
(WIOA) in California. The County supports legislation that would include provisions that
state that the Local Plan developed by local workforce boards should be the basis of all
workforce planning in the local areas and all workforce-related state grants. Additionally,
the County supports provisions that ensure that staffing costs and support services should
be included in the training expenditure requirement. Finally, the County supports
provisions that require all programs listed in the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act
(WIOA) work together to ensure that data is collected and reported across all programs,
utilizing the state’s base-wage file system to ease local reporting burdens.
304. SUPPORT efforts to include marginally attached workers, including discouraged workers,
and involuntary part-time workers more formally in the California Workforce Investment
Act. (Marginally attached workers are persons not in the labor force who want and are
available for work, and who have looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months (or
since the end of their last job if they held one within the past 12 months), but were not
counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding
the survey. Discouraged workers are a subset of the marginally attached.)
Attachment A
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LEGISLATION COMMITTEE 5.
Meeting Date:12/10/2018
Subject:2019 Draft Federal Legislative Platform
Submitted For: LEGISLATION COMMITTEE,
Department:County Administrator
Referral No.: 2018-32
Referral Name: Draft Federal Platform
Presenter: L. DeLaney and Paul Schlesinger Contact: L. DeLaney, 925-335-1097
Referral History:
Each fall, the County Administrator’s Office initiates the development of the coming year’s
Federal Legislative Platform by inviting members of the Board of Supervisors, Department Heads
and key staff to provide recommended changes or additions to the current adopted Platform.
In August, departments were invited to provide suggested changes to the Federal Platform by
submitting input in writing.
The Legislation Committee typically reviews the Draft Platform in November and/or December of
each year, with the Proposed Platform recommended to the Board of Supervisors for adoption in
January.
The Draft 2019 Federal Platform in a redline version (showing changes from the adopted 2018
Federal Platform) is Attachment B , and a clean-copy of the document is Attachment A.
Referral Update:
The significant amendments to the 2018 adopted Federal Legislative Platform that are proposed by
staff and Board advisory bodies include the following:
1. The addition of a ninth transportation project for federal funding: 9. West Contra Costa High
Capacity Transit Project: $10 million for environmental review and engineering activities for the
options identified in the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee's West County
High Capacity Transit Study. Tasks may include, but not necessarily be limited to, environmental
review, and partial completion of engineering, evaluation and refinement of alignment and
stations, development of capital and operating costs, land use/environmental justice analysis,
completion of environmental review including appropriate mitigations, development of
preliminary engineering, and public outreach. (Potential Programs: FTA – New Starts,
FHWA/FTA Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality, BUILD Grant)
Page 58 of 115
2. Minor text changes to the support for Regional Habitat Planning and Conservation.
3. Additional support positions related to Aging and Adult Services:
SUPPORT funding for training and subsidized placement of seniors in jobs.1.
SUPPORT funding for APS social workers (equivalent of Title IV-E program for Child
Welfare social workers).
2.
SUPPORT additional Medicaid funding for In Home Supportive Services (IHSS).3.
4. The addition of a support position adopted by the Board in October 2018 related to a Carbon
Fee.
5. The addition of a position related to the Census:
Census – OPPOSE any question that would restrict a full count in Contra Costa County by
excluding or intimidating immigrants. SUPPORT efforts to canvass fully Hard-to-Count
communities in Contra Costa County.
6. The addition of a support position for expanding subsidized childcare and tax credits.
7. The addition of policies in support of child support collection and enforcement efforts.
8. The addition of a support position for equitable implementation of the Opportunity Zone
incentive program.
9. The addition of an oppose position related to changes to the federal Title X Family Planning
Program, as recommended by the Women's Commission.
10. The addition of a support position for efforts that seek to provide support and services for
individuals who experience secondary or vicarious trauma.
11. The addition of support for the reauthorization and funding for the Library Services and
Technology Act.
12. The addition of the Board-approved opposition to changes to the "Public Charge" rules.
13. The addition of a policy to Restore Net Neutrality.
14. The addition of three policies related to Workforce Development:
SUPPORT additional funding for Education, Training, Apprenticeships and Job Placement,
with a focus on workforce skills of the future.
SUPPORT additional funding and incentives, such as loan forgiveness, for the health care
workforce, where there is a growing gap between market demand and a trained workforce.
OPPOSE federal legislation and administrative efforts that would reduce the flexibility of
state and county workforce development efforts, require additional administrative
requirements and costs or reduce the amount of funding directly channeled to states and
counties
Page 59 of 115
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
REVIEW the Draft 2019 Federal Legislative Platform, provide direction to staff on any
recommended changes, and RECOMMEND action to the Board of Supervisors.
Attachments
Attachment A: Clean Draft 2019 Federal Platform
Attachment B: Redlined Draft 2019 Federal Platform
Minutes Attachments
No file(s) attached.
Page 60 of 115
2019 DRAFT
FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE
PLATFORM
Contra Costa County
December 10, 2018
Attachment A
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 2
2019 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Each year, the Board of Supervisors adopts a Federal Legislative Platform that establishes
priorities and policy positions with regard to potential federal legislation and regulation.
FEDERAL FUNDING NEEDS
The following list is a preliminary ranking in priority order. Adjustments to the priority order may be appropriate
once the President releases a budget. The current priority ranking gives preference to those projects that we know
will not be included in the President’s budget, with lower priority to Army Corps of Engineers projects which may be
in the budget. Also, Army Corps project requests will be adjusted to be consistent with Corps capability.
1. Delta LTMS-Pinole Shoal Management, CA – $4,500,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers
to continue a Long Term Management Strategy (LTMS) for levee rehabilitation, dredging and
sediment reuse in the Delta, similar to the effort completed in the Bay area. Levee work, reuse of
dredged sediments, dredging and other activities have been difficult to accomplish due to
permitting problems and a divergence of priorities related to water quality. Significant l evee
rehabilitation is critical to the long term stability of these levees and to water quality and supply
for the 23 million Californians who depend upon this water. Stakeholders from the Department
of Water Resources, Ports, Army Corps, levee reclamation districts, local governments and other
interested parties are participating in the LTMS. A Sediment or Dredged Material Management
Office will be established, and in the longer term, preparation of a Sediment Management Plan
will consider beneficial reuse of dredged materials as one potential source of sediment for levees.
(Note: $500,000 appropriated for FFY 2005; $225,000 for FFY 2006; $500,000 for FFY 2007; $462,000
for FFY 2008; $235,000 for FFY 2009; $100,000 for FFY 2010; $0 FFY 2011-2013; $930,000 FFY 2014.)
2. Mt. Diablo Mercury Mine Clean-up – $483,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers to complete
the Technical Planning Process for the clean-up project at the source and downstream area of the
Mt. Diablo Mercury Mine. The project will clean up the mine in a cost effective, environmentally-
sound manner with minimal liability exposure for the County and involving all stakeholders
through an open community-based process. The Corps initiated a Technical Planning Process in
June 2008 to develop a preliminary remediation plan, identify applicable permit and environmental
data requirements and complete a data collection and documentation program for the clean-up of
the area impacted by the Mt. Diablo Mercury Mine. Several phases of the planning process have
been completed, and this appropriation will allow the Corps to continue the planning process ,
which will include looking at watershed issues downstream of the mercury mine. The mine site
is located on private property on the northeast slope of Mt. Diablo at the upper end of the Marsh
Creek watershed. (Note: $517,000 appropriated in FFY 2008. We would also like to continue our
request to expand the authority of the Corps through the Restoration of Abandoned Mines Sites (RAMS)
program to go beyond planning work and construct remediation projects. This would be accomplished
with the addition of language in a future Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill)
3. CALFED Bay Delta Reauthorization Act Levee Stability Improvement Program (LSIP) –
$8,000,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers for levee rehabilitation planning and project
Attachment A
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 3
implementation. The CALFED Reauthorization Act, passed in January 2004, authorized $90
million, which may be appropriated for levee rehabilitation work. The Corps has prepared a “180-
Day Report” which identifies projects and determines how these funds would be spent. Since that
time, the breakdown of CALFED, coupled with the Army Corps’ attempts to define an appropriate
and streamlined process, has delayed funding and resultant levee work. (Note: $500,000
appropriated for FFY 2006; $400,000 for FFY 2007; $4.92M for FFY 2008; $4.844M for FFY 2010.)
4. Suisun Bay Channel/New York Slough Maintenance Dredging – $8,700,000 for the Army
Corps of Engineers for maintenance dredging of this channel to the authorized depth of minus 35
feet. Continued maintenance is essential for safe transport of crude oil and other bulk materials
through the San Francisco Bay, along the Carquinez Straits and into the Sacramento/San Joaquin
Delta. Dredging for this channel section is particularly costly due to requirements on placement of
dredged materials in upland environments. An oil tanker ran aground in early 2001 due to severe
shoaling in a section of this channel, which creates a greater potential for oil spills (Note: $4.559
M appropriated for FFY 2005; $4.619M for FFY 2006; $2.82M for FFY 2007; $2.856M for FFY 2008;
$2.768M for FFY 2009; $3.819M for FFY 2010; $2.715M for FFY 2012; $2.495M for FFY 2013; $2.026M
for FFY 2014.)
5. San Pablo/Mare Island Strait/Pinole Shoal Channel Maintenance Dredging – $8,400,000
for the Army Corps of Engineers for maintenance dredging of the channel to the authorized depth
of minus 35 feet. The Pinole Shoal channel is a major arterial for vessel transport through the San
Francisco Bay region, serving oil refineries and bulk cargo which is transported as far east as
Sacramento and Stockton. (Note: $1M appropriated for FFY 2005; $2.988M for FFY 2006; $896,000
for FFY 2007; $1.696M for FFY 2008; $1.058M for FFY 2009; $2.518M for FFY 2010; $3.402M for FFY
2012; $499,000 for FFY 2013; $780,000 for FFY 2014.)
6. San Francisco to Stockton (J. F. Baldwin and Stockton Channels) Ship Channel Deepening
– $2,700,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers to continue the Deepening Project. Deepening and
minor realignment of this channel will allow for operational efficiencies for many different
industries, an increase in waterborne goods movement, reduced congestion on roadways, and air
quality benefits. This work focused on establishing economic benefit to the nation and initial
salinity modeling in the channel sections. The following steps include detailed channel design,
environmental documentation, cost analysis, additional modeling, and dredged material disposal
options. This project continues to have enormous implications for oil refineries, ports, and other
industries that depend on safe ship transport through the channel. (Note: $500,000 appropriated for
FFY 2005; $200,000 for FFY 2006; $200,000 for FFY 2007; $403,000 for FFY 2008; $1.34M for FFY
2009; $0 for FFY 2010; $0 for FFY 2011; $800,000 for FFY 2012; $1,546,900 for FFY 2013; $800,000
for FFY 2014.)
With respect to any proposed federal Infrastructure bill, the County would support legislative
language that includes infrastructure projects for all elements of stormwater: regional scale flood
protection infrastructure (usually operated by flood control districts), local scale storm drain pipes
(operated by cities and counties), storm water quality treatment facilities (operated by cities and
counties), and groundwater recharge (often operated by special districts, but also cities and
counties).
Attachment A
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 4
FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION NEEDS
The following are priority transportation projects and programs for which federal funding is needed.
1. Vasco Road Safety Improvement Project -- $18 million for improvements to a 2.5-mile
accident-prone section of Vasco Road. Project components include widening the roadway to
accommodate a concrete median barrier and shoulders on either side of the barrier, construct ion
of the barrier, and extension of an existing passing lane. The project will eliminate cross -median
accidents which have caused numerous fatalities in recent years, and will provide increased
opportunities for vehicles to safely pass (unsafe passing is a major cause of accidents and fatalities
on this segment of the increasingly busy two-lane undivided road). The project will include
provisions for wildlife undercrossings to preserve migration patterns. The proposed improvements
will complement a $10 million project that was funded with American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act funds and completed in 2011.
1.b Vasco Road Safety Improvement Project Continuation -- $30 million for improvements to
the remaining 9 miles of accident-prone sections of Vasco Road. Alameda County has been
working on constructing improvements in their jurisdiction and it would be desirable for the two
counties to work together to complete the gap left in the concrete median barrier near the County
line. In addition to completing this gap, Contra Costa desires to extend the concrete median barrier
further north of the recently completed median barrier project to the Camino Diablo Road
intersection.
2. North Richmond Truck Route -- $25 million to construct a new road or other alternate access
improvements that will provide truck access between businesses and the Richmond Parkway,
moving the truck traffic away from a residential neighborhood and elementary school. This project
will increase safety, improve public health around the school and residential area by reducing
diesel particulate emissions from those areas, increase livability of the neighborhood, improve
local access to the Wildcat Creek Regional Trail, stimulate economic development in the industrial
area of the community and provide a better route for trucks traveling to and from the Richmond
Parkway. Several potential alignments have been identified, one of which was developed through
a community planning process funded through an Environmental Justice planning grant from
Caltrans.
3. Eastern Contra Costa Trail Network -- $11 million for joint planning, environmental review,
right-of-way acquisition and construction of a coordinated network of trails for walking, bicycling
and equestrian uses in eastern Contra Costa County including facilities and projects improving
access to existing or planned transit stations. Eligible trails include, but are not limited to: (1) the
Mokelumne Trail overcrossing of the State Route 4 Bypass ($6 million); (2) Contra Costa
segments of the Great California Delta Trail ($3 million); (3) a transit supportive network of East
Contra Costa trails in unincorporated County areas and the cities of Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley
and Pittsburg ($1 million); and Marsh Creek Corridor Multi-Use Path ($1 million).
4. Brentwood Intermodal Transit Center (BITC) -- Project to improve access, and advance design
and development of a transit center located in Brentwood, and serving Oakley, southeast Antioch,
Discovery Bay and Brentwood. The BITC is proposed for Highway 4 between Lone Tree Way and
Sand Creek Road and would be served initially by Tri Delta Transit. Access would be provided
Attachment A
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 5
via an extension of Heidorn Ranch Road, and the multimodal Mokelumne Trail. A possible future
extension of eBART from the Antioch Station would be considered later.
5. Iron Horse Corridor Enhancement Program -- $25 million for joint planning, environmental
review, and the construction of improvements in the Iron Horse Trail Corridor, a 28 mile non -
motorized facility used for commute and recreation purposes providing access to schools,
recreational facilities, commercial areas, residences, and mass transit hubs. Eligible projects
include corridor planning, trail access improvements, trail expansion/enhancements, overcrossings
(7 overcrossings in 5 cities), intersection improvements, Class I trail inter-connectivity projects,
the potential accommodation of shared/autonomous vehicles, and wayfinding/signage projects.
6. State Route 4 / Old River Bridge Study – $1,000,000 to work with San Joaquin County and the
State of California on a study of improving or replacing the Old River Bridge along State Route 4
on the Contra Costa / San Joaquin County line. The study would determine a preferred alternative
for expanding or replacing the existing bridge, which is part of State Route 4. The existing bridge
is narrow, barely allowing two vehicles to pass each other, and is aligned on a difficult angle
relative to the highway on either side, requiring motorists to make sharp turns onto and off of the
bridge. The project would improve safety and traffic flow over the bridge. (Note: no appropriations
for this project as yet.)
7. Kirker Pass Road Truck Climbing Lanes – $7 million for constructing northbound and $20
million for constructing southbound truck climbing lanes on Kirker Pass Road, a heavily used
arterial linking residential areas in eastern Contra Costa with job centers and the freeway system
in central Contra Costa. The truck climbing lanes are needed to improve traffic flow and will also
have safety benefits. The $4.5 million will close a funding gap and augment secured funding: $6
million in Measure J (local sales tax measure) funds and $2.6 million in State Transportation
Improvement Program funds. The $20 million is the total cost of the southbound truck climbing
lane segment.
