January 13, 2006
Issue #2-2006
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website at
www.cacities.org/
billsearch.
CITY OFFICIALS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN CCLI CITY OFFICIALS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN CCLI CITY OFFICIALS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN CCLI CITY OFFICIALS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN CCLI CITY OFFICIALS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN CCLI
NLC WANT CITIES TO ‘TEST DRIVE’ NEW NATIONAL CITY NETWORK NLC WANT CITIES TO ‘TEST DRIVE’ NEW NATIONAL CITY NETWORK NLC WANT CITIES TO ‘TEST DRIVE’ NEW NATIONAL CITY NETWORK NLC WANT CITIES TO ‘TEST DRIVE’ NEW NATIONAL CITY NETWORK NLC WANT CITIES TO ‘TEST DRIVE’ NEW NATIONAL CITY NETWORK
STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION
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Gov. Schwarzenegger released his proposal for the FY 2006-07 budget on
January 10. While the League is still analyzing the proposal, our initial review
indicates that there are many positive proposals for California cities. The
following summarizes some key issues of interest to cities.
For more, see Page 4.
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KEY BUDGET PROPOSALS AFFECTING CITIES KEY BUDGET PROPOSALS AFFECTING CITIES KEY BUDGET PROPOSALS AFFECTING CITIES KEY BUDGET PROPOSALS AFFECTING CITIES KEY BUDGET PROPOSALS AFFECTING CITIES
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The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has published draft
statewide general waste discharge requirements for wastewater collection
system agencies. Comments on the draft are due to SWRCB by January 25,
and a public hearing has been scheduled for February 8. For more, see Page 3.
DRAFT STATEWIDE GENERAL WASTE DISCHARGE DRAFT STATEWIDE GENERAL WASTE DISCHARGE DRAFT STATEWIDE GENERAL WASTE DISCHARGE DRAFT STATEWIDE GENERAL WASTE DISCHARGE DRAFT STATEWIDE GENERAL WASTE DISCHARGE
REQUIREMENTS FOR SEWER COLLECTION SYSTEMS REQUIREMENTS FOR SEWER COLLECTION SYSTEMS REQUIREMENTS FOR SEWER COLLECTION SYSTEMS REQUIREMENTS FOR SEWER COLLECTION SYSTEMS REQUIREMENTS FOR SEWER COLLECTION SYSTEMS
PUBLISHED FOR COMMENT PUBLISHED FOR COMMENT PUBLISHED FOR COMMENT PUBLISHED FOR COMMENT PUBLISHED FOR COMMENT
The governor’s budget proposal is a starting point for what will be many
months of discussions within the Legislature on budget priorities. By law, the
governor is required to submit a revised budget proposal in May (the “May
Revise”), that shows his updated priorities following the more accurate as-
sessment of revenues made possible by the receipt of the April tax payments
from individuals and businesses. For more, see Page 6.
WHAT CITY OFFICIALS CAN AND SHOULD DO WHAT CITY OFFICIALS CAN AND SHOULD DO WHAT CITY OFFICIALS CAN AND SHOULD DO WHAT CITY OFFICIALS CAN AND SHOULD DO WHAT CITY OFFICIALS CAN AND SHOULD DO
ABOUT THE BUDGET ABOUT THE BUDGET ABOUT THE BUDGET ABOUT THE BUDGET ABOUT THE BUDGETVisit the League’s Official Website--www.cacities.org PAGE 2 - PRIORITY FOCUS
January 13, 2006 - Issue #2
The League of California Cities is pleased to
invite all city officials to participate in the second
year of the League’s exciting new program, The
California Civic Leadership Institute (CCLI).
Eight city officials from around the state
completed the inaugural 2005 CCLI program,
which included a pair of seminars featuring some
of the most prominent minds at work in policy and
politics in California.
Presented by the League Partners Program,
CCLI is designed to educate small groups of city
officials on the pressing infrastructure issues
facing cities across the state, including housing,
energy and transportation, history and primacy of
local government in California, and the importance
of maintaining local control. The program’s goal is
to help cultivate future legislators to have a better
understanding of these issues, and develop
lasting bonds among our state’s rising leaders.
Since 2006 is a busy electoral year, the
League is offering its 2006 CCLI curriculum to city
officials interested not only in this year’s elections,
but in those several cycles down the road. This
year’s program agenda is ideal for those already
within leadership roles at the League, or for
anyone interested in becoming a statewide advo-
cate of local government.
Any mayor, council member or professional
city staff may nominate a current city official to
participate in the CCLI. Nominations may also
come from any of the League’s constituency
groups, or from the League Partners Program.
