In this Issue

The deadline for the Legislature to send Governor Brown a 2016-17 state budget is less than two weeks away and CSAC’s Legislative team is keenly focused on key priorities for counties as funding discussion move from the Budget Conference Committee to closed sessions with legislative leadership and the Governor. The following article highlights CSAC budget priorities to protect and grow critical funding streams for existing and new county programs totaling over $1 billion dollars.

CSAC is pleased to report early victories in the budget process thus far. First, $16.22 million is secured for elections administration will be available to counties to help fund duties associated with the June 7 primary as well as the November ballot initiative petition verification process. 
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The June primary election is less than a week away and elections officials all over the state have been gearing up and getting ready. Some election-watchers are predicting a significantly larger voter turnout than we’ve seen recently, based on substantial new voter registration activity and the big ticket contests. County election officers have simultaneously begun spending time and resources validating signatures for initiatives trying to qualify for the November ballot.

This is the first year under a new law that moves petition-driven ballot initiatives to November—thus requiring the signature validation process to overlap the June primary date. The state has set aside an additional $16 million for counties to help defray the costs of doing all this work simultaneously. CSAC is working closely with the Secretary of State and making sure counties are aware of reporting deadlines and the time frame for when money will be in hand.

In the meantime, we thought we’d check in with Sacramento County Director of Voter Registration and Elections, Jill LaVine, to see how she’s been preparing for the primary.
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Mariposa County Supervisor Kevin Cann was elected Second Vice President of NACo’s Western Interstate  Region (WIR) at its annual  conference in Teton County, Wyoming last week. Having Supervisor Cann  in a leadership position in WIR helps ensure that California will be in a  position to help shape regional and national priorities that impact our  western states, particularly our rural areas. Read more

CSAC’s next webinar will explore how counties can make sure they comply with the newest Public Records Act requirement, put in place by last year’s SB 272 by Senator Hertzberg.

Counties face a July 1 deadline to comply with the new law, which requires counties and other public agencies to create a list of the “enterprise systems” maintained by every department, along with information such as what data is kept there, how often the data is updated, and who the system’s vendor is.
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Report: Enrolling California’s “Justice-Involved” in Health Care Coverage

Law Enforcement Officers and Mental Wellness Report

Board of State and Community Corrections Meets June 9

Governor Brown Appoints Amy Miller to CDCR Post

By Will Kempton
Everyone seems to agree that our roads and bridges are in a sorry state, not to mention our rail and transit services.  As the State Legislature, Governor and transportation advocates continue to debate the best way to repair California’s failing transportation infrastructure, many continue to support approaches that do not include new revenue or taxes and fees. One argument against raising transportation levies is based on an apparent premise that since existing transportation revenues are being misspent and/or wasted, repairing our transportation infrastructure isn’t justified. 

While I fully agree that we need to make our transportation agencies more efficient and that we need to improve accountability and transparency, I question the logic of continuing to ignore the condition of our transportation system which is so important to the State’s economy and our quality of life.  So, in the midst of this debate, I feel compelled to build the case for a solution that includes reforms and new revenues. 
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Sexually Exploited Minors
SB 1064 (Hancock) – Support
As Amended May 31, 2016

State Remote Piloted Aircraft Act
SB 868 (Jackson) – Support
As Amended May 31, 2016

Construction Contracts: Indemnity
SB 885 (Wolk) –Oppose
As Amended May 10, 2016.

Major Rural Telecommunications Outages: Notifications and Reporting
SB 1250 (McGuire) – Support
As Amended March 28, 2016

California Disaster Assistance Act: Inland Regional Center
SB 1385 (Leyva) – Support
As Amended March 29, 2016 

Incarcerated Persons: Visitation
SB 1157 (Mitchell) – Concerns/Pending
As Amended May 31, 2016

Proposition 47: Sentence Reduction      
AB 2765 (Weber) – Support
As Amended May 19, 2016

County Jail Milestone Credits
AB 1597 (Stone, M) – Support
As Amended May 17, 2016

Junk dealers and recyclers: nonferrous materials
AB 2059 (Garcia, E.) – Oppose
As Amended May 3, 2016