8. Vasco Road-Byron Highway Connector – $80 million for design, engineering and construction
of an east-west connector road between two major arterials that link Contra Costa County with
Alameda and San Joaquin Counties. The Vasco Road-Byron Highway Connector will improve
traffic circulation and linkages in the southeastern portion of the County and will provide a new route
for truck traffic that will remove a significant portion of truck trips which currently pass through the
rural community of Byron. Vasco Road is designated as State Route 84, and Byron Highway is under
study as the potential alignment for future State Route 239.
9. West Contra Costa High Capacity Transit Project: $10 million for environmental review and
engineering activities for the options identified in the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory
Committee's West County High Capacity Transit Study. Tasks may include, but not necessarily be
limited to, environmental review, and partial completion of engineering, evaluation and refinement
of alignment and stations, development of capital and operating costs, land use/environmental justice
analysis, completion of environmental review including appropriate mitigations, development of
preliminary engineering, and public outreach. (Potential Programs: FTA – New Starts, FHWA/FTA
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality, BUILD Grant)
Attachment A
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 6
Rural Road Funding Program – The County supports the creation of a new funding program that
will provide funds for converting or upgrading rural roads into more modern and safer roads that
can better handle increasing commuter traffic in growing areas, such as East County. These roads
do not often compete well in current grant programs because they do not carry as many vehicles
as roads in more congested urban or suburban areas. As a result, improvements such as widenings
(turn lanes, clear zone/recovery areas, etc.), realignments, drainage improvements and intersection
modifications often go unfunded, leaving such roads with operational and safety problems as well
as insufficient capacity.
Transportation Funding for Disabled, Low-income, and Elderly Persons – Transit services for
elderly, disabled, and low-income persons are provided by the County, by some cities, by all of the
bus transit operators, and by many community organizations and non-profits that provide social
services. Increased funding is needed to provide and maintain more service vehicles, operate them
longer throughout the day, upgrade the vehicle fleet and dispatching systems, improve coordination
between public providers and community groups that also provide such services to their clients (a
need well-established by the Government Accountability Office), expand outreach programs to
inform potential riders of the available services, and expedite deployment of efficient new
technologies and systems, among other needs. The County supports continuation and increased
funding levels for federal funding programs dedicated to transit services for these population
groups and to incentivize improvements in service delivery models to take advantage of advances
in mobile data. All of the demographic trends point to a growing need for such services in the
future. The 65-and-older population in the Bay Area is projected to more than double by 2030.
Surface Transportation Program/Highway Bridge Funding – The County supports the
continuation of funding levels consistent with the Highway Bridge funding program in
previous transportation funding bills that will provide funds for rehabilitating and replacing
our aging bridges. The County has several aging bridges with deficient sufficiency ratings.
Without federal transportation funding, these expensive projects would be deferred because
they often exceed the County’s funding capacity. Many of the bridges are on critical commute
corridors, goods movement corridors, inter-regional routes, and farm to market routes. Failure
of these important transportation assets can cause major disruptions to the transportation
network. The County would also support federal funding for the rehabilitation and
replacement of rail bridges. In addition to the funding levels, the County also supports regulation
changes that permit direct funding to local jurisdictions, bypassing the Federal Highway
Administration and Caltrans Local Assistance. The goals of these changes are to:
Get federal transportation funding into the community as soon as possible to create and
preserve jobs, both in the private sector and the public sector, in America;
Maximize purchasing power by eliminating the burdensome additional administrative
process and cost associated with multiple layers of government between funding and
construction of shovel ready improvement and maintenance projects; and
Fund the critical first and last part of each journey of goods, people, and services ‐ local
roads of America ‐ providing certainty for businesses and laying the foundation for
lasting economic growth.
Attachment A
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 7
APPROPRIATIONS AND GRANTS – SUPPORT POSITIONS
The following support positions are listed in alphabetic order and do not reflect priority order. Please note
that new and revised positions are highlighted.
1. Buchanan Field Airport – The County approved a Master Plan for the Buchanan Field Airport in
October 2008, which included a Business Plan for project implementation; all of which completed
a previously approved Federal Aviation Regulation Part 150 Noise Study. The comprehensive
planning effort has ideally positioned Buchanan Field Airport for future aviation (general aviation,
corporate aviation and commercial airline service) and aviation-related opportunities. To facilitate
the economic development potential, the Business Plan prioritizes necessary infrastructure
improvements for Buchanan Field Airport (including development of a general aviation
terminal/administration building and potential replacement of the 65 year old control tower).
Further, as the Airport is surrounded by urban residential uses, enhancing the noise program
infrastructure is deemed essential for balancing the aviation needs with those of the surrounding
communities. The Federal government, primarily through the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), provides funding for planning, analysis, and infrastructure improvements. The County will
support funding in all these areas for protection and enhancement of our aviation facility and
network.
2. Byron Airport – The Byron Airport is poised for future general and corporate aviation and aviation-
related development, but that future growth and full build out of the airport as shown in the Master
Plan is dependent upon utility and infrastructure improvements (such as improved road access and
sewer and water connections) both on and around the Airport. The Byron Airport Business Plan
prioritizes infrastructure and possible additional land acquisition to assist the Byron Airport in
fulfilling its aviation and economic development potential. The Federal government, primarily
through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), provides funding for planning, analysis,
infrastructure improvements and aviation land acquisition. The County will support funding in all
these areas for protection and enhancement of our aviation facility and network.
3. Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program – Advocate/support funding
up to or above the authorized amount of $2 billion for the EECBG Program established and
authorized under the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. The County’s ability
to continue offering programs/services improving energy efficiency and conservation while also
creating jobs is contingent upon additional federal funding being appropriated to the EECBG
Program in 2012 and beyond. Contra Costa and other local governments have identified and
designed many successful programs and financial incentives targeting both the private and public
sector which are now being implemented using EECBG funding authorized through the ARRA of
2009. Funding for the EECBG program is necessary to ensure the nation’s local governments can
continue their leadership in creating clean energy jobs, reducing energy consumption and curbing
greenhouse gas emissions.
4. Multimodal National Freight Network – In 2015 the primary freight network was established
pursuant to MAP-21. The County supports increases in dedicated freight funding as proposed in the
National Freight Strategic Plan. The County will pursue grants and appropriations for 1) the
Northern Waterfront Initiative – specifically, funding for a short-line railroad feasibility study for
Attachment A
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 8
the Northern Waterfront Corridor and a Land-Use Cost-Benefit/Fiscalization study for the Northern
Waterfront; and 2) consistent with the Draft National Freight Strategic Plan congestion reduction
strategy, projects along the I-680 corridor.
5. Regional Habitat Planning and Conservation – $85 million to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s
“Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund” to keep pace with land costs and the
increasing number of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) throughout the country. The County will
support funding for the Fund to be restored to $85 million, the 2010 funding level. This will provide
much needed support to regional HCPs in California and nationally, including the East Contra Costa
County HCP. Given the prolific growth in the number of regional HCPs, the Fund needs to be
increased even more substantially in subsequent years. The East Contra Costa County HCP has been
awarded $39.5 million from the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund in the past ten
years and continuing this grant support is of vital importance to the successful implementation of
that Plan. The County will pursue increasing appropriations to the Fund in partnership with the
National HCP Coalition and will support requests of the California Habitat Conservation Planning
Coalition to increase the Fund up to $85 million.
6. San Francisco Bay Improvement Act – $1 billion restoration bill authored by Congresswoman
Jackie Speier in 2010 but not passed. The bill, if passed, will help finance restoration of more than
100,000 acres of the Bay's tidal wetlands. Funds from the bill would implement a restoration plan
that was adopted in 1993. In addition to benefits for fish and wildlife, wetlands restoration will create
new jobs and provide regional economic infusions, as well as protect against the effects of sea level
rise on the Bay's shores.
7. Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area – a bill authored by Senator Dianne
Feinstein in 2010 but not passed. The bill, if passed, will authorize and fund a National Heritage Area
(NHA) for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The NHA designation would be a first step in providing
federal resources to agencies in the Delta for economic development and environmental protection.
Contra Costa County supports the legislation and participated in a feasibility study for the NHA
through our seat on the Delta Protection Commission, which completed the study in 2012.
8. Stormwater Program Funding - $2 million to fund additional compliance costs required by the Clean
Water Act. The Regional Water Quality Control Board issues the County a Municipal Separate Storm
Sewer System (MS4) permit every five years, requiring the County to remove pollutants from
stormwater prior to entering the storm drain system. The County has a dedicated revenue source for
funding stormwater services derived from an assessment on every parcel in the County, which
generates about $3 million per year in the unincorporated communities. The Regional Board issued
a new MS4 permit that will increase costs dramatically over the next five years, starting with a 25%
increase and the following year by an increase of almost five times current costs. In 2012, the County
attempted to increase the parcel assessment for stormwater services but the voters turned it down. The
County needs additional funding through the Environmental Protection Agency, the source of the MS4
requirements, to help pay for compliance costs. Staff estimates the cost for compliance in 2018 at $5
million, which is $2 million more than current budget.
Attachment A
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 9
POLICY POSITIONS
The following support positions are listed in alphabetic order and do not reflect priority order. Please note
that new and revised policy positions are highlighted.
Aging and Adult Services – Contra Costa County administers grants through the Area Agency on
Aging (AAA). Through public and nonprofit agency contracts, the AAA provides many services
annually for elderly county residents, including group (congregate) meals, rides to congregate meal
sites, nutrition education sessions, home delivered meals, legal assistance, long term care
ombudsman services, in home and respite registry services, home visiting and adult day care,
family caregiver support, assessments for fall prevention and fall prevention exercise classes. The
Older Californians Act provides Title III grants for community services and nutrition.
The County will advocate for the following federal actions:
a. OPPOSE the elimination or reduction of funding for the Older Americans Act and
Programming.
b. OPPOSE the elimination or cuts to the Elder Justice Act. The Elder Justice Act, as
part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, provides federal resources
to “prevent, detect, treat, understand, intervene in and, where appropriate, prosecute
elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.”
c. OPPOSE elimination and funding cuts to the Senior Community Service
Employment Program, which is the nation’s oldest program that helps low-income,
unemployed individuals aged 55+ years find work.
d. SUPPORT funding for training and subsidized placement of seniors in jobs.
e. SUPPORT funding for APS social workers (equivalent of Title IV -E program for
Child Welfare social workers).
f. SUPPORT additional Medicaid funding for In Home Supportive Services (IHSS).
Affordable Housing and Homeless Programs – For Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s
Homeless Assistance Grants, including the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program, the
County will support funding that does not include set-asides or other requirements that limit local
communities’ ability to respond to the particular needs in their areas. For the Housing Assistance
for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program, the County will support legislation to update the
formula used to allocate HOPWA grants to reflect local housing costs as well as the number of
AIDS cases.
The County supports full funding for HUD homeless assistance programs, including the ESG
Program, and funding for full implementation of the Homeless Emergency and Rapid Transition
to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009.
The County supports funding the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Resources made
available through the Trust Fund should be accessible to local housing and community
development agencies, including public housing authorities. The Housing Trust Fund should be
used to complement and not supplant either the HOME or CDBG programs.
Attachment A
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 10
Agricultural Pest and Disease Control – Agriculture and native environments in Contra Costa
County continue to be threatened by a variety of invasive/exotic pests, diseases and non-native
weeds. The Federal government provides funding for research, regulation, pest exclusion
activities, survey and detection, pest management, weed control, public education and outreach.
The County will support funding in all these areas for protection of our agricultural industry and
open space. Consistent with the policy position, the County will also support legislation whic h
would authorize and direct the USDA to provide state and local funding for High Risk Prevention
programs (also called Pest Detection Funding).
Beneficial Use of Dredged Materials – As the beneficial reuse of dredged materials has a clear
public benefit, particularly in the Delta, the County will continue to support beneficial reuse in
general and also continue to advocate for funding for a federal study to determine the feasibility
of beneficial reuse, considering the benefits and impacts to water quality and water supply in the
Delta, navigation, flood control damage, ecosystem restoration, and recreation. The study would
include the feasibility of using Sherman Island as a rehandling site for the dredged material, for
levee maintenance and/or ecosystem restoration. Language to authorize the study was included in
the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) which was passed into law on November 8,
2007.
Broadband – Consistent with CSAC policy, Contra Costa County will support the exp ansion of
broadband (high speed internet service) to drive economic development and job opportunities,
support county service delivery, and improve health, education and public safety outcomes for
residents. For communities to realize these full benefits of broadband it must be capable of
supporting current technology. Access and adoption are both necessary elements that should be
supported in state and federal legislative or regulatory proposals. This entails the following:
• Establishing and maintaining reliable broadband in unserved or underserved communities;
• Promoting the knowledge, skills and behaviors that comprise digital literacy;
• Making broadband affordable for all households;
• Maximizing funding for infrastructure; and
• Reducing infrastructure deployment barriers.
Carbon Fee – Contra Costa County is committed to addressing the challenges of climate change
by reducing local greenhouse gas emissions while improving community health. The County
supports the concept of establishing a national price on carbon-based fuels to address the costs to
society of emissions from those fuels.
Census – OPPOSE any question that would restrict a full count in Contra Costa County by
excluding or intimidating immigrants. SUPPORT efforts to canvass fully Hard-to-Count
communities in Contra Costa County.
Child Care – Research continues to show that quality, affordable childcare is a necessity to
ensuring a family’s stability and economic success. Currently in Contra Costa County, there are
over 10,000 low-income children eligible for affordable childcare services, yet only 29% of that
need is met. Research also shows that in addition to a child’s long-term success with school and
employment, investing in high-quality early care and education results in a hi gher than average
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 11
return on investments in the areas of crime reduction and positive health, education and economic
outcomes.
With regards to childcare, the County will support efforts that ensure all children have access to
quality care by expanding high quality learning opportunities for children 0-5, including but not
limited to proposals such as:
An increase of over 100,000 new childcare slots and $12 billion over the next 10 years;
A focus on children and their families who are at or below 200% of poverty;
Financing through a new cost-sharing partnership with states, already a proven successful
model with Head Start in Contra Costa County.
The County will also advocate for the following federal actions:
Increase funding to support employment of low-income families through greater access to
child care subsidies, and increase the access of children from eligible families to high -
quality care that supports positive child development outcomes.
Provide flexibility at the state and local levels so that quality care can be balanced with
access and parental choice.
Reauthorization of Head Start that includes consideration of a regional approach to
determining eligibility and reforming the Head Start Designation Renewal System by
suspending the use of the lowest 10 percent of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System
trigger.
OPPOSE block granting Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
SUPPORT new comprehensive proposals that would enhance funding and development of
early care and education infrastructure, including increasing supports, services, and
increased compensation for the early education workforce.
SUPPORT expanding subsidized childcare and tax credits.
SUPPORT efforts that increase access to home visiting programs that are designed and
implemented to support families in providing an environment that promotes healthy growth
and development of young children.
Child Support –The County will advocate for the following federal actions:
Eliminate the $25 fee for non-IV-A families.
Expand the ability of IV-D agencies to access health insurance records for the purpose of
establishing and enforcing medical support.
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Expand data collection and methods of communicating with IV-D customers such as
auto-dialing, email and SMS texting.
Expand child support enforcement methods or enhance existing child support
enforcement methods.
SUPPORT increased funding for the IV-D program.
OPPOSE any efforts to reduce funding for the IV-D program.
OPPOSE any restriction of access to IV-D customer data.
OPPOSE any restriction to existing child support enforcement methods.
Child Welfare and Well-being –The County will advocate for the following federal actions:
Provide states with financial incentives, as opposed to monetary penalties, under the Child
and Family Services Reviews and minimize the significant administrative burden
associated with the review process.
