HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12071999 - SD2 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra
• Costa
FROM: ••
PHIL BATCHELOR, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
County
DATE: November 29, 1999
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SUBJECT:
2000 LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION:
1. ADOPT the attached 2000 Legislative Program for the County.
2. AUTHORIZE the County's lobbyist to seek authors for those items being
sponsored by the Board and to work toward their passage during 2000.
3. AUTHORIZE Board Members, the County Administrator and other
designated staff to testify in support of the Board's position on these and
other items which may be added to the Board's 2000 Legislative Program
from time to time during the year.
BACKGROUND:
Each year the Board of Supervisors adopts a legislative program for the coming
Session of the Legislature in Sacramento. This program generally consists of a few
carefully selected items which the Board sponsors. In other cases, the Board
indicates its support for a measure providing someone else sponsors the measure.
From time to time during the year other pieces of legislation are introduced which
are brought to the Board's attention and are added to the Board's legislative
program with an appropriate position.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURES
ACTION OF BOARD ON ecem er t, iggs
APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED _XX OTHER
Because of the amount of time and attention which must be given to the
sponsorship of a measure, it is generally better to try to get another organization to
sponsor a measure, which the Board can then co-sponsor or support. Taking full
responsibility for the sponsorship of a measure involves planning the strategy for
passage of the measure, serving as the author's principal source of information
when questions about the bill come to the attention of the author, lobbying
members of committees before which a bill will be heard, negotiating compromises
where necessary in order to reduce conflict and attempt to insure passage of a bill.
This can realistically only be undertaken with a very limited number of bills. In
addition, the need to sponsor additional measures generally occurs during the year
as events warrant the need for such action.
The 2000 Legislative Program has been assembled from a number of measures
suggested by staff and Board Members and has been discussed with the County's
lobbyist.
PROPOSED 2000 LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
General Financing/Revenue Issues:
1 Continue to support the efforts of CSAC and the Urban Counties Caucus to
at least cap the growth of ERAF, and preferably begin to return some of the
base to counties and cities.
2. If it appears to be feasible to design a bill on this subject which the Governor
will sign, again SPONSOR again legislation to allow the original Teeter
counties to recover the advantage other counties got in converting to Teeter
similar to AB 349 which passed the Legislature in 1999 but was vetoed by the
Governor.
Library/ Issues:
3. Continue to support efforts to retain in the State Budget the increased funding
for the Public Library Fund and to fully fund the Public Library Fund.
Social Service Issues:
4. Support the efforts of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to
seek legislation which continues the appropriation in the State Budget for
IHSS provider wage and benefit increases and continue to support AB 16 or
similar legislation that authorizes the State to pay its share of such increases.
5. CO-SPONSOR with the San Diego County Board of Supervisors legislation
which would extent the provisions of AB 1741 to the three Boost4Kids
counties which will otherwise expire December 31, 2000.
6. SPONSOR legislation similar to AB 696 of 1997 which would provide State
funding for the cost of operating Children's Receiving Centers.
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7. Support efforts to develop a State General Fund Multi-Disciplinary Interview
Center(MDIC)account to fund IVIDIC services that conform with the California
Children's Justice Act (similar to SB 647.)
Clerk-Recorder Issue:
8. SPONSOR legislation which would allow the Clerk-Recorder to accept
electronically recorded documents in lieu of paper documents under certain
circumstances.
Solid Waste Issue:
construction under which the County obtains both the design and construction
of a building from a single source and that would extend the current sunset of
January 1, 2001.
Emergency Medical Services Issue:
11. Continue to SPONSOR AB 421 (Aroner)authorizing the boards of supervisors
in urban counties, following public hearings, to prohibit the use of the
designation "Standby Emergency Room" in their county and to prohibit the
closure of an emergency room where this is found to be detrimental to the
general public.
Contra Costa Health Plan Issues:
12. Continue to SPONSOR AB 754(Aroner)to prohibit retroactive rate decreases
for CCHP.
Assessor Issue:
13. Support AB 1036 (Wesson) which would extend the State-County Property
Tax Administration Program permanently and increase the funding for which
the County would be eligible from $2.0 million a year to $5.4 million a year.
Public Health Issues:
14. Continue to support efforts to increase funding for breast cancer awareness,
public education, and treatment. (Supported AB 40 on 1/5/99, SB 193 on
3/23/99, SB 193 on 3/23/99 and SB 1154 on 6/22/99)
15. SPONSOR legislation to provide a financial reward to counties which are
supporting homeless shelters by providing a per bed per night payment from
the State to those counties.
Land Use Planning Issues:
16. Continue to support efforts to encourage inter-regional land use planning
(among, for example, San Joaquin Valley and Bay Area counties).
17. Continue to support efforts to provide economic incentives for infill
development and economic revitalization and economic disincentives for
expanding development on the fringes of existing development.
18. Be aware of and call to the Board's attention legislation addressing "Smart
Growth" and affordable housing issues.
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in which it would promote infill development and economic revitalization rather
than sprawl development. (Added by the Board of Supervisors on
September 21, 1999)
21. Support reform of CEQA to facilitate the processing of infill applications
meeting specified standards. (Added by the Board of Supervisors on
September 21, 1999)
22. Support modifications to SCA 3 to broaden the types of activities that could
be directly financed under half-cent sales tax programs. (Added by the Board
of Supervisors on September 21, 1999)
23. Support efforts to modify the super majority requirement for General
Obligation Bonds to a simple majority vote. (Added by the Board of
Supervisors on September 21, 1999)
Presented to the Board of Supervisors December 7, 1999