Nominations must successfully convey the
governance skills and accomplishments of the
nominee, and should highlight any and all contribu-
tions toward League goals and/or the League’s
mission of protecting local control. Nominees will
then be mailed an application packet, in which
they will be asked to compose an essay outlining
their individual goals and interests in the program.
The nomination form is available at
www.cacities.org/ccli. Nominations should be
submitted no later than 5 p.m. on Friday,
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CITY OFFICIALS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN CCLI CITY OFFICIALS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN CCLI CITY OFFICIALS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN CCLI CITY OFFICIALS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN CCLI CITY OFFICIALS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN CCLI
February 3, to the League’s Public Affairs Depart-
ment Director, Mike Madrid, at
mmadrid@cacities.org or by fax at (916) 658-
8240. Please contact Mike at (916) 658-8272 if
you have any questions.
National League of Cities’ new National City
Network (NCN) has issued a request for propos-
als (RFP) for cities and towns interested in partici-
pating in a Pilot Cities Program to test compo-
nents of NCN.
The new website network implements the
vision of Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony Will-
iams, the 2005 president of the National League of
Cities (NLC). NCN is designed to be an informa-
tion-sharing resource among elected city officials,
city management and engaged citizens. Compo-
nents of NCN include a web portal with links to
documents and videos, a TV channel, government
access cable channels, and other informational
tools.
The goal of the Pilot Cities Program is for
cities and towns to evaluate the existing features
and benefits of NCN and develop and test proce-
dures for creating, aggregating and distributing
video content for NCN TV. Those cities that are
selected to participate would also take part in
evaluating the web portal and giving feedback on
the portal’s ability to deliver useful information.
Benefits to participating cities will include a
guided introduction to NCN features and benefits,
including the ability to showcase city-produced
content, along with the opportunity to guide and
influence the future of NCN.
For more information on the program, and an
application form, visit
www.nationalcitynetwork.org. The form and
information are located under the “Spotlight”
section on the right-hand side of the screen, under
the heading, “Be a Pilot City in the National City
Network.” Proposals will be accepted until
Tuesday, January 31.
NLC WANT CITIES TO ‘TEST DRIVE’ NEW NLC WANT CITIES TO ‘TEST DRIVE’ NEW NLC WANT CITIES TO ‘TEST DRIVE’ NEW NLC WANT CITIES TO ‘TEST DRIVE’ NEW NLC WANT CITIES TO ‘TEST DRIVE’ NEW
NATIONAL CITY NETWORK NATIONAL CITY NETWORK NATIONAL CITY NETWORK NATIONAL CITY NETWORK NATIONAL CITY NETWORKPRIORITY FOCUS - PAGE 3 Visit the League’s Official Website--www.cacities.org
January 13, 2006 - Issue #2
The following bills have been introduced to
implement the governor’s proposed Strategic
Growth Plan:
• AB 1831 (Jones) – California Critical
Infrastructure Facilities Bond Acts of
2006 and 2010
• AB 1833 (Arambula) - Public Safety Bond
Acts of 2006 and 2010
• AB 1836 (Daucher) - Education Facilities
Bond Acts
• AB 1838 (Oropeza) - Transportation Bond
Acts of 2006, 2008, and 2012: Transpor-
tation Contracting
• AB 1839 (Laird) - Water: Flood Protection
and Clean, Safe, Reliable Water Supply
Bond and Financing Acts of 2006 and
2010
• ACA 4 (Pescia) – Transportation Funding:
Sales Tax on Motor Vehicle Fuels
• SB 1163 (Ackerman) - California Critical
Infrastructure Facilities Bond Acts of
2006 and 2010
• SB 1164 (Runner) - Education Facilities
Bond Acts
• SB 1165 (Dutton) - Transportation Bond
Acts of 2006, 2008, and 2012: Transpor
tation Contracting
• SB 1166 (Aanestad and Machado) - Water:
Flood Protection and Clean, Safe,
Reliable Water Supply Bond and Financ-
ing Acts of 2006 and 2010
• SCA 21 (Runner) - State Budget
STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN
IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION
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You can view the draft requirements online at:
www.waterboards.ca.gov.
The Notice of Public Hearing is located at:
www.swrcb.ca.gov.
The League of California Cities has sent to
city managers and public works directors a
summary of the proposed requirements prepared
by Tri-Tac, a technical advisory group sponsored
by the League, the California Association of
Sanitation Agencies and the California Water
Environment Association. A summary of key
issues to address was also sent, if cities wish to
write a letter to the State Board.
In general, the League is supportive of the
goals to implement a Sanitary Sewer Overflow
Reduction Program to reduce the number and
volume of overflows throughout the state. The
League, however, will be urging SWRCB not to
adopt the proposal as it is currently drafted until a
number of important issues are satisfactorily
resolved.