Modify the Federal Title IV-E Foster Care eligibility income standard from the current
1996 AFDC Federal Poverty Level (100% FPL) to be in line with (and follow) the
Medicaid 138% FPL standard.
Increase prevention dollars to help maintain children safely in their own homes. Federal
funding currently gives disproportional support to out-of-home care rather than to
preventing children from coming into care.
Any increase in Federal Medical Assistance Percentage should include an associated
increase in the Title IV-E matching rate to help support children in foster care.
OPPOSE the elimination or cuts to the Social Services Block Grant and the Adoption
Assistance Program.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and
HOME Programs – The County’s ability to continue funding to a variety of nonprofit agencies
that provide critical safety net services to lower income residents, including financing the
development of affordable housing is threatened by further cuts as part of the Budget Control Act
(Act) passed by Congress in July 2011. The Act established mandatory spending caps on most
federal programs through 2021, and arranged additional across-the-board annual spending cuts to
federal defense and non-defense discretionary (NDD) programs over this same period.
Included in non-defense discretionary programs are critical local government oriented programs
including the CDBG, ESG and HOME programs. These programs are successful and productive,
leveraging significant funding from non-federal sources to help spur economic development. The
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 13
County agrees that reducing the federal deficit is an important component of achieving long-term
national economic stability, but targeting solely NDD programs like the CDBG, ESG and HOME
programs will not achieve significant reductions and will hinder the County’s ability to provide
critical services to its most vulnerable populations. The County will continue to oppose any further
reductions in the CDBG, ESG and HOME programs as part of the Budget Control Act or any other
means.
Cost Shifts to Local and State Government – Contra Costa County performs many of its services
and programs pursuant to federal direction and funding. Other services and programs are
performed at the behest of the state, which receives funding through the federal government. In
the past, the Administration’s budget has contained significant cuts to entitlement programs and/or
caps on entitlements. Such actions could shift cost of services from the federal government to the
state and/or local governments (and to the extent that costs would shift to the state, it is hi ghly
likely that these would be passed on to the County). The County will oppose any actions that
would result in cost shifts on federal entitlement programs or which would result on greater
dependency on county funded programs. In addition, the County will support federal and state
financial assistance to aid county and local government efforts to meet unfunded federal mandates,
such as those contained in the National Response Plan (NRP), the National Infrastructure
Protection Plan (NIPP), and the National Incident Management System.
Criminal Justice and Mental Health – Contra Costa County supports the Mental Health and Safe
Communities Act, which strengthens federal programs related to mental health in the criminal
justice system by enhancing the ability of families and communities to identify mental illness; and
the Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act, which would update the Mentally Ill Offender
and Treatment Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) and facilitate collaboration among the criminal
justice, juvenile justice, mental health treatment, and substance use systems to ensure that people
with mental illnesses receive the support they need.
An increasing number of people with mental illnesses are coming into contact with the criminal
justice system—with law enforcement, courts, jails and prisons, and probation and parole
agencies—at a tremendous cost to taxpayers and public safety, as well as to these people and their
families. According to a U.S. Department of Justice report, approximately 45 percent of people in
federal prisons, 56 percent of people in state prisons, and 64 percent of people in local jails
displayed symptoms of a mental health condition.
The County will also support the mental health and criminal justice provisions in legislation that
support and expand bipartisan initiatives across the country (including the Stepping Up initiative),
such as specialized law enforcement training, mental health courts, and other collaborative
responses to people in the criminal justice system who have mental health and substance use
treatment needs. The County will also support legislation that provides resources for programs in
correctional facilities, as well as resources to improve reentry outcomes for people with mental
illnesses released from incarceration back into the community, and authorizing the creation of a
specialized National Criminal Justice and Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance
Center.
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 14
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – OPPOSE legislation and administrative actions to
repeal DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) as well as legislation and administrative
efforts that target individuals due to their color, religious affiliation or national origin.
Delta Water Platform –To protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta from various detrimental
forces that are affecting its health and resources, it is the policy of Contra Costa County to support
implementation of projects and actions that will help improve the Delta ecosystem and the
economic conditions of the Delta. Contra Costa County has adopted a Delta Water Platform to
identify and promote activities and policy positions that support the creation of a healthy
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Contra Costa County will use this Platform to guide its own actions
and advocacy in other public venues regarding the future of the Delta.
Designation of Indian Tribal Lands and Indian Gaming – The Board of Supervisors has
endorsed the California State Association of Counties’ (CSAC) policy documents regarding
development on tribal land and prerequisites to Indian gaming. These policy statements address
local government concerns for such issues as the federal government’s ability to take lands into
trust and thus remove them from local land use jurisdiction, absent the consent of the state and
the affected county; the need for tribes to be responsible for all off-reservation
impacts of their actions; and assurance that local government will be able to continue to meet
its governmental responsibilities for the health, safety, environment, infrastructure and general
welfare of all members of its communities. The County will continue to advocate for federal
legislation and regulation that supports the CSAC policy documents.
The County will also advocate for limitations on reservation shopping; tightening the definition of
Class II gaming machines; assuring protection of the environment and public health and safety;
and full mitigation of the off-reservation impacts of the trust land and its operations, including the
increased cost of services and lost revenues to the County.
The County will also advocate for greater transparency, accountability and appeal opportunities
for local government in the decision-making processes that permit the establishment of Indian
gaming facilities. This includes sequencing the processes so that the Indian Lands Determination
comes first, prior to initiation of a trust land request and associated environmental review.
The County will also consider support for federal action and/or legislation that allows Class III
gaming at the existing gaming facility only if it can be shown that any change would result in a
facility that would be unique in nature and the facility can demonstrate significant community
benefits above and beyond the costs associated with mitigating community impacts.
Economic Development Programs – Congress should fund all the complementary programs
within HUD’s community and economic development toolkit, ensuring that HUD does not lose
sight of the development component of its mission. To that end, the County will support continued
funding for the Section 108 loan guarantee program, the Brownfields Economic Development
Initiative and the Rural Housing and Economic Development program. The County will also
advocate for equitable implementation of the Opportunity Zone incentive program in a way that
preserves flexibility to meet local economic development goals. Each of these programs plays a
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 15
unique role in building stronger, more economically viable communities, while enabling
communities to leverage external financing in a way the CDBG program alone cannot do.
Federal “Statewideness” Requirements – For many federally funded programs, there is a
“statewideness” requirement; i.e., all counties must operate the specific program under the same
rules and regulations. This can hamper the County’s ability to meet local needs, to be cost effective
and to leverage the funding of one program to reduce costs in another program. Contra Costa
County cannot negotiate for federal waivers or do things differently because it is not a state, yet
its population is greater than seven states. Recognizing this is a very long-term effort, the County
will advocate for relaxation of the “statewideness” rule to allow individual counties or a
consortium of counties to receive direct waivers from the federal government and/or adopt the
rules and regulations currently in use in another state for specific programs.
Habitat Conservation Planning – The County will advocate for elevating the profile of locally
controlled, regional Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) such as the East Contra Costa County
HCP within Congress and Administration so that these critical federal/state/local partnerships can
receive necessary attention and support. HCPs are flagship programs for the federal government
and supporting effective implementation of approved HCPs should be a top priority for the U.S.
Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and HCPs should be a key tool in
any federal climate change or economic stimulus legislation.
Habitat Conservation Permitting and Permit Alignment – The County will advocate for and
support efforts to align federal permits for natural resource impacts federal with permits already
issued by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service pursuant to a locally-controlled, regional Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP), such as East Contra Costa County HCP. One good example of this is
the U.S. Army Corps’ issuance of Regional General Permit 1 which was designed to be consistent
with the East Contra Costa County HCP. The alignment of permit requirements and processes
improves the overall efficiency, predictability and effectiveness of natural resource regulation and
project delivery.
Health – The County will advocate for the following actions by the federal government: a) provide
enhanced Medicaid FMAP (the "Federal Medical Assistance Percentage" for Medicaid. It is the
federal matching rate for state Medicaid expenditures.); b) suspend the Medicare “clawback” rule;
c) suspend the “60-day rule” that requires states to repay the federal government overpayments
identified by the state prior to collection and even in instances where the state can never collect;
d) ease the ability to cover those eligible for Medicaid by making documentation requirements less
stringent; and e) prevent the implementation of the following seven federal regulations:
Outpatient hospital
Case Management
School Based Administration & Transportation
Public Provider Cost Limit
Graduate Medical Education
Rehabilitation Services Option
Provider Tax
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SUPPORT full funding of the Federal Medicaid program by the federal government. Medicaid
provides access to health care for people whose income and resources are insufficient to pay for
health care. It is jointly funded by Federal and State governments. The Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (also known as the ACA) significantly expanded both eligibility for and
federal funding of Medicaid. OPPOSE amendments to the ACA that would reduce support for
Medicaid/Medi-Cal payments to providers.
OPPOSE efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act or to replace it with any proposals that represent
significant, permanent structural alterations to current subsidized segments of the health care
system. This would include proposals that would convert Medicaid enrollee categories to a per-
capita cap model, thereby establishing hard federal funding caps for state Medicaid programs.
These proposals could force the state to make cuts of its own to offset the loss of federal funding.
Contra Costa’s entire Medi-Cal (Medicaid) population of approximately 250,000 people,
including 90,000 children, could be affected as a result.
OPPOSE new block-granting proposals, harsh cuts, or proposals that will significantly and/or
permanently shift the structure of health and human service funding and programming that would
lead to the restriction or elimination of safety-net programs. Reductions in federal human services
funding and programming severely limits critical support for our community and state. Block
grants often lead to decreases in funding that forces states to limit benefits for families, cap
enrollment, and establish waitlists. These restrictions result in families who need these supports
and services, not being able to access them, possibly leading them into deeper poverty and distress.
OPPOSE federal legislation and administrative efforts to eliminate or reduce funding for essential
public health services, inclusive of funding for immunization, HIV/Ryan White, Communicable
Disease and Tuberculosis Control, Hansen’s Disease, Teen Pregnancy, Public Health Preparedness
and Maternal Child Health Funding.
OPPOSE changes to Title X Family Planning Program, officially known as Public Law 91-572 or
“Population Research and Voluntary Family Planning Programs,” enacted in 1970, dedicated
solely to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health
services.
SUPPORT reauthorization of funding for HIV/Ryan White Care, Maternal Child Health Funding
including Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV), and CHIP (Children’s
Health Insurance Program).
Homeless / Runaway Youth –The County will support continued investment in the Runaway and
Homeless Youth Act to ensure that all youth have access to housing and other critical services.
Homelessness among young people is a serious issue. Homeless youth, sometimes referred to as
unaccompanied youth, are individuals who lack parental, foster or institutional care. Homeless
youth are at a higher risk for physical abuse, sexual exploitation, mental health disabilities,
substance abuse, and death. It is estimated that 5,000 unaccompanied youth die each year as a
result of assault, illness, or suicide. In Contra Costa County youth under the age of 18 years make
up approximately 11% of the homeless population and two thirds of those youth reside in shelters
on any given night.
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 17
Human Trafficking – Human Trafficking is the illegal recruitment, transportation, harboring,
provision or obtaining of people (by force, fraud or coercion), typically for the purposes of forced
labor or commercial sexual exploitation. Nearly 20.9 million people around the world fall victim
to this multi-billion dollar industry. In the past year Contra Costa partners on a Federal human
trafficking grant have served over 136 victims of human trafficking. Of those served 1,871 units
of services were provided across 22 different categories of service such as legal services, protection
and safety planning, family reunification and more. Women and girls are the predominant groups
of people that are harmed by these actions.
The County will advocate for the following federal actions to insure support and services for
victims of human trafficking, and the systems that help them:
• SUPPORT federal funding that effectively enables service providers to assist victims and
law enforcement to prosecute traffickers. Because it takes a well-resourced multi-faceted
approach to support victims and to insure traffickers are prosecuted support cross-system,
comprehensive approaches to prevent human trafficking.
• SUPPORT efforts that increase the level of training, awareness, and funding to address
promising practices related to labor trafficking (including the hospitality industry,
restaurants, etc.). Victims of trafficking may be found everywhere– some may be found
working against their will in hotels/motels for long hours for little or no pay. Labor
trafficking has been found in diverse labor settings including domestic work, restaurants,
nail salons, small businesses, large farms, and factories.
Interpersonal Violence – Interpersonal violence, often referred to as intimate partner violence,
domestic violence or battering, is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over
another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. The
abuse can take several forms: physical, emotional, sexual, and economic as well as threats,
stalking/surveillance, isolation and intimidation. Although women are more likely to be targeted,
anyone can be a victim of interpersonal violence including those in the LGBTQ communities, men,
disabled persons, seniors, and elders. The County will advocate for the following federal actions:
OPPOSE any and all funding cuts, including but not limited to elimination of grant
programs for violence prevention, human/labor trafficking, victim services, and/or issues
related to interpersonal violence. In addition to OPPOSING any threats to cut or eliminate
Department of Justice federal grants related to the Violence Against Women Act.
SUPPORT efforts that increase access to cultural responsiveness and language support for
victims of crime.
SUPPORT efforts that promote collaboration and coordination across systems; including
the sharing of confidential or protected information in multidisciplinary team settings in
order to increase support for survivors.
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 18
SUPPORT the sustainment and implementation/practice of the Hostile Environment
Harassment and Liability for Discriminatory Housing Practices under the Fair Housing Act
that protects housing access for victims of harassment and survivors of domestic violence.
SUPPORT efforts to protect employment rights for survivors of interpersonal violence.
SUPPORT efforts that promote training, capacity building and deeper understanding for
students, educators and social service staff on trauma informed care, adverse childhood
experiences, healthy workplaces and schools.
SUPPORT efforts that seek to provide support and services for individuals who experience
secondary or vicarious trauma. We support efforts that seek to change the cultural norms
that do not permit, encourage or openly engage staff to seek services. We believe that staff
who are exposed to secondary trauma deserve to receive the same whole person care we
advocate for on behalf of survivors.
Levee Restoration and Repair – The County will support legislation such as H.R. 6484, the SAFE
Levee Act (Garamendi) in 2012, which will authorize the U.S. Department of the Interior to invest
in Delta levee repairs, for all levees that are publicly owned or publicly maintained. The bill also
requires a cost-benefit analysis for the tunnel project being planned as part of the Bay-Delta
Conservation Plan.
Library Support – The County will support funding for the Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS), the primary source of federal support for the nation's approximately 120,000
libraries and 35,000 museums and related organizations. In recent years California has received
more than $16M statewide. IMLS is the federal agency that distributes funds to state libraries who
in turn fund statewide initiatives and competitive Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)
grants to public libraries. IMLS was at risk of being eliminated for FY’18 and may face a similar
threat again. The Contra Costa County Library has received funding for Discover & Go, War Ink,
STEAM, Career Online High School (COHS) scholarships, and numerous other programs and
services over the years. The County will also support the reauthorization and funding for the
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) including the Museum and Library Services Act (S.
2271), as the LTSA is the only federal program that exclusively provides funding for libraries.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) - LIHEAP helps low-income
families pay their heating bills. LIHEAP is a grant that offers assistance in the form of a cash grant,
sent directly to the utility company, or a crisis grant for households in immediate danger of being
without heat. Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) enables low-income families to reduce
their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient. Funds are used to improve the
energy performance of dwellings families in need, using the most advanced technologies and
testing procedures available in the housing industry. The County will advocate for the following
federal actions:
OPPOSE elimination and reduction in funding for the LIHEAP and WAP programs.
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 19
Multi-Service Centers – The County will support federal funding for the establishment and
operation of coordinated service integration models such as SparkPoint, Service Integration
Teams, Family Resource Centers, or Family Justice Centers. Multi-service centers often co-locate
county and non-profit agencies working holistically to meet the needs of families. Centers can help
individuals and families address immediate financial crises, build financial security, address abuse
and violence, provide accessible, coordinated public services, and may, engage families in
resident-driven efforts to revitalize their communities.
