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August 28 - For the first time since recordkeeping began in 1933, California's year-over-year growth of assessed property values was negative. The Board of Equalization released the data this week. The hardest hit counties include Merced (-13.4%), Riverside (-10.5%), and San Joaquin (-10.2%). The total statewide growth from 2008-09 to 2009-10 is -2.4%, which represents $107.2 billion of value, bringing California’s assessed roll down to $4.448 trillion.
While the decline is unquestionably bad news for many of the state's local governments, it is not as bad as some analysts had predicted. A widely reported study several months ago from Beacon Economics predicted that statewide property taxes would decline by 6.14% in 2009, slide another 3.61% in 2010, and not begin to rise even slightly until 2012. Likewise, the Legislative Analyst's Office forecast in November that schools' share of property tax would drop 6.4% in 2009-10; though that office also predicted it would begin to rise in the next year.
Overall, 37 counties are seeing their assessed value decline, one has no change, and 20 will realize at least a little growth, though 10 of those were less than 2%.
Click here to continue reading this article in the latest CSAC Legislative Bulletin.
August 28 - A coalition of county advocates, the agricultural community, environmental interests, and resource landowners is pursuing support for the restoration of the Williamson Act subventions in the 2010-11 State Budget. The coalition has met and continues to meet with members of the Governor's cabinet to ensure that the budget released in January includes, at the very least, the $27.8 million that the Governor vetoed in the 2009-10 Budget.
The coalition is also moving forward with an aggressive grassroots campaign requesting that local constituencies place pressure on state leaders by emphasizing the significance of the Williamson Act program to the environment and the economic recovery of the state. CSAC and the Regional Council of Rural Counties have drafted a sample letter to the Governor for counties to use in communicating their support for the program. The timing is crucial as various state agencies are in the process of drafting the proposed budget. Counties are encouraged to customize this letter to fit their own circumstances.
Click here to continue reading this article in the latest CSAC Legislative Bulletin.
August 28 - The California Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, which oversees the state's Healthy Families Program, met on Thursday, August 27 to approve some increases in co-payments for select services. Additionally, the Board adopted a resolution to move back the October disenrollment date for all participants.
The board took four actions to modify the program (click on full article link below to read the details of those actions.) These actions, coupled with an up to $81.4 million cash infusion from the California Children and Families Commission (also known as First 5 California) for children up to age 5, will allow the board to delay sending disenrollment notices to participants until October 1, which would result in disenrollments starting on November 1. The Board had previously approved the disenrollment notices to go out a month earlier - on September 1 - for October disenrollments.
Click here to continue reading this article in the latest CSAC Legislative Bulletin.
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