Copies of the proposal summary and mes-
sage points are posted on the Environmental
Quality Issues page of the League’s website,
www.cacities.org/eq.
????????? ? Stay Up-To-Date on Bills That
May Impact Your City
www.cacities.org/billsearch
Become a regular user of the League’s online
Legislative Tracking System. The League’s
website is your gateway to all the information
you need: bills sorted by subject areas, show-
ing the bill history, current status, committee
analyses, votes, and much more. You can
even view League letters of support or opposi-
tion, and access the League lobbyist working
on the bill.Visit the League’s Official Website--www.cacities.org PAGE 4 - PRIORITY FOCUS
January 13, 2006 - Issue #2
(To view the complete proposal, visit the
Department of Finance website at
www.ebudget.ca.gov. To view Gov.
Schwarzenegger’s ”Strategic Growth Plan Briefing
Packet” go to www.governor.ca.gov.)
Fiscal Issues (Prop. 1A ERAF Contributions,
Mandate Repayment, Board of Equalization)
• ERAF III Concludes. The governor’s budget
acknowledges that the $1.3 billion in annual contri-
butions from local governments to the state
agreed to as part of the Proposition 1A budget
package has come to an end. These shifts will not
occur in the FY 2006/07 budget. In essence, they
will free up these funds for local programs ($350
million for counties, $350 million for special dis-
tricts, $350 million for cities and $250 million for
redevelopment agencies).
• Mandate Reimbursements Resume for
Local Governments. The budget includes $98.1
million for repayment of deferred payments owed
to local government for mandate claims prior to
the FY 2004/05 budget year. The state is required
to pay back approximately $1.1 billion over a period
of 15 years, pursuant to the FY 2005/06 Budget
agreement.
• New Mandates Unit. The proposal appro-
priates $537,000 financed from proposed mandate
cost savings for a unit within the Department of
Finance devoted to addressing issues related to
reimbursable state-mandated local programs,
including the development of policies and pro-
cesses to improve the mandates system, and
ensure fair and equitable payment of costs.
• Funding for Improved Tax Collection.
The proposal includes $1.1 million for the Board of
Equalization to undertake additional enforcement
of sales and use tax collections. The budget
estimates that this could result in an additional
collection of $13 million in local sales tax revenues
for cities and $5 million for counties.
• Mid-Year Budget Authority for Gover-
nor. The proposal includes language giving the
governor mid-year budget reduction authority. This
would allow the Director of Finance to reduce
General Fund appropriations if necessary to
protect the financial interests of the state.
• PTAP Grants Suspended. Continued
suspension of the Property Tax Administration
Program (PTAP) grants through FY 2006-07. The
PTAP grants are used by county assessors to
enhance their property tax collection efforts.
Transportation
• Proposition 42. Fully funded in the FY
2006-07 budget at $1.4 billion. The budget also
includes an additional $920 million as a repay-
ment of Prop. 42 (sales tax on gas) funds that
were borrowed in prior years. Although there is a
two-year “gap” in the existing statutory funding
formula for local streets and roads, cities and
counties will still receive $255 million for local
streets and roads from the repayment funds. The
governor has also proposed a constitutional
amendment that will permanently protect Prop 42
funds in the future.
• SAFTEA-LU. The budget recognizes that
California will receive annually approximately 28
percent more in federal transportation funding due
to the passage of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible,
and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005.
Over recent months, the League and CSAC have
worked together to request “an equitable share”
(approximately 60 percent) of the $208 million
increase in funds under the Equity Bonus pro-
gram to be allocated directly to local governments
for local streets and roads.
• Tribal Bonds. The budget notes that $1
billion in outstanding transportation loans, includ-
ing Prop. 42 monies due from the suspension
back in 2003-04, remains dependent upon the
sale of tribal gaming bonds. Several lawsuits have
impeded the sale of the bonds. The budget
assumes the bond sale will now occur in the
spring of 2006. Should this become a reality, the
monies would be allocated as follows: $465
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Continued on Page 5PRIORITY FOCUS - PAGE 5 Visit the League’s Official Website--www.cacities.org
January 13, 2006 - Issue #2
million to the State Highway Account (SHA), $290
million to the TCRP, $122 million to the PTA, and
$122 million to cities and counties. However, this
date will continue to be adjusted as the legal
issues are evaluated.
Public Safety
• $100 million for local COPS funding
(“Citizens Options for Public Safety”).
• $100 million for assorted juvenile justice
programs.
• $96 million in one-time funds for Proposi-
tion 36 substance abuse treatment.
• $40 million for booking fees. This funding is
a placeholder for this issue and will require legisla-
tion to specify how these funds will be allocated.
• $22 million in POST training funds, a 4.5
percent increase over prior year.