Municipal Securities – The County supports efforts to preserve, enhance and streamline the
availability of tax-exempt financing to fund critical public infrastructure projects. For over 100
years, federal tax policy has granted a tax exemption on municipal bond interest to incentivize
investment in local infrastructure projects. Also, the federal government has occasionally provided
“direct subsidy bonds” that further mitigate borrowing costs to local government.
Preservation for the Tax-Exemption for Municipal Bonds: The County will support the
continued exemption of municipal bond interest.
Opposition to Repeal of the “Tower Amendment” to the Securities Acts Amendments of
1975: The Tower Amendment to the Securities Acts Amendments of 1975 has prohibited
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Municipal Securities
Rulemaking Board (MSRB) from directly or indirectly regulating state and local
government issuers of municipal securities prior to the sale of those securities. The County
will oppose any repeal of the Tower Amendment which would impose an additional federal
regulatory oversight burden on local government issuers, in recognition that the states
already have such authority.
Private Activity Bonds for Government Buildings: The County will support legislation that
would create a new category of private activity bonds for governments to join with private
parties to help finance government buildings. The tax-exempt bonding mechanism would
allow state and local governments to issue private activity bonds to finance the construction
and upkeep of certain publically owned buildings. The County will support amending the
federal tax code to provide another layer of tax-exempt financing that would encourage the
use of public-private partnerships.
Amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to Restore Advance Refunding: Tax Cuts and
Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Tax Bill”) discontinued authorization for state and local
governments to issue “advance refunding” bonds, which previously allows jurisdictions to
refinance current debt at reduced interest rates. This was, in part, due to the belief that such
authorization essentially allowed for “double dipping” by state and local entities. Under
previous law, governmental bonds and 501(c)(3) bonds issued by state and local
governments were permitted a single advance refunding. This allowed public issuers to
take advantage of reductions in interest rates to realize billions of dollars in savings, which
ultimately benefits taxpayers.
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 20
Pension – The County will support legislation that would modify the Internal Revenue Code and
corresponding regulations to permit public employees to make an irrevocable election between
their current pension formula and a less rich pension formula.
In 2006, Contra Costa County and the Deputy Sheriff’s Association jointly obtained state
legislation that would allow members of the Association to make a one-time irrevocable election
between their current pension formula and a less rich pension formula, called Tier C. Orange
County and its labor organizations obtained similar legislation in 2009. However, neither County
has been able to implement this state legislation because such elections currently have negative
tax consequences for employees and for retirement plans under federal tax law as interpreted by
the Internal Revenue Service.
Like many local government entities nationwide, the County’s fiscal position would benefit greatly
from reduced pension costs. Allowing local government entities to implement collective
bargaining agreements and state legislation that permits employees to elect less rich pension
formulas would be a significant step in reducing pension costs.
Preservation of the federal deduction on State and Local Taxes (SALT)--The County opposes
repeal of the federal income tax deduction on State and Local Taxes (SALT). Since 1913, the SALT
deduction has been a deduction available to taxpayers in recognition that the portion of income
deducted was spent on state and local public services such as public safety and transportation. In
modern history, the SALT deduction has had a strong correlation to the mortgage interest
deduction. This is because most homeowners pay property taxes on real property owned in their
State, which are subsequently deducted using the SALT deduction on federal income taxes. For
this reason, the SALT deduction can be viewed as a valuable financial benefit of homeownership.
Repeal of the SALT deduction and the corresponding reduction in financial benefit of
homeownership, could lead to a change in market prices of homes to “price in” the loss of the
SALT deduction to homeowners. In California, ad valorem property taxes, which provide general
purpose revenue to local governments, including cities and counties, is based on the assessed value
of, among other things, residential homes. Should a repeal of the SALT deduction lead to a
corresponding reduction in home values, local governments in California would be negatively
impacted by reduced home values.
Public Charge– The County will OPPOSE all proposed changes to the “Public Charge” rules,
including but not limited to consideration of non-cash benefits such as CalFresh, non-Emergency
Medi-Cal and CHIP, Section 8 housing vouchers and other housing assistance, and any childhood
programs such as Head Start or federal school lunch programs.
Public Housing Programs – The County will support legislation that results in the transformation
of existing programs to improve their effectiveness and efficiency, in tandem with the design of
new and innovative responses, both to build upon recent progress and address outstanding issues.
The County will support legislation to protect the nation’s investment in Public Housing:
Enact affordable housing industry proposal to allow public housing agencies (PHAs)
to voluntarily convert public housing units to Section 8 project-based rental assistance
in order to preserve this vital component of the national infrastructure.
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 21
Oppose the Administration’s proposal to impose a $1 billion offset against the
operating reserves of responsible, entrepreneurial PHAs.
Support the revitalization of severely distressed public housing units.
Address safety and security concerns connected to drug-related crime.
The County will support legislation to preserve vital community and economic development
programs:
Fully fund the Community Development Block Grant Program in order to create and
save jobs, revitalize local economies, and support critical services for vulnerable
populations.
Maintain funding for HUD’s cost-effective economic development tools.
The County will support legislation to strengthen and simplify the Section 8 Rental Assistance
programs:
Provide adequate funding for Housing Assistance Payment contract renewals and
ongoing administrative fees.
Enact the Section Eight Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA).
Implement overdue regulatory and administrative revisions that ensure the efficient use
of program funds.
The County will support legislation to maintain and expand Affordable Housing Opportunities and
combat homelessness:
Fully fund the Home Investment Partnerships Program and HUD’s homeless assistance
programs, such as the Emergency Solutions Grant Program.
Capitalize the Housing Trust Fund through a revenue-neutral approach.
Preserve and strengthen the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.
Preserve the availability of tax-exempt Private Activity Bonds which are the most
common form of financing of affordable multi-family housing projects.
The County will support legislation to foster innovation, increase efficiency, and streamline the
regulatory environment:
Promote reasonable and flexible federal oversight.
Incentivize green building and increased Energy Efficiency.
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 22
Support HUD’s ongoing transformation efforts.
Ensure that HUD releases and distributes federal funding in a timely manner.
Eliminate statutory and regulatory barriers that prevent PHAs and redevelopment
authorities from accessing federal programs they are qualified to administer.
Rail Safety – Contra Costa County is home to a substantial oil refinery industry with four refineries
located in the County. The County supports Senator Heitkamp’s Railroad Emergency Services
Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation (RESPONSE) Act, S. 2547, which would
establish a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) panel focused on railroad incident
first responders. By bringing together under FEMA’s National Advisory Council all relevant
agencies, emergency responders, technical experts, and the private sector for a review of training,
resources, best practices, and unmet needs related to emergency respond ers to railroad hazmat
incidents, the RESPONSE Act will begin the process of addressing shortcomings in existing
emergency response practices and procedures. It will also address the effectiveness of funding
levels related to training local emergency responders for rail hazardous materials incidents.
The County also supports FEMA funding for the training of first responders, regulations that
increase tank car safety standards for cars transporting crude oil and other hazardous materials,
and regulations that require railroads to share data with state emergency managers and local
responders.
Restoring Net Neutrality –On June 11, 2018 the repeal of the FCC’s net neutrality rules went into
effect. The good news is that consumers are unlikely to see changes to the internet service they
buy today. The bad news is there’s now no "cop on the beat" and no enforceable protections that
are essential to ensuring open and nondiscriminatory access to online information. The repeal
follows a December vote by the FCC to gut the net neutrality protections that limit the power of
Internet Service Providers to slow websites, block mobile apps, or in any way control the
information we access. Modern libraries rely on the free and open internet to collect, create and
disseminate essential online information and services to the public.
Retiree and Retiree Health Care Costs – The County operates many programs on behalf of the
federal government. While federal funding is available for on-going program operations,
including employee salaries, the allocation is usually capped, regardless of actual costs. For retiree
and retiree health care, the County’s ability to contain costs is extremely limited. The County will
advocate for full federal financial participation in funding the County’s retiree and retiree health
obligations.
Second Chance Act – The County will support funding for the Second Chance Act, which helps
counties address the growing population of individuals returning from prisons and jails. Despite
massive increases in corrections spending in states and jails nationwide, recidivism rates remain
high: half of all individuals released from state prison are re-incarcerated within three years. Here
in California, unfortunately, the recidivism rate is even higher. Yet there is reason for hope:
research shows that when individuals returning from prison or jail have access to key treatments,
education, and housing services, recidivism rates go down and the families and communities they
return to are stronger and safer.
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 23
The Second Chance Act ensures that the tax dollars on corrections are better spent, and provides a
much-needed response to the "revolving door" of people entering and leaving prison and jail.
Sexual Assault –Sexual violence affects millions of Americans – nearly every 2 minutes an
American is sexually assaulted. The County will advocate for the federal actions to insure support
for victims and survivors of sexual assault. The County will support providing funding to services
for victims of sexual violence, and encourage systemic change to aid survivors and those who
serve them. In the wake of the federal government rescinding Title IX sexual assault guidelines
that provide the framework for school investigations on campus sexual misconduct we must look
to provide alternative resources to ensure the safety of women and girls in the community.
State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) – On May 23, 2012, the Department of
Justice (DOJ) announced a change in the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) that
will prohibit SCAAP funds from being used to reimburse localities for foreign-born criminal aliens
housed in jails that have been classified as “unknown inmates” by the Department of Homeland
Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. This is a significant change to
the SCAAP reimbursement formula and will heavily impact counties across the nation.
The County will support the rescinding of this decision and a reinstatement of the previous
reimbursement practice, which would more equitably reimburse jurisdictions for the costs of
housing undocumented individuals, including those inmates whose status may be unknown to the
Department of Homeland Security.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – The County will advocate for the
following federal actions:
Increase SNAP benefit amounts to better meet recipients’ nutritional needs and support
local economies.
Adjust SNAP eligibility requirements to a) include currently excluded populations with
significant need b) remove time limits and work requirements for Able-Bodied Adults
Without Dependents (ABAWDS) and full-time students. ABAWDS and pertains to
adults receiving food stamps who are considered employable.
OPPOSE funding cuts or block granting the SNAP program.
Remove the current federal barriers that prevent some nutrition programs from
employing EBT technology.
SUPPORT efforts that would allow people to apply for CalFresh while incarcerated.
Streamlining Permitting for Critical Infrastructure, Economic Stimulus, and Alternative
Energy Projects –“Green” Job Creation – Request that Congress and the Administration
recognize the value of Habitat Conversation Plans (HCPs) as a reliable way of streamlining critical
infrastructure, economic stimulus, and alternative energy project permitting in a manner that is
consistent with federal environmental regulations. HCPs not only facilitate such projects through
permit streamlining, but the planning, implementation, management, and monitoring needs
associated with regional HCPs plans also create many quality “green” jobs.
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 24
Telecommunications Act of 1996 Revisions – The Telecommunications Act of 1996 governs local
government’s role in telecommunications, primarily broadband cable that uses the County’s right-
of-way as well as consumer protections. As Congress works to update the Act, the County will
continue to advocate for strengthening consumer protections and local government oversight of
critical communications technologies; local access to affordable and reliable high speed broadband
infrastructures to support the local economy; the right of local municipalities and communities to
offer high-speed broadband access: coordination and integration of private communication
resources for governmental emergency communication systems; preservation of local
government’s franchise fees; preservation of the local community benefits, including but not
limited to public, education and governmental (PEG) access channels; authority for provision of
municipal telecommunication services; preservation of local police powers essential for health,
safety and welfare of the citizenry; preservation of local government ownership and control of the
local public rights-of-way; and support for ensuring that communication policy promotes
affordable services for all Americans.
The Community Broadband Act of 2007, S.1853, encourages the deployment of high speed
networks by preserving the authority of local governments to offer community broadband
infrastructure and services. The County will oppose all bills that do not address the County’s
concerns unless appropriately amended. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) has proposed rule-making (FCC Second Report and Order Docket 05-311 “Franchising
Rules for Incumbents”) that, in the opinion of local government, goes beyond the scope of their
authority in this area. The County will oppose all such rule making efforts.
Telecommunications Issues – Support the Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act introduced
in 2009 by Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. The CAP Act addresses the challenges
faced by public, educational and government (PEG) TV channels and community access television
stations. The CAP Act addresses four immediate issues facing PEG channels. The CAP Act would:
Allow PEG fees to be used for any PEG-related purpose; require PEG channels to be carried in
the same manner as local broadcast channels; require the FCC to study the effect state v ideo
franchise laws have had on PEG; require operators in states that adopted statewide franchising to
provide support equal to the greater of the support required under the state law or the support
historically provided for PEG; and make cable television-related laws and regulations applicable
to all landline video providers.
In addition, the County should support the widespread deployment and adoption of broadband,
especially as it serves to connect the educational community and libraries.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families – The County will advocate for the following federal
actions:
Relieve states of work participation rate and work verification plan penalties for fiscal years
2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 in recognition of the serious downturn in the national economy
and the succession of more “process-based” regulations issued in the last few years.
SUPPORT policies that do not penalize work and movement towards financial stability.
Families who are working and receiving modest cash assistance grants to supplement low
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 25
earnings should not be subject to the federal time limit on assistance. Running the time
limit clock while a parent is working and receiving such supplements means both that a
family could lose assistance when it has exhausted its time-limited benefits and not be able
to receive additional assistance if the parent loses his/her job. TANF should send a strong
message to recipients that “work pays” – running the clock while a family is working
undermines this message.
Allow temporary exemptions from time limits and work requirements for families
confronting severe employment barriers - including living in an area of high unemployment
or are victims of abuse.
Permanently withdraw the August 8, 2008, proposal that would have repealed the
regulation that enables states to claim caseload reduction credit for excess MOE
expenditures.
Rescind the May 22, 2008, HHS guidance that effectively eliminated the ability of states
to offer pre-assistance programs to new TANF applicants for up to four months.
Rescind the final Deficit Reduction Act regulation restricting allowable state maintenance-
of-effort expenditures under TANF purposes 3 and 4.
End federal efforts to impose a national TANF error rate.
Reauthorize and increase the TANF Block Grant. The allocation of the block grant has
not increased since 1997. Support funding TANF annually by an amount commensurate
with the rate of inflation to ensure that the program’s actual value does not decrease each
year.
Veterans Benefits – The County will support legislation to increase availability, accessibility, and
utilization of Veterans Benefits.
Within Contra Costa County, Veterans’ health care is provided by the VA Martinez Clinic, a
division of the VA Northern California Healthcare System. Currently, access to enrollment in the
VA healthcare system is limited to Veterans with a Service Connected disability of greater than
10%, special eligibility criteria (Purple Heart, former POW, Iraq & Afghanistan Vets within 5
years of discharge, etc.), and to Veterans with an annual gross income less than a geographically
based threshold. Currently, VA emergency services are not available after hours or during
weekends. The nearest VA emergency room is nearly 34 miles away from the VA Martinez Clinic.
The County will support legislation that would expand enrollment eligibility (such as removing
the income limit criteria) to all Veterans with an honorable discharge. Furthermore, the County
will support legislation that would establish 24 hour VA emergency services at the VA Martinez
clinic.
In addition, the County will support legislation that will improve the timeliness and quality of both
VA benefits claim decisions and VA healthcare services. Specifically, legislation that works
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 26
toward improving on the expedited processing of claims and administering of benefits to
populations with unique needs, such as homeless Veterans, Women Veterans, and Veterans
experiencing service related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Veterans Halls – The County will support legislation to provide America’s veterans organizations
with resources to make necessary repairs to or replacement of their meeting halls and facilities.
Across America, the meeting halls and posts of Veterans Service Organizations such as the
American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars serve as unofficial community centers.
Unfortunately, many of these facilities are not compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act
accessibility standards, are not earthquake retrofitted, or have deteriorated in recent years due to
declining membership and reduced rental revenues as a result of the economic downturn.
The County will support legislation that would create a competitive grant program for veterans’
organizations, classified by the IRS as 501c19 non-profit organizations and comprised primarily
of past or present members of the United States Armed Forces and their family members, to use
for repairs and improvements to their existing facilities.
Volume Pricing – The National Association of Counties supports greater access for local
governments to General Services Administration (GSA) contract schedules. These schedules
provide volume pricing for state and local governments and make public sector procurement more
cost effective. However, current law does not provide full access to state and local governments
for GSA schedules. The County will support legislation that gives local governments access to
these schedules and provides the option of purchasing law enforcement, security, and other related
items at favorable GSA reduced pricing.
Water Quality, Quantity and Delta Outflow – Congress may consider legislation that could
adversely affect water quality, quantity and flows in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the
detriment of the County residents, economy and resources. The Board of Supervisors will rely
on its adopted Delta Water Platform and its adopted resolution on Water, Ecosystem Health and
other Issues Related to the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento –San Joaquin River Delta (No.
2012-46) to determine the appropriate response to federal legislative issues brought to the Board’s
attention.
Workforce Development – Contra Costa County supports policies that meet the needs of serving
businesses, workers, job seekers, and youth. The County further supports policies under the
Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) that preserve local decision-making relative to
spending, direction of work, and other functions of local workforce boards. The County also
supports policies that promote equal employment opportunities for women and men in an effort to
increase employment and the creation of jobs in both the public and private sector and that enhance
business’ access to a qualified talent pool, and promote business growth through the development
of a skilled workforce. The County also favors policies that provide increased funding to support
job seeker services, as well as policies that make strategic investments to leverage existing funding
in the workforce development arena. The County will OPPOSE cuts to WIOA funding and
programming.
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 27
SUPPORT additional funding for Education, Training, Apprenticeships and Job Placement,
with a focus on workforce skills of the future.
SUPPORT additional funding and incentives, such as loan forgiveness, for the health care
workforce, where there is a growing gap between market demand and a trained workforce.
OPPOSE federal legislation and administrative efforts that would reduce the flexibility of state
and county workforce development efforts, require additional administrative requirements and
costs or reduce the amount of funding directly channeled to states and counties.
Attachment A
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2019 DRAFT
FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE
PLATFORM
Contra Costa County
December 10, 2018
Attachment B
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 2
20189 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Each year, the Board of Supervisors adopts a Federal Legislative Platform that establishes
priorities and policy positions with regard to potential federal legislation and regulation.
FEDERAL FUNDING NEEDS
The following list is a preliminary ranking in priority order. Adjustments to the priority order may be appropriate
once the President releases a budget. The current priority ranking gives preference to those projects that we know
will not be included in the President’s budget, with lower priority to Army Corps of Engineers projects which may be
in the budget. Also, Army Corps project requests will be adjusted to be consistent with Corps capability.
1. Delta LTMS-Pinole Shoal Management, CA – $4,500,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers
to continue a Long Term Management Strategy (LTMS) for levee rehabilitation, dredging and
sediment reuse in the Delta, similar to the effort completed in the Bay area. Levee work, reuse of
dredged sediments, dredging and other activities have been difficult to accomplish due to
permitting problems and a divergence of priorities related to water quality. Significant levee
rehabilitation is critical to the long term stability of these levees and to water quality and supply
for the 23 million Californians who depend upon this water. Stakeholders from the Department
of Water Resources, Ports, Army Corps, levee reclamation districts, local governments and other
interested parties are participating in the LTMS. A Sediment or Dredged Material Management
Office will be established, and in the longer term, preparation of a Sediment Management Plan
will consider beneficial reuse of dredged materials as one potential source of sediment for levees.
(Note: $500,000 appropriated for FFY 2005; $225,000 for FFY 2006; $500,000 for FFY 2007; $462,000
for FFY 2008; $235,000 for FFY 2009; $100,000 for FFY 2010; $0 FFY 2011-2013; $930,000 FFY 2014.)
2. Mt. Diablo Mercury Mine Clean-up – $483,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers to complete
the Technical Planning Process for the clean-up project at the source and downstream area of the
Mt. Diablo Mercury Mine. The project will clean up the mine in a cost effective, environmentally-
sound manner with minimal liability exposure for the County and involving all stakeholders
through an open community-based process. The Corps initiated a Technical Planning Process in
June 2008 to develop a preliminary remediation plan, identify applicable permit and environmental
data requirements and complete a data collection and documentation program for the clean-up of
the area impacted by the Mt. Diablo Mercury Mine. Several phases of the planning process have
been completed, and this appropriation will allow the Corps to continue the planning process,
which will include looking at watershed issues downstream of the mercury mine. The mine site
is located on private property on the northeast slope of Mt. Diablo at the upper end of the Marsh
Creek watershed. (Note: $517,000 appropriated in FFY 2008. We would also like to continue our
request to expand the authority of the Corps through the Restoration of Abandoned Mines Sites (RAMS)
program to go beyond planning work and construct remediation projects. This would be accomplished
with the addition of language in a future Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill )
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 3
3. CALFED Bay Delta Reauthorization Act Levee Stability Improvement Program (LSIP) –
$8,000,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers for levee rehabilitation planning and project
implementation. The CALFED Reauthorization Act, passed in January 2004, authorized $90
million, which may be appropriated for levee rehabilitation work. The Corps has prepared a “180-
Day Report” which identifies projects and determines how these funds would be spent. Since that
time, the breakdown of CALFED, coupled with the Army Corps’ attempts to define an appropriate
and streamlined process, has delayed funding and resultant levee work. (Note: $500,000
appropriated for FFY 2006; $400,000 for FFY 2007; $4.92M for FFY 2008; $4.844M for FFY 2010.)
4. Suisun Bay Channel/New York Slough Maintenance Dredging – $8,700,000 for the Army
Corps of Engineers for maintenance dredging of this channel to the authorized depth of minus 35
feet. Continued maintenance is essential for safe transport of crude oil and other bulk materials
through the San Francisco Bay, along the Carquinez Straits and into the Sacramento/San Joaquin
Delta. Dredging for this channel section is particularly costly due to requirements on placement of
dredged materials in upland environments. An oil tanker ran aground in early 2001 due to severe
shoaling in a section of this channel, which creates a greater potential for oil spills (Note: $4.559
M appropriated for FFY 2005; $4.619M for FFY 2006; $2.82M for FFY 2007; $2.856M for FFY 2008;
$2.768M for FFY 2009; $3.819M for FFY 2010; $2.715M for FFY 2012; $2.495M for FFY 2013; $2.026M
for FFY 2014.)
5. San Pablo/Mare Island Strait/Pinole Shoal Channel Maintenance Dredging – $8,400,000
for the Army Corps of Engineers for maintenance dredging of the channel to the authorized depth
of minus 35 feet. The Pinole Shoal channel is a major arterial for vessel transport through the San
Francisco Bay region, serving oil refineries and bulk cargo which is transported as far east as
Sacramento and Stockton. (Note: $1M appropriated for FFY 2005; $2.988M for FFY 2006; $896,000
for FFY 2007; $1.696M for FFY 2008; $1.058M for FFY 2009; $2.518M for FFY 2010; $3.402M for FFY
2012; $499,000 for FFY 2013; $780,000 for FFY 2014.)
6. San Francisco to Stockton (J. F. Baldwin and Stockton Channels) Ship Channel Deepening
– $2,700,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers to continue the Deepening Project. Deepening and
minor realignment of this channel will allow for operational efficiencies for many different
industries, an increase in waterborne goods movement, reduced congestion on roadways, and air
quality benefits. This work focused on establishing economic benefit to the nation and initial
salinity modeling in the channel sections. The following steps include detailed channel design,
environmental documentation, cost analysis, additional modeling, and dredged material disposal
options. This project continues to have enormous implications for oil refineries, ports, and other
industries that depend on safe ship transport through the channel. (Note: $500,000 appropriated for
FFY 2005; $200,000 for FFY 2006; $200,000 for FFY 2007; $403,000 for FFY 2008 ; $1.34M for FFY
2009; $0 for FFY 2010; $0 for FFY 2011; $800,000 for FFY 2012; $1,546,900 for FFY 2013; $800,000
for FFY 2014.)
With respect to any proposed federal Infrastructure bill, the County would support legislative
language that includes infrastructure projects for all elements of stormwater: regional scale flood
protection infrastructure (usually operated by flood control districts), local scale storm drain pipes
(operated by cities and counties), storm water quality treatment facilities (operated by cities and
counties), and groundwater recharge (often operated by special districts, but also cities and
counties).
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 4
FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION NEEDS
The following are priority transportation projects and programs for which federal funding is needed.
1. Vasco Road Safety Improvement Project -- $18 million for improvements to a 2.5-mile
accident-prone section of Vasco Road. Project components include widening the roadway to
accommodate a concrete median barrier and shoulders on either side of the barrier, construction
of the barrier, and extension of an existing passing lane. The project will eliminate cross-median
accidents which have caused numerous fatalities in recent years, and will provide increased
opportunities for vehicles to safely pass (unsafe passing is a major cause of accidents and fatalities
on this segment of the increasingly busy two-lane undivided road). The project will include
provisions for wildlife undercrossings to preserve migration patterns. The proposed improvements
will complement a $10 million project that was funded with American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act funds and completed in 2011.
1.b Vasco Road Safety Improvement Project Continuation -- $30 million for improvements to
the remaining 9 miles of accident-prone sections of Vasco Road. Alameda County has been
working on constructing improvements in their jurisdiction and it would be desirable for the two
counties to work together to complete the gap left in the concrete median barrier near the County
line. In addition to completing this gap, Contra Costa desires to extend the concrete median barrier
further north of the recently completed median barrier project to the Camino Diablo Road
intersection.
2. North Richmond Truck Route -- $25 million to construct a new road or other alternate access
improvements that will provide truck access between businesses and the Richmond Parkway,
moving the truck traffic away from a residential neighborhood and elementary school. This project
will increase safety, improve public health around the school and residential area by reducing
diesel particulate emissions from those areas, increase livability of the neighborhood, improve
local access to the Wildcat Creek Regional Trail, stimulate economic development in the industrial
area of the community and provide a better route for trucks traveling to and from the Richmond
Parkway. Several potential alignments have been identified, one of which was developed through
a community planning process funded through an Environmental Justice planning grant from
Caltrans.
3. Eastern Contra Costa Trail Network -- $11 million for joint planning, environmental review,
right-of-way acquisition and construction of a coordinated network of trails for walking, bicycling
and equestrian uses in eastern Contra Costa County including facilities and projects improving
access to existing or planned transit stations. Eligible trails include, but are not limited to: (1) the
Mokelumne Trail overcrossing of the State Route 4 Bypass ($6 million); (2) Contra Costa
segments of the Great California Delta Trail ($3 million); (3) a transit supportive network of East
Contra Costa trails in unincorporated County areas and the cities of Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley
and Pittsburg ($1 million); and Marsh Creek Corridor Multi-Use Path ($1 million).
4. Brentwood Intermodal Transit Center (BITC) -- Project to improve access, and advance design
and development of a transit center located in Brentwood, and serving Oakley, southeast Antioch,
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 5
Discovery Bay and Brentwood. The BITC is proposed for Highway 4 between Lone Tree Way and
Sand Creek Road and would be served initially by Tri Delta Transit. Access would be provided
via an extension of Heidorn Ranch Road, and the multimodal Mokelumne Trail. A possible future
extension of eBART from the Antioch Station would be considered later.
5. Iron Horse Corridor Enhancement Program -- $25 million for joint planning, environmental
review, and the construction of improvements in the Iron Horse Trail Corridor, a 28 mile non-
motorized facility used for commute and recreation purposes providing access to schools,
recreational facilities, commercial areas, residences, and mass transit hubs. Eligible projects
include corridor planning, trail access improvements, trail expansion/enhancements, overcrossings
(7 overcrossings in 5 cities), intersection improvements, Class I trail inter-connectivity projects,
the potential accommodation of shared/autonomous vehicles, and wayfinding/signage projects.
6. State Route 4 / Old River Bridge Study – $1,000,000 to work with San Joaquin County and the
State of California on a study of improving or replacing the Old River Bridge along State Route 4
on the Contra Costa / San Joaquin County line. The study would determine a preferred alternative
for expanding or replacing the existing bridge, which is part of State Route 4. The existing bridge
is narrow, barely allowing two vehicles to pass each other, and is aligned on a difficult angle
relative to the highway on either side, requiring motorists to make sharp turns onto and off of the
bridge. The project would improve safety and traffic flow over the bridge. (Note: no appropriations
for this project as yet.)
7. Kirker Pass Road Truck Climbing Lanes – $7 million for constructing northbound and $20
million for constructing southbound truck climbing lanes on Kirker Pass Road, a heavily used
arterial linking residential areas in eastern Contra Costa with job centers and the freeway system
in central Contra Costa. The truck climbing lanes are needed to improve traffic flow and will also
have safety benefits. The $4.5 million will close a funding gap and augment secured funding: $6
million in Measure J (local sales tax measure) funds and $2.6 million in State Transportation
Improvement Program funds. The $20 million is the total cost of the southbound truck climbing
lane segment.
8. Vasco Road-Byron Highway Connector – $80 million for design, engineering and construction
of an east-west connector road between two major arterials that link Contra Costa County with
Alameda and San Joaquin Counties. The Vasco Road-Byron Highway Connector will improve
traffic circulation and linkages in the southeastern portion of the County and will provide a new route
for truck traffic that will remove a significant portion of truck trips which currently pass through the
rural community of Byron. Vasco Road is designated as State Route 84, and Byron Highway is under
study as the potential alignment for future State Route 239.
9. West Contra Costa High Capacity Transit Project: $10 million for environmental review and
engineering activities for the options identified in the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory
Committee's West County High Capacity Transit Study. Tasks may include, but not necessarily be
limited to, environmental review, and partial completion of engineering, evaluation and refinement
of alignment and stations, development of capital and operating costs, land use/environmental justice
analysis, completion of environmental review including appropriate mitigations, development of
preliminary engineering, and public outreach. (Potential Programs: FTA – New Starts, FHWA/FTA
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality, BUILD Grant)
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 6
Rural Road Funding Program – The County supports the creation of a new funding program that
will provide funds for converting or upgrading rural roads into more modern and safer roads that
can better handle increasing commuter traffic in growing areas, such as East County. These roads
do not often compete well in current grant programs because they do not carry as many vehicles
as roads in more congested urban or suburban areas. As a result, improvements such as widenings
(turn lanes, clear zone/recovery areas, etc.), realignments, drainage improvements and intersection
modifications often go unfunded, leaving such roads with operational and safety problems as well
as insufficient capacity.
Transportation Funding for Disabled, Low-income, and Elderly Persons – Transit services for
elderly, disabled, and low-income persons are provided by the County, by some cities, by all of the
bus transit operators, and by many community organizations and non-profits that provide social
services. Increased funding is needed to provide and maintain more service vehicles, operate them
longer throughout the day, upgrade the vehicle fleet and dispatching systems, improve coordination
between public providers and community groups that also provide such services to their clients (a
need well-established by the Government Accountability Office (GAO)), expand outreach
programs to inform potential riders of the available services, and expedite deployment of efficient
new technologies and systems, among other needs. The County supports continuation and
increased funding levels for federal funding programs dedicated to transit services for these
population groups and to incentivize improvements in service delivery models to take advantage
of advances in mobile data. All of the demographic trends point to a growing need for such services
in the future. T. For example, the 65-and-older population in the Bay Area is projected to more
than double by the year 2030.