• $6.5 million for the Department of Justice
to create six new gang enforcement teams, and
$6 million to create three methamphetamine
strategy teams, $1.3 million for to increase investi-
gations of special crimes.
• $5.1 million for 500 global positioning
system devices to track parolees who have been
convicted of violent offences.
• $2.3 million to enhance and support the
California Law Enforcement Telecommunication
Systems (CLETS).
• $6 million in local grants to Sexual Assault
Felony Enforcement Teams.
• $1.1 million for Victim-Witness Assistance
Fund.
Emergency Preparedness
• $49 million to be allocated through the
Health and Human Services Agency for a variety
of programs to bolster state and local public health
capacity to address disease outbreaks and natural
or man-made disasters:
o $21.8 million to limit pandemic flu
outbreaks.
o $14.3 million for emergency prepared-
ness public awareness campaign.
o $4.2 million for training to plan and train
for disasters and terrorist attacks.
o $5.5 million for disease surveillance.
o $2.3 million for protective equipment for
ambulance personnel.
o $1.8 million for three medical assis-
tance teams.
Flood Control
• $35 million for levee maintenance, prima-
rily in the Central Valley and Delta areas of North-
ern California.
• The governor’s Strategic Growth Plan
includes a proposal for $9 billion in general obliga-
tion bonds over ten years, to fund both flood
control and water supply programs: $3 billion for
the 2006 ballot and $5 billion for the 2010 ballot.
These bonds are in addition to the funding in-
cluded in the governor’s proposed budget. Each
bond will include two components:
o Flood control infrastructure, primarily in
the Central Valley, including floodplain mapping,
levee repair and restoration, including funding
for past and anticipated flood control subven-
tion payments. Trailer bill language is currently
being drafted and should be available soon.
o Water supply projects that will include
funds for regional water management, safe
drinking water, storage and other projects.
(See “Strategic Growth Plan Implementing
Legislation,” p.3.)
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Continued on Page 6Visit the League’s Official Website--www.cacities.org PAGE 6 - PRIORITY FOCUS
January 13, 2006 - Issue #2
Water
• $56.6 million in local assistance funds,
derived from past voter approved bonds Proposi-
tion 50 and Proposition 13, to be allocated through
the State Water Resources Control Board for
various local water quality improvement projects.
Indian Gaming
• $30 million in local assistance funding to
local government agencies impacted by tribal
gaming.
• $5.3 million in funding for the Division of
Gambling Control within the Department of Justice
to better meet state regulatory requirements pursu-
ant to the Gambling Control Act.
Other
• Healthy Families Programs. The proposal
includes $20 million for grants to counties to con-
duct outreach activities to encourage eligible
children to enroll in either Medi-Cal or Healthy
Families Programs. (The League will be suggesting
that the proposal be modified to include cities as
eligible recipients.)
• Electronic Waste Recycling. $1.5 million
and 13.8 positions have been added to the Depart-
ment of Toxics Substances Control to enhance
enforcement of the Electronic Waste Recycling Act
of 2003.
• Libraries. Continued funding at baseline to
the Public Library Foundation at $14.3 million,
continued funding at baseline to the California
Library Services Act at $14.3 million, continued
funding at baseline to the Library Services and
Technology Act at $12.5 million.
• Minimum Wage. Governor’s proposal for a
$1 per hour minimum wage increase over the next
two years. This could have minor impacts on local
parks and recreation and summer-job programs.
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League staff will continue to analyze the
budget proposal, and particularly the details of
the Strategic Growth Plan. Once the proposal is
analyzed, the League may have alternative
suggestions for how to structure a bond pack-
age.
In the meantime, city officials can and should
talk to their legislators about why the appropria-
tions and repayments to locals in the governor’s
proposal are good for their city. Tell your legisla-
tors what you are likely to do if these funds are
available and the difference they will make in
providing services to your residents.
Cities have given considerable amounts of
money in past years to help the state — and they
continue to do so, with the ongoing shift of ERAF
I and II funds. As full partners with the state,
responsible for providing services to approxi-
mately 80 percent of all Californians, cities need
the provisions contained in this proposal.
Urge your legislators to protect the provisions
that repay cities, or appropriate funds for Citizens
Options for Public Safety (COPS), libraries,
booking fees and other fundamental service
needs. And thank the governor for his efforts to
make cities whole, and to fund critical local
services.
In addition, urge your legislators and the
governor to move quickly to put an infrastructure
bond package on the June 2006 ballot.
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• Housing. The budget decreases funding
at the Department of Housing and Community
Development by $176 million, some attributable
to the decline in Prop. 46 housing bond funds. An
additional $3.4 million is appropriated to address
health and safety issues at state constructed
migrant housing centers.