Surface Transportation Program/Highway Bridge Funding – The County supports the
continuation of funding levels consistent with the Highway Bridge funding program in
previous transportation funding bills that will provide funds for rehabilitating and replacing
our aging bridges. The County has several aging bridges with deficient sufficiency ratings.
Without federal transportation funding, these expensive projects would be deferred because
they often exceed the County’s funding capacity. Many of the bridges are on critical commute
corridors, goods movement corridors, inter-regional routes, and farm to market routes. Failure
of these important transportation assets can cause major disruptions to the transportation
network. The County would also support federal funding for the rehabilitation and
replacement of rail bridges.
In addition to the funding levels, the County also supports regulation changes that permit direct
funding to local jurisdictions, bypassing the Federal Highway Administration and Caltrans Local
Assistance. The goals of these changes are to:
Get federal transportation funding into the community as soon as possible to create and
preserve jobs, both in the private sector and the public sector, in America;
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 7
Maximize purchasing power by eliminating the burdensome additional administrative
process and cost associated with multiple layers of government between funding and
construction of shovel ready improvement and maintenance projects; and
Fund the critical first and last part of each journey of goods, people, and services ‐ local
roads of America ‐ providing certainty for businesses and laying the foundation for
lasting economic growth.
APPROPRIATIONS AND GRANTS – SUPPORT POSITIONS
The following support positions are listed in alphabetic order and do not reflect priority order. Please note
that new and revised positions are highlighted.
1. Buchanan Field Airport – The County approved a Master Plan for the Buchanan Field Airport in
October 2008, which included a Business Plan for project implementation; all of which completed
a previously approved Federal Aviation Regulation Part 150 Noise Study. The comprehensive
planning effort has ideally positioned Buchanan Field Airport for future aviation (general aviation,
corporate aviation and commercial airline service) and aviation-related opportunities. To facilitate
the economic development potential, the Business Plan prioritizes necessary infrastructure
improvements for Buchanan Field Airport (including development of a general aviation
terminal/administration building and potential replacement of the 65 year old control tower).
Further, as the Airport is surrounded by urban residential uses, enhancing the noise program
infrastructure is deemed essential for balancing the aviation needs with those of the surrounding
communities. The Federal government, primarily through the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), provides funding for planning, analysis, and infrastructure improvements. The County will
support funding in all these areas for protection and enhancement of our aviation facility and
network.
2. Byron Airport – The Byron Airport is poised for future general and corporate aviation and aviation-
related development, but that future growth and full build out of the airport as shown in the Master
Plan is dependent upon utility and infrastructure improvements (such as improved road access and
sewer and water connections) both on and around the Airport. The Byron Airport Business Plan
prioritizes infrastructure and possible additional land acquisition to assist the Byron Airport in
fulfilling its aviation and economic development potential. The Federal government, primarily
through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), provides funding for planning, analysis,
infrastructure improvements and aviation land acquisition. The County will support funding in all
these areas for protection and enhancement of our aviation facility and network.
3. Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program – Advocate/support funding
up to or above the authorized amount of $2 billion for the EECBG Program established and
authorized under the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. The County’s ability
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DRAFT 2019 Federal Platform 8
to continue offering programs/services improving energy efficiency and conservation while also
creating jobs is contingent upon additional federal funding being appropriated to the EECBG
Program in 2012 and beyond. Contra Costa and other local governments have identified and
designed many successful programs and financial incentives targeting both the private and public
sector which are now being implemented using EECBG funding authorized through the ARRA of
2009. Funding for the EECBG program is necessary to ensure the nation’s local governments can
continue their leadership in creating clean energy jobs, reducing energy consumption and curbing
greenhouse gas emissions.
4. Multimodal National Freight Network – In 2015 the primary freight network was established
pursuant to MAP-21. The County supports increases in dedicated freight funding as proposed in the
National Freight Strategic Plan. The County will pursue grants and appropriations for 1) the
Northern Waterfront Initiative – specifically, funding for a short-line railroad feasibility study for
the Northern Waterfront Corridor and a Land-Use Cost-Benefit/Fiscalization study for the Northern
Waterfront; and 2) consistent with the Draft National Freight Strategic Plan congestion reduction
strategy, projects along the I-680 corridor.
5. Regional Habitat Planning and Conservation – $85 million to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s
“Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund” to keep pace with land costs and the
increasing number of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) throughout the country. The County will
support funding for the Fund to be restored to $85 million, the 2010 funding level. This will provide
much needed support to regional HCPs in California and nationally, including the East Contra Costa
County HCP. Given the prolific growth in the number of regional HCPs, the Fund needs to be
increased even more substantially in subsequent years. The East Contra Costa County HCP has
received been awarded $379.5 million from the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund
in the past ten years and continuing this grant support is of vital importance to the successful
implementation of that Plan. The County will pursue increasing appropriations to the Fund in
partnership with numerous the National HCP Coalition counties in northern and southern California
and will support requests of the California Habitat Conservation Planning Coalition to increase the
Fund up to $85 million.
6. San Francisco Bay Improvement Act – $1 billion restoration bill authored by Congresswoman
Jackie Speier in 2010 but not passed. The bill, if passed, will help finance restoration of more than
100,000 acres of the Bay's tidal wetlands. Funds from the bill would implement a restoration plan
that was adopted in 1993. In addition to benefits for fish and wildlife, wetlands restoration will create
new jobs and provide regional economic infusions, as well as protect against the effects of sea level
rise on the Bay's shores.
7. Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area – a bill authored by Senator Dianne
Feinstein in 2010 but not passed. The bill, if passed, will authorize and fund a National Heritage Area
(NHA) for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The NHA designation would be a first step in providing
federal resources to agencies in the Delta for economic development and environmental protection.
Contra Costa County supports the legislation and participated in a feasibility study for the NHA
through our seat on the Delta Protection Commission, which completed the study in 2012.
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8. Stormwater Program Funding - $2 million to fund additional compliance costs required by the Clean
Water Act. The Regional Water Quality Control Board issues the County a Municipal Separate Storm
Sewer System (MS4) permit every five years, requiring the County to remove pollutants from
stormwater prior to entering the storm drain system. The County has a dedicated revenue source for
funding stormwater services derived from an assessment on every parcel in the County, which
generates about $3 million per year in the unincorporated communities. The Regional Board issued
a new MS4 permit that will increase costs dramatically over the next five years, starting with a 25%
increase and the following year by an increase of almost five times current costs. In 2012, the County
attempted to increase the parcel assessment for stormwater services but the voters turned it down. The
County needs additional funding through the Environmental Protection Agency, the source of the MS4
requirements, to help pay for compliance costs. Staff estimates the cost for compliance in 2018 at $5
million, which is $2 million more than current budget.
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POLICY POSITIONS
The following support positions are listed in alphabetic order and do not reflect priority order. Please note
that new and revised policy positions are highlighted.
Aging and Adult Services – Contra Costa County administers grants through the Area Agency on
Aging (AAA). Through public and nonprofit agency contracts, the AAA provides many services
annually for elderly county residents, including group (congregate) meals, rides to congregate meal
sites, nutrition education sessions, home delivered meals, legal assistance, long term care
ombudsman services, in home and respite registry services, home visiting and adult day care,
family caregiver support, assessments for fall prevention and fall prevention exercise classes. The
Older Californians Act provides Title III grants for community services and nutrition.
The County will advocate for the following federal actions:
a. OPPOSE the elimination or reduction of funding for the Older Americans Act and
Programming.
b. OPPOSE the elimination or cuts to the Elder Justice Act. The Elder Justice Act, as
part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, provides federal resources
to “prevent, detect, treat, understand, intervene in and, where appropriate, prosecute
elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.”
c. OPPOSE elimination and funding cuts to the Senior Community Service
Employment Program, which is the nation’s oldest program that helps low-income,
unemployed individuals aged 55+ years find work.
d. SUPPORT funding for training and subsidized placement of seniors in jobs.
e. SUPPORT funding for APS social workers (equivalent of Title IV-E program for
Child Welfare social workers).
f. SUPPORT additional Medicaid funding for In Home Supportive Services (IHSS).
c.
Affordable Housing and Homeless Programs – For Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s
Homeless Assistance Grants, including the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program, the
County will support funding that does not include set-asides or other requirements that limit local
communities’ ability to respond to the particular needs in their areas. For the Housing Assistance
for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program, the County will support legislation to update the
formula used to allocate HOPWA grants to reflect local housing costs as well as the number of
AIDS cases.
The County supports full funding for HUD homeless assistance programs, including the ESG
Program, and funding for full implementation of the Homeless Emergency and Rapid Transition
to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009.
The County supports funding the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Resources made
available through the Trust Fund should be accessible to local housing and community
development agencies, including public housing authorities. The Housing Trust Fund should be
used to complement and not supplant either the HOME or CDBG programs.
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Agricultural Pest and Disease Control – Agriculture and native environments in Contra Costa
County continue to be threatened by a variety of invasive/exotic pests, diseases and non-native
weeds. The Federal government provides funding for research, regulation, pest exclusion
activities, survey and detection, pest management, weed control, public education and outreach.
The County will support funding in all these areas for protection of our agricultural industry and
open space. Consistent with the policy position, the County will also support legislation which
would authorize and direct the USDA to provide state and local funding for High Risk Prevention
programs (also called Pest Detection Funding).
Beneficial Use of Dredged Materials – As the beneficial reuse of dredged materials has a clear
public benefit, particularly in the Delta, the County will continue to support beneficial reuse in
general and also continue to advocate for funding for a federal study to determine the feasibility
of beneficial reuse, considering the benefits and impacts to water quality and water supply in the
Delta, navigation, flood control damage, ecosystem restoration, and recreation. The study would
include the feasibility of using Sherman Island as a rehandling site for the dredged material, for
levee maintenance and/or ecosystem restoration. Language to authorize the study was included in
the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) which was passed into law on November 8,
2007.
Broadband – Consistent with CSAC policy, Contra Costa County will support the expansion of
broadband (high speed internet service) to drive economic development and job opportunities,
support county service delivery, and improve health, education and public safety outcomes for
residents. For communities to realize these full benefits of broadband it must be capable of
supporting current technology. Access and adoption are both necessary elements that should be
supported in state and federal legislative or regulatory proposals. This entails the following:
• Establishing and maintaining reliable broadband in unserved or underserved communities;
• Promoting the knowledge, skills and behaviors that comprise digital literacy;
• Making broadband affordable for all households;
• Maximizing funding for infrastructure; and
• Reducing infrastructure deployment barriers.
Carbon Fee – Contra Costa County is committed to addressing the challenges of climate change
by reducing local greenhouse gas emissions while improving community health. The County
supports the concept of establishing a national price on carbon-based fuels to address the costs to
society of emissions from those fuels.
Census – OPPOSE any question that would restrict a full count in Contra Costa County by
excluding or intimidating immigrants. SUPPORT efforts to canvass fully Hard-to-Count
communities in Contra Costa County.
Child Care – Research continues to show that quality, affordable childcare is a necessity to
ensuring a family’s stability and economic success. Currently in Contra Costa County, there are
over 10,000 low-income children eligible for affordable childcare services, yet only 29% of that
need is met. Research also shows that in addition to a child’s long-term success with school and
employment, investing in high-quality early care and education results in a higher than average
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return on investments in the areas of crime reduction and positive health, education and economic
outcomes.
With regards to childcare, the County will support efforts that ensure all children have access to
quality care by expanding high quality learning opportunities for children 0-5, including but not
limited to proposals such as:
An increase of over 100,000 new childcare slots and $12 billion over the next 10 years;
A focus on children and their families who are at or below 200% of poverty;
Financing through a new cost-sharing partnership with states, already a proven successful
model with Head Start in Contra Costa County.
The County will also advocate for the following federal actions:
Increase funding to support employment of low-income families through greater access to
child care subsidies, and increase the access of children from eligible families to high-
quality care that supports positive child development outcomes.
Provide flexibility at the state and local levels so that quality care can be balanced with
access and parental choice.
Reauthorization of Head Start that includes consideration of a regional approach to
determining eligibility and reforming the Head Start Designation Renewal System by
suspending the use of the lowest 10 percent of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System
trigger.
OPPOSE block granting Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
SUPPORT new comprehensive proposals that would enhance funding and development of
early care and education infrastructure, including increasing supports, services, and
increased compensation for the early education workforce.
SUPPORT expanding subsidized childcare and tax credits.
SUPPORT efforts that increase access to home visiting programs that are designed and
implemented to support families in providing an environment that promotes healthy growth
and development of young children.
Child Support –The County will advocate for the following federal actions:
Eliminate the $25 fee for non-IV-A families.
Expand the ability of IV-D agencies to access health insurance records for the purpose of
establishing and enforcing medical support.
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Expand data collection and methods of communicating with IV-D customers such as
auto-dialing, email and SMS texting.
Expand child support enforcement methods or enhance existing child support
enforcement methods.
SUPPORT increased funding for the IV-D program.
OPPOSE any efforts to reduce funding for the IV-D program.
OPPOSE any restriction of access to IV-D customer data.
OPPOSE any restriction to existing child support enforcement methods.
Restore the incentive match payments that were prohibited in the Deficit Reduction Act.
Allow the automatic use of cash medical support to reimburse Medicaid expenditures.
Allow IV-D agencies to access Health Insurance records for the purposes of Medical
Support.
Child Welfare and Well-being –The County will advocate for the following federal actions:
Provide states with financial incentives, as opposed to monetary penalties, under the Child
and Family Services Reviews and minimize the significant administrative burden
associated with the review process.
Modify the Federal Title IV-E Foster Care eligibility income standard from the current
1996 AFDC Federal Poverty Level (100% FPL) to be in line with (and follow) the
Medicaid 138% FPL standard.
Increase prevention dollars to help maintain children safely in their own homes. Federal
funding currently gives disproportional support to out-of-home care rather than to
preventing children from coming into care.
Any increase in Federal Medical Assistance Percentage should include an associated
increase in the Title IV-E matching rate to help support children in foster care.
OPPOSE The Family First Prevention Services Act for our Children, an Act that would curtail
California’s Continuum of Care Reform (CCR) efforts and would result in poor outcomes for
especially vulnerable abused and neglected children.
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OPPOSE the elimination or cuts to the Social Services Block Grant and the Adoption
Assistance Program.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and
HOME Programs – The County’s ability to continue funding to a variety of nonprofit agencies
that provide critical safety net services to lower income residents, including financing the
development of affordable housing is threatened by further cuts as part of the Budget Control Act
(Act) passed by Congress in July 2011. The Act established mandatory spending caps on most
federal programs through 2021, and arranged additional across-the-board annual spending cuts to
federal defense and non-defense discretionary (NDD) programs over this same period.
Included in non-defense discretionary programs are critical local government oriented programs
including the CDBG, ESG and HOME programs. These programs are successful and productive,
leveraging significant funding from non-federal sources to help spur economic development. The
County agrees that reducing the federal deficit is an important component of achieving long-term
national economic stability, but targeting solely NDD programs like the CDBG, ESG and HOME
programs will not achieve significant reductions and will hinder the County’s ability to provide
critical services to its most vulnerable populations. The County will continue to oppose any further
reductions in the CDBG, ESG and HOME programs as part of the Budget Control Act or any other
means.
Cost Shifts to Local and State Government – Contra Costa County performs many of its services
and programs pursuant to federal direction and funding. Other services and programs are
performed at the behest of the state, which receives funding through the federal government. In
the past, the Administration’s budget has contained significant cuts to entitlement programs and/or
caps on entitlements. Such actions could shift cost of services from the federal government to the
state and/or local governments (and to the extent that costs would shift to the state, it is hi ghly
likely that these would be passed on to the County). The County will oppose any actions that
would result in cost shifts on federal entitlement programs or which would result on greater
dependency on county funded programs. In addition, the County will support federal and state
financial assistance to aid county and local government efforts to meet unfunded federal mandates,
such as those contained in the National Response Plan (NRP), the National Infrastructure
Protection Plan (NIPP), and the National Incident Management System.
Criminal Justice and Mental Health – Contra Costa County supports the Mental Health and Safe
Communities Act, which strengthens federal programs related to mental health in the criminal
justice system by enhancing the ability of families and communities to identify mental illness; and
the Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act, which would update the Mentally Ill Offender
and Treatment Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) and facilitate collaboration among the criminal
justice, juvenile justice, mental health treatment, and substance use systems to ensure that people
with mental illnesses receive the support they need.
An increasing number of people with mental illnesses are coming into contact with the criminal
justice system—with law enforcement, courts, jails and prisons, and probation and parole
agencies—at a tremendous cost to taxpayers and public safety, as well as to these people and their
families. According to a U.S. Department of Justice report, approximately 45 percent of people in
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federal prisons, 56 percent of people in state prisons, and 64 percent of people in local jails
displayed symptoms of a mental health condition.
The County will also support the mental health and criminal justice provisions in legislation that
support and expand bipartisan initiatives across the country (including the Stepping Up initiative),
such as specialized law enforcement training, mental health courts, and other collaborative
responses to people in the criminal justice system who have mental health and substance use
treatment needs. The County will also support legislation that provides resources for programs in
correctional facilities, as well as resources to improve reentry outcomes for people with mental
illnesses released from incarceration back into the community, and authorizing the creation of a
specialized National Criminal Justice and Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance
Center.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – OPPOSE legislation and administrative actions to
repeal DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) as well as legislation and administrative
efforts that target individuals due to their color, religious affiliation or national origin.
Delta Water Platform –To protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta from various detrimental
forces that are affecting its health and resources, it is the policy of Contra Costa County to support
implementation of projects and actions that will help improve the Delta ecosystem and the
economic conditions of the Delta. Contra Costa County has adopted a Delta Water Platform to
identify and promote activities and policy positions that support the creation of a healthy
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Contra Costa County will use this Platform to guide its own actions
and advocacy in other public venues regarding the future of the Delta.
Designation of Indian Tribal Lands and Indian Gaming – The Board of Supervisors has
endorsed the California State Association of Counties’ (CSAC) policy documents regarding
development on tribal land and prerequisites to Indian gaming. These policy statements address
local government concerns for such issues as the federal government’s ability to take lands into
trust and thus remove them from local land use jurisdiction, absent the consent of the state and
the affected county; the need for tribes to be responsible for all off-reservation
impacts of their actions; and assurance that local government will be able to continue to meet
its governmental responsibilities for the health, safety, environment, infrastructure and general
welfare of all members of its communities. The County will continue to advocate for federal
legislation and regulation that supports the CSAC policy documents.
The County will also advocate for limitations on reservation shopping; tightening the definition of
Class II gaming machines; assuring protection of the environment and public health and safety;
and full mitigation of the off-reservation impacts of the trust land and its operations, including the
increased cost of services and lost revenues to the County.
The County will also advocate for greater transparency, accountability and appeal opportunities
for local government in the decision-making processes that permit the establishment of Indian
gaming facilities. This includes sequencing the processes so that the Indian Lands Determination
comes first, prior to initiation of a trust land request and associated environmental review.
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The County will also consider support for federal action and/or legislation that allows Class III
gaming at the existing gaming facility only if it can be shown that any change would result in a
facility that would be unique in nature and the facility can demonstrate significant community
benefits above and beyond the costs associated with mitigating community impacts.
Economic Development Programs – Congress should fund all the complementary programs
within HUD’s community and economic development toolkit, ensuring that HUD does not lose
sight of the development component of its mission. To that end, the County will support continued
funding for the Section 108 loan guarantee program, the Brownfields Economic Development
Initiative and the Rural Housing and Economic Development program. The County will also
advocate for equitable implementation of the Opportunity Zone incentive program in a way that
preserves flexibility to meet local economic development goals. Each of these programs plays a
unique role in building stronger, more economically viable communities, while enabling
communities to leverage external financing in a way the CDBG program alone cannot do.
Federal “Statewideness” Requirements – For many federally funded programs, there is a
“statewideness” requirement; i.e., all counties must operate the specific program under the same
rules and regulations. This can hamper the County’s ability to meet local needs, to be cost effective
and to leverage the funding of one program to reduce costs in another program. Contra Costa
County cannot negotiate for federal waivers or do things differently because it is not a state, yet
its population is greater than seven states. Recognizing this is a very long-term effort, the County
will advocate for relaxation of the “statewideness” rule to allow individual counties or a
consortium of counties to receive direct waivers from the federal government and/or adopt the
rules and regulations currently in use in another state for specific programs.
Habitat Conservation Planning – The County will advocate for elevating the profile of locally
controlled, regional Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) such as the East Contra Costa County
HCP within Congress and Administration so that these critical federal/state/local partnerships can
receive necessary attention and support. HCPs are flagship programs for the federal government
and supporting effective implementation of approved HCPs should be a top priority for the U.S.
Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and HCPs should be a key tool in
any federal climate change or economic stimulus legislation.
Habitat Conservation Permitting and Permit Alignment – The County will advocate for and
support efforts to align federal permits for natural resource impacts federal with permits already
issued by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service pursuant to a locally-controlled, regional Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP), such as East Contra Costa County HCP. One good example of this is
the U.S. Army Corps’ issuance of Regional General Permit 1 which was designed to be consistent
with the East Contra Costa County HCP. The alignment of permit requirements and processes
improves the overall efficiency, predictability and effectiveness of natural resource regulation and
project delivery.
Health – The County will advocate for the following actions by the federal government: a) provide
enhanced Medicaid FMAP (the "Federal Medical Assistance Percentage" for Medicaid. It is the
federal matching rate for state Medicaid expenditures.); b) suspend the Medicare “clawback” rule;
c) suspend the “60-day rule” that requires states to repay the federal government overpayments
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identified by the state prior to collection, and even in instances where the state can never collect;
d) ease the ability to cover those eligible for Medicaid by making documentation requirements less
stringent; and e) prevent the implementation of the following seven federal regulations:
Outpatient hospital
Case Management
School Based Administration & Transportation
Public Provider Cost Limit
Graduate Medical Education
Rehabilitation Services Option
Provider Tax
SUPPORT full funding of the Federal Medicaid program by the federal government. Medicaid
provides access to health care for people whose income and resources are insufficient to pay for
health care. It is jointly funded by Federal and State governments. The Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (also known as the ACA) significantly expanded both eligibility for and
federal funding of Medicaid. OPPOSE amendments to the ACA that would reduce support for
Medicaid/Medi-Cal payments to providers.
OPPOSE efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act or to replace it with any proposals that represent
significant, permanent structural alterations to current subsidized segments of the health care
system. This would include proposals that would convert Medicaid enrollee categories to a per-
capita cap model, thereby establishing hard federal funding caps for state Medicaid programs.
These proposals could force the state to make cuts of its own to offset the loss of federal funding.
Contra Costa’s entire Medi-Cal (Medicaid) population of approximately 250,000 people,
including 90,000 children, could be affected as a result.
OPPOSE new block-granting proposals, harsh cuts, or proposals that will significantly and/or
permanently shift the structure of health and human service funding and programming that would
lead to the restriction or elimination of safety-net programs. Reductions in federal human services
funding and programming severely limits critical support for our community and state. Block
grants often lead to decreases in funding that forces states to limit benefits for families, cap
enrollment, and establish waitlists. These restrictions result in families who need these supports
and services, not being able to access them, possibly leading them into deeper poverty and distress.
OPPOSE federal legislation and administrative efforts to eliminate or reduce funding for essential
public health services, inclusive of funding for immunization, HIV/Ryan White, Communicable
Disease and Tuberculosis Control, Hansen’s Disease, Teen Pregnancy, Public Health Preparedness
and Maternal Child Health Funding.
OPPOSE changes to Title X Family Planning Program, officially known as Public Law 91-572 or
“Population Research and Voluntary Family Planning Programs,” enacted in 1970, dedicated
solely to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health
services.
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SUPPORT reauthorization of funding for HIV/Ryan White Care, Maternal Child Health Funding
including Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV), and CHIP (Children’s
Health Insurance Program).
Homeless / Runaway Youth –The County will support continued investment in the Runaway and
Homeless Youth Act to ensure that all youth have access to housing and other critical services.
Homelessness among young people is a serious issue. Homeless youth, sometimes referred to as
unaccompanied youth, are individuals who lack parental, foster or institutional care. Homeless
youth are at a higher risk for physical abuse, sexual exploitation, mental health disabilities,
substance abuse, and death. It is estimated that 5,000 unaccompanied youth die each year as a
result of assault, illness, or suicide. In Contra Costa County youth under the age of 18 years make
up approximately 11% of the homeless population and two thirds of those youth reside in shelters
on any given night.
Human Trafficking – Human Trafficking is the illegal recruitment, transportation, harboring,
provision or obtaining of people (by force, fraud or coercion), typically for the purposes of forced
labor or commercial sexual exploitation. Nearly 20.9 million people around the world fall victim
to this multi-billion dollar industry. In the past year Contra Costa partners on a Federal human
trafficking grant have served over 136 victims of human trafficking. Of those served 1,871 units
of services were provided across 22 different categories of service such as legal services, protection
and safety planning, family reunification and more. Women and girls are the predominant groups
of people that are harmed by these actions.
The County will advocate for the following federal actions to insure support and services for
victims of human trafficking, and the systems that help them:
• SUPPORT federal funding that effectively enables service providers to assist victims and
law enforcement to prosecute traffickers. Because it takes a well-resourced multi-faceted
approach to support victims and to insure traffickers are prosecuted support cross-system,
comprehensive approaches to prevent human trafficking.
• SUPPORT efforts that increase the level of training, awareness, and funding to address
promising practices related to labor trafficking (including the hospitality industry,
restaurants, etc.). Victims of trafficking may be found everywhere– some may be found
working against their will in hotels/motels for long hours for little or no pay. Labor
trafficking has been found in diverse labor settings including domestic work, restaurants,
nail salons, small businesses, large farms, and factories.
Interpersonal Violence – Interpersonal violence, often referred to as intimate partner violence,
domestic violence or battering, is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over
another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. The
abuse can take several forms: physical, emotional, sexual, and economic as well as threats,
stalking/surveillance, isolation and intimidation. Although women are more likely to be targeted,
anyone can be a victim of interpersonal violence including those in the LGBTQ communities, men,
disabled persons, seniors, and elders. The County will advocate for the following federal actions:
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OPPOSE any and all funding cuts, including but not limited to elimination of grant
programs for violence prevention, human/labor trafficking, victim services, and/or issues
related to interpersonal violence. In addition to OPPOSING any threats to cut or eliminate
Department of Justice federal grants related to the Violence Against Women Act.
SUPPORT efforts that increase access to cultural responsiveness and language support for
victims of crime.
SUPPORT efforts that promote collaboration and coordination across systems; including
the sharing of confidential or protected information in multidisciplinary team settings in
order to increase support for survivors.
SUPPORT the sustainment and implementation/practice of the Hostile Environment
Harassment and Liability for Discriminatory Housing Practices under the Fair Housing Act
that protects housing access for victims of harassment and survivors of domestic violence.
SUPPORT efforts to protect employment rights for survivors of interpersonal violence.
SUPPORT efforts that promote training, capacity building and deeper understanding for
students, educators and social service staff on trauma informed care, adverse childhood
experiences, healthy workplaces and schools.
SUPPORT efforts that seek to provide support and services for individuals who experience
secondary or vicarious trauma. We support efforts that seek to change the cultural norms
that do not permit, encourage or openly engage staff to seek services. We believe that staff
who are exposed to secondary trauma deserve to receive the same whole person care we
advocate for on behalf of survivors.
Levee Restoration and Repair – The County will support legislation such as H.R. 6484, the SAFE
Levee Act (Garamendi) in 2012, which will authorize the U.S. Department of the Interior to invest
in Delta levee repairs, for all levees that are publicly owned or publicly maintained. The bill also
requires a cost-benefit analysis for the tunnel project being planned as part of the Bay-Delta
Conservation Plan.
Library Support – The County will support funding for the Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS), the primary source of federal support for the nation's approximately 120,000
libraries and 35,000 museums and related organizations. In recent years California has received
more than $16M statewide. IMLS is the federal agency that distributes funds to state libraries who
in turn fund statewide initiatives and competitive Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)
grants to public libraries. IMLS was at risk of being eliminated for FY’18 and may face a similar
threat again. The Contra Costa County Library has received funding for Discover & Go, War Ink,
STEAM, Career Online High School (COHS) scholarships, and numerous other programs and
services over the years. The County will also support the reauthorization and funding for the
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Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) including the Museum and Library Services Act (S.
2271), as the LTSA is the only federal program that exclusively provides funding for libraries.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) - LIHEAP helps low-income
families pay their heating bills. LIHEAP is a grant that offers assistance in the form of a cash grant,
sent directly to the utility company, or a crisis grant for households in immediate danger of being
without heat. Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) enables low-income families to reduce
their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient. Funds are used to improve the
energy performance of dwellings families in need, using the most advanced technologies and
testing procedures available in the housing industry. The County will advocate for the following
federal actions:
OPPOSE elimination and reduction in funding for the LIHEAP and WAP programs.
Multi-Service Centers – The County will support federal funding for the establishment and
operation of coordinated service integration models such as SparkPoint, Service Integration
Teams, Family Resource Centers, or Family Justice Centers. Multi-service centers often co-locate
county and non-profit agencies working holistically to meet the needs of families. Centers can help
individuals and families address immediate financial crises, build financial security, address abuse
and violence, provide accessible, coordinated public services, and may, engage families in
resident-driven efforts to revitalize their communities.
Municipal Securities – The County supports efforts to preserve, enhance and streamline the
availability of tax-exempt financing to fund critical public infrastructure projects. For over 100
years, federal tax policy has granted a tax exemption on municipal bond interest to incentivize
investment in local infrastructure projects. Also, the federal government has occasionally provided
“direct subsidy bonds” that further mitigate borrowing costs to local government.
Preservation for the Tax-Exemption for Municipal Bonds: The County will support the
continued exemption of municipal bond interest.
Opposition to Repeal of the “Tower Amendment” to the Securities Acts Amendments of
1975: The Tower Amendment to the Securities Acts Amendments of 1975 has prohibited
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Municipal Securities
Rulemaking Board (MSRB) from directly or indirectly regulating state and local
government issuers of municipal securities prior to the sale of those securities. The County
will oppose any repeal of the Tower Amendment which would impose an additional federal
regulatory oversight burden on local government issuers, in recognition that the states
already have such authority.
Private Activity Bonds for Government Buildings: The County will support legislation that
would create a new category of private activity bonds for governments to join with private
parties to help finance government buildings. The tax-exempt bonding mechanism would
allow state and local governments to issue private activity bonds to finance the construction
and upkeep of certain publically owned buildings. The County will support amending the
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federal tax code to provide another layer of tax-exempt financing that would encourage the
use of public-private partnerships.
Amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to Restore Advance Refunding: Tax Cuts and
Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Tax Bill”) discontinued authorization for state and local
governments to issue “advance refunding” bonds, which previously allows jurisdictions to
refinance current debt at reduced interest rates. This was, in part, due to the belief that such
authorization essentially allowed for “double dipping” by state and local entities. Under
previous law, governmental bonds and 501(c)(3) bonds issued by state and local
governments were permitted a single advance refunding. This allowed public issuers to
take advantage of reductions in interest rates to realize billions of dollars in savings, which
ultimately benefits taxpayers.
Pension – The County will support legislation that would modify the Internal Revenue Code and
corresponding regulations to permit public employees to make an irrevocable election between
their current pension formula and a less rich pension formula.
In 2006, Contra Costa County and the Deputy Sheriff’s Association jointly obtained state
legislation that would allow members of the Association to make a one-time irrevocable election
between their current pension formula and a less rich pension formula, called Tier C. Orange
County and its labor organizations obtained similar legislation in 2009. However, neither County
has been able to implement this state legislation because such elections currently have negative
tax consequences for employees and for retirement plans under federal tax law as interpreted by
the Internal Revenue Service.
Like many local government entities nationwide, the County’s fiscal position would benefit greatly
from reduced pension costs. Allowing local government entities to implement collective
bargaining agreements and state legislation that permits employees to elect less rich pension
formulas would be a significant step in reducing pension costs.
Preservation of the federal deduction on State and Local Taxes (SALT)--The County opposes
repeal of the federal income tax deduction on State and Local Taxes (SALT). Since 1913, the SALT
deduction has been a deduction available to taxpayers in recognition that the portion of income
deducted was spent on state and local public services such as public safety and transportation. In
modern history, the SALT deduction has had a strong correlation to the mortgage interest
deduction. This is because most homeowners pay property taxes on real property owned in their
State, which are subsequently deducted using the SALT deduction on federal income taxes. For
this reason, the SALT deduction can be viewed as a valuable financial benefit of homeownership.
Repeal of the SALT deduction and the corresponding reduction in financial benefit of
homeownership, could lead to a change in market prices of homes to “price in” the loss of the
SALT deduction to homeowners. In California, ad valorem property taxes, which provide general
purpose revenue to local governments, including cities and counties, is based on the assessed value
of, among other things, residential homes. Should a repeal of the SALT deduction lead to a
corresponding reduction in home values, local governments in California would be negatively
impacted by reduced home values.
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Public Charge– The County will OPPOSE all proposed changes to the “Public Charge” rules,
including but not limited to consideration of non-cash benefits such as CalFresh, non-Emergency
Medi-Cal and CHIP, Section 8 housing vouchers and other housing assistance, and any childhood
programs such as Head Start or federal school lunch programs.
Public Housing Programs – The County will support legislation that results in the transformation
of existing programs to improve their effectiveness and efficiency, in tandem with the design of
new and innovative responses, both to build upon recent progress and address outstanding issues.
The County will support legislation to protect the nation’s investment in Public Housing:
Enact affordable housing industry proposal to allow public housing agencies (PHAs)
to voluntarily convert public housing units to Section 8 project-based rental assistance
in order to preserve this vital component of the national infrastructure.
Oppose the Administration’s proposal to impose a $1 billion offset against the
operating reserves of responsible, entrepreneurial PHAs.
Support the revitalization of severely distressed public housing units.
Address safety and security concerns connected to drug-related crime.
The County will support legislation to preserve vital community and economic development
programs:
Fully fund the Community Development Block Grant Program in order to create and
save jobs, revitalize local economies, and support critical services for vulnerable
populations.
Maintain funding for HUD’s cost-effective economic development tools.
The County will support legislation to strengthen and simplify the Section 8 Rental Assistance
programs:
Provide adequate funding for Housing Assistance Payment contract renewals and
ongoing administrative fees.
Enact the Section Eight Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA).
Implement overdue regulatory and administrative revisions that ensure the efficient use
of program funds.
The County will support legislation to maintain and expand Affordable Housing Opportunities and
combat homelessness:
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Fully fund the Home Investment Partnerships Program and HUD’s homeless assistance
programs, such as the Emergency Solutions Grant Program.
Capitalize the Housing Trust Fund through a revenue-neutral approach.
Preserve and strengthen the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.
Preserve the availability of tax-exempt Private Activity Bonds which are the most
common form of financing of affordable multi-family housing projects.
The County will support legislation to foster innovation, increase efficiency, and streamline the
regulatory environment:
Promote reasonable and flexible federal oversight.
Incentivize green building and increased Energy Efficiency.
Support HUD’s ongoing transformation efforts.
Ensure that HUD releases and distributes federal funding in a timely manner.
Eliminate statutory and regulatory barriers that prevent PHAs and redevelopment
authorities from accessing federal programs they are qualified to administer.
Rail Safety – Contra Costa County is home to a substantial oil refinery industry with four refineries
located in the County. The County supports Senator Heitkamp’s Railroad Emergency Services
Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation (RESPONSE) Act, S. 2547, which would
establish a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) panel focused on railroad incident
first responders. By bringing together under FEMA’s National Advisory Council all relevant
agencies, emergency responders, technical experts, and the private sector for a review of training,
resources, best practices, and unmet needs related to emergency responders to railroad hazmat
incidents, the RESPONSE Act will begin the process of addressing shortcomings in existing
emergency response practices and procedures. It will also address the effectiveness of funding
levels related to training local emergency responders for rail hazardous materials incidents.
The County also supports FEMA funding for the training of first responders, regulations that
increase tank car safety standards for cars transporting crude oil and other hazardous materials,
and regulations that require railroads to share data with state emergency managers and local
responders.
Restoring Net Neutrality –On June 11, 2018 the repeal of the FCC’s net neutrality rules went into
effect. The good news is that consumers are unlikely to see changes to the internet service they
buy today. The bad news is there’s now no "cop on the beat" and no enforceable protections that
are essential to ensuring open and nondiscriminatory access to online information. The repeal
follows a December vote by the FCC to gut the net neutrality protections that limit the power of
Internet Service Providers to slow websites, block mobile apps, or in any way control the
information we access. Modern libraries rely on the free and open internet to collect, create and
disseminate essential online information and services to the public.
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Retiree and Retiree Health Care Costs – The County operates many programs on behalf of the
federal government. While federal funding is available for on-going program operations,
including employee salaries, the allocation is usually capped, regardless of actual costs. For retiree
and retiree health care, the County’s ability to contain costs is extremely limited. The County will
advocate for full federal financial participation in funding the County’s retiree and retiree health
obligations.
Second Chance Act – The County will support funding for the Second Chance Act, which helps
counties address the growing population of individuals returning from prisons and jails. Despite
massive increases in corrections spending in states and jails nationwide, recidivism rates remain
high: half of all individuals released from state prison are re-incarcerated within three years. Here
in California, unfortunately, the recidivism rate is even higher. Yet there is reason for hope:
research shows that when individuals returning from prison or jail have access to key treatments,
education, and housing services, recidivism rates go down and the families and communities they
return to are stronger and safer.
The Second Chance Act ensures that the tax dollars on corrections are better spent, and provides a
much-needed response to the "revolving door" of people entering and leaving prison and jail.
Sexual Assault –Sexual violence affects millions of Americans – nearly every 2 minutes an
American is sexually assaulted. The County will advocate for the federal actions to insure support
for victims and survivors of sexual assault. The County will support providing funding to services
for victims of sexual violence, and encourage systemic change to aid survivors and those who
serve them. In the wake of the federal government rescinding Title IX sexual assault guidelines
that provide the framework for school investigations on campus sexual misconduct we must look
to provide alternative resources to ensure the safety of women and girls in the community.
State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) – On May 23, 2012, the Department of
Justice (DOJ) announced a change in the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) that
will prohibit SCAAP funds from being used to reimburse localities for foreign-born criminal aliens
housed in jails that have been classified as “unknown inmates” by the Department of Homeland
Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. This is a significant change to
the SCAAP reimbursement formula and will heavily impact counties across the nation.
The County will support the rescinding of this decision and a reinstatement of the previous
reimbursement practice, which would more equitably reimburse jurisdictions for the costs of
housing undocumented individuals, including those inmates whose status may be unknown to the
Department of Homeland Security.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – The County will advocate for the
following federal actions:
Increase SNAP benefit amounts to better meet recipients’ nutritional needs and support
local economies.
Adjust SNAP eligibility requirements to a) include currently excluded populations with
significant need b) remove time limits and work requirements for Able-Bodied Adults
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Without Dependents (ABAWDS) and full-time students. ABAWDS and pertains to
adults receiving food stamps who are considered employable.
OPPOSE funding cuts or block granting the SNAP program.
Remove the current federal barriers that prevent some nutrition programs from
employing EBT technology.
SUPPORT efforts that would allow people to apply for CalFresh while incarcerated.
Streamlining Permitting for Critical Infrastructure, Economic Stimulus, and Alternative
Energy Projects –“Green” Job Creation – Request that Congress and the Administration
recognize the value of Habitat Conversation Plans (HCPs) as a reliable way of streamlining critical
infrastructure, economic stimulus, and alternative energy project permitting in a manner that is
consistent with federal environmental regulations. HCPs not only facilitate such projects through
permit streamlining, but the planning, implementation, management, and monitoring needs
associated with regional HCPs plans also create many quality “green” jobs.
Telecommunications Act of 1996 Revisions – The Telecommunications Act of 1996 governs local
government’s role in telecommunications, primarily broadband cable that uses the County’s right-
of-way as well as consumer protections. As Congress works to update the Act, the County will
continue to advocate for strengthening consumer protections and local government oversight of
critical communications technologies; local access to affordable and reliable high speed broadband
infrastructures to support the local economy; the right of local municipalities and communities to
offer high-speed broadband access: coordination and integration of private communication
resources for governmental emergency communication systems; preservation of local
government’s franchise fees; preservation of the local community benefits, including but not
limited to public, education and governmental (PEG) access channels; authority for provision of
municipal telecommunication services; preservation of local police powers essential for health,
safety and welfare of the citizenry; preservation of local government ownership and control of the
local public rights-of-way; and support for ensuring that communication policy promotes
affordable services for all Americans.
The Community Broadband Act of 2007, S.1853, encourages the deployment of high speed
networks by preserving the authority of local governments to offer community broadband
infrastructure and services. The County will oppose all bills that do not address the County’s
concerns unless appropriately amended. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) has proposed rule-making (FCC Second Report and Order Docket 05-311 “Franchising
Rules for Incumbents”) that, in the opinion of local government, goes beyond the scope of their
authority in this area. The County will oppose all such rule making efforts.
Telecommunications Issues – Support the Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act introduced
in 2009 by Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. The CAP Act addresses the challenges
faced by public, educational and government (PEG) TV channels and community access television
stations. The CAP Act addresses four immediate issues facing PEG channels. The CAP Act would:
Allow PEG fees to be used for any PEG-related purpose; require PEG channels to be carried in
the same manner as local broadcast channels; require the FCC to study the effect state video
franchise laws have had on PEG; require operators in states that adopted statewide franchising to
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provide support equal to the greater of the support required under the state law or the support
historically provided for PEG; and make cable television-related laws and regulations applicable
to all landline video providers.
In addition, the County should support the widespread deployment and adoption of broadband,
especially as it serves to connect the educational community and libraries.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families – The County will advocate for the following federal
actions:
Relieve states of work participation rate and work verification plan penalties for fiscal years
2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 in recognition of the serious downturn in the national economy
and the succession of more “process-based” regulations issued in the last few years.
SUPPORT policies that do not penalize work and movement towards financial stability.
Families who are working and receiving modest cash assistance grants to supplement low
earnings should not be subject to the federal time limit on assistance. Running the time
limit clock while a parent is working and receiving such supplements means both that a
family could lose assistance when it has exhausted its time-limited benefits and not be able
to receive additional assistance if the parent loses his/her job. TANF should send a strong
message to recipients that “work pays” – running the clock while a family is working
undermines this message.
Allow temporary exemptions from time limits and work requirements for families
confronting severe employment barriers - including living in an area of high unemployment
or are victims of abuse.
Permanently withdraw the August 8, 2008, proposal that would have repealed the
regulation that enables states to claim caseload reduction credit for excess MOE
expenditures.
Rescind the May 22, 2008, HHS guidance that effectively eliminated the ability of states
to offer pre-assistance programs to new TANF applicants for up to four months.
Rescind the final Deficit Reduction Act regulation restricting allowable state maintenance-
of-effort expenditures under TANF purposes 3 and 4.
End federal efforts to impose a national TANF error rate.
Reauthorize and increase the TANF Block Grant. The allocation of the block grant has
not increased since 1997. Support funding TANF annually by an amount commensurate
with the rate of inflation to ensure that the program’s actual value does not decrease each
year.
Veterans Benefits – The County will support legislation to increase availability, accessibility, and
utilization of Veterans Benefits.
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Within Contra Costa County, Veterans’ health care is provided by the VA Martinez Clinic, a
division of the VA Northern California Healthcare System. Currently, access to enrollment in the
VA healthcare system is limited to Veterans with a Service Connected disability of greater than
10%, special eligibility criteria (Purple Heart, former POW, Iraq & Afghanistan Vets within 5
years of discharge, etc.), and to Veterans with an annual gross income less than a geographically
based threshold. Currently, VA emergency services are not available after hours or during
weekends. The nearest VA emergency room is nearly 34 miles away from the VA Martinez Clinic.
The County will support legislation that would expand enrollment eligibility (such as removing
the income limit criteria) to all Veterans with an honorable discharge. Furthermore, the County
will support legislation that would establish 24 hour VA emergency services at the VA Martinez
clinic.
In addition, the County will support legislation that will improve the timeliness and quality of both
VA benefits claim decisions and VA healthcare services. Specifically, legislation that works
toward improving on the expedited processing of claims and administering of benefits to
populations with unique needs, such as homeless Veterans, Women Veterans, and Veterans
experiencing service related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Veterans Halls – The County will support legislation to provide America’s veterans organizations
with resources to make necessary repairs to or replacement of their meeting halls and facilities.
Across America, the meeting halls and posts of Veterans Service Organizations such as the
American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars serve as unofficial community centers.
Unfortunately, many of these facilities are not compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act
accessibility standards, are not earthquake retrofitted, or have deteriorated in recent years due to
declining membership and reduced rental revenues as a result of the economic downturn.
The County will support legislation that would create a competitive grant program for veterans’
organizations, classified by the IRS as 501c19 non-profit organizations and comprised primarily
of past or present members of the United States Armed Forces and their family members, to use
for repairs and improvements to their existing facilities.
Volume Pricing – The National Association of Counties supports greater access for local
governments to General Services Administration (GSA) contract schedules. These schedules
provide volume pricing for state and local governments and make public sector procurement more
cost effective. However, current law does not provide full access to state and local governments
for GSA schedules. The County will support legislation that gives local governments access to
these schedules and provides the option of purchasing law enforcement, security, and other related
items at favorable GSA reduced pricing.
Water Quality, Quantity and Delta Outflow – Congress may consider legislation that could
adversely affect water quality, quantity and flows in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the
detriment of the County residents, economy and resources. The Board of Supervisors will rely
on its adopted Delta Water Platform and its adopted resolution on Water, Ecosystem Health and
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other Issues Related to the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento –San Joaquin River Delta (No.
2012-46) to determine the appropriate response to federal legislative issues brought to the Board’s
attention.
Workforce Development – Contra Costa County supports policies that meet the needs of serving
businesses, workers, job seekers, and youth. The County further supports policies under the
Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) that preserve local decision-making relative to
spending, direction of work, and other functions of local workforce boards. The County also
supports policies that promote equal employment opportunities for women and men in an effort to
increase employment and the creation of jobs in both the public and private sector and that enhance
business’ access to a qualified talent pool, and promote business growth through the development
of a skilled workforce. The County also favors policies that provide increased funding to support
job seeker services, as well as policies that make strategic investments to leverage existing funding
in the workforce development arena. The County will OPPOSE cuts to WIOA funding and
programming.
SUPPORT additional funding for Education, Training, Apprenticeships and Job Placement,
with a focus on workforce skills of the future.
SUPPORT additional funding and incentives, such as loan forgiveness, for the health care
workforce, where there is a growing gap between market demand and a trained workforce.
OPPOSE federal legislation and administrative efforts that would reduce the flexibility of state
and county workforce development efforts, require additional administrative requirements and
costs or reduce the amount of funding directly channeled to states and counties.
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