The CSAC Bulletin: November 17, 2016

The CSAC Bulletin for November 17, 2016

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November 17, 2016

In this Issue

Headlines
- State Revenues Below Estimates for October and Fiscal Year
- LAO: State Fiscal Future Steady with Savings but Full of Unknowns
- CalPERS Discount Rate: The Discussion Intensifies

Policy Reports
- Fighting Tree Mortality: Progress as We Move Out of Peak Fire Season
- Are New California Laws Reimbursable Under State Mandate Ruling?
- Report Highlights $1 Billion Owed to Local Government for Mandates
- Administration of Justice News Briefs
- Health and Human Services News Briefs
- Smart Growth Conference in St. Louis

CSAC News
- From Our Blog: Stanislaus County Roads and Bridges--Underfunded and Underappreciated
- CSAC Advocacy Spotlight Video: Tree Mortality

Job Openings

State Revenues Below Estimates for October and Fiscal Year

Revenues for the month of October fell behind estimates by almost 5% compared to the adopted 2016-17 Budget with biggest shortfalls in the personal income taxes and sales and use taxes. Preliminary General Fund cash for October was $381 million below the forecasted $8.1 billion. Year-to-date revenues are approximately 1.8% below estimates. The full report from the Department of Finance shows mixed news for other statewide economic indicators such as unemployment, home sales, and construction activity.
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LAO: State Fiscal Future Steady with Savings but Full of Unknowns

The LAO’s 2017-18 Fiscal Outlook report for the state says the recent efforts to bulk up the “rainy day fund” was smart given an unpredictable forecast ahead. Without any changes, the state will end the 2017-18 fiscal year with $11.5 billion in total reserves, which reflects the most recent ballot measure outcomes from last week including the personal income tax extension.

LAO representative Carolyn Chu will be presenting the findings to the CSAC Government Finance and Administration Policy Committee at the 122^nd CSAC Annual Meeting on December 1 in Riverside County.
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CalPERS Discount Rate: The Discussion Intensifies

The Finance and Administration Committee of the California Public Employee’s Retirement System (CalPERS) met Tuesday to discuss the current discount rate and the potential for lowering it within the next 12 months. The outcome of the hearing? Staff will bring a recommendation to the December meeting. This could have significant impacts for counties that contract with CalPERS for retirement benefits.
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Fighting Tree Mortality:
Progress as We Move Out of Peak Fire Season

As much of the state is transitioning out of peak fire season, the Governor’s Tree Mortality Task Force is continuing its work to address the impact of more than 66 million dead trees in California. Drought conditions are extending into a sixth year in the state and more and more counties are being impacted by the tree mortality crisis.
Read more
Please click here to see a video about our advocacy efforts on the Tree Mortality issue.

Are New California Laws Reimbursable Under State Mandate Ruling?

Californians voted on 17 ballot initiatives last week and some of the additional work local governments must undertake to implement the initiatives that passed may be eligible for reimbursement under the state mandates system. Typically, local government mandates imposed via the initiative process are not eligible for reimbursement, but a recent court case may be signaling a major shift in the world of mandates.
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Report Highlights $1 Billion Owed to Local Government for Mandates

The State owes local governments including cities, counties and special districts over $1 billion for mandated services, according to the latest annual report from the State Controller’s Office. While this is not news to many local officials, it is an important reminder of the many and diverse public services counties have already provided to residents because of a state requirement.
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Administration of Justice News Briefs

Upcoming NACo Webinar - Effective Programs and Practices for Women in the Justice System

Cal OES Releases Human Trafficking (HV) Program Request for Proposals
Read more

Health and Human Services News Briefs

Inaugural Meeting of No Place Like Home Technical Committee Tomorrow

Technical Difficulties With DHCS MCIP Webinar

CSAC Webinar on the Future of First Five Funding
Read more

Smart Growth Conference in St. Louis

CSAC Bulletin readers can get a discount on attending the largest smart growth and sustainability event in the country. The 2017 New Partners Conference in St. Louis early next year features the theme “Practical Tools and Innovative Strategies for Creating Great Communities,” underscoring a stronger emphasis on implementation tools and strategies, and new technologies that will help communities now.
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From Our Blog: Stanislaus County Roads and Bridges-- Underfunded and Underappreciated

The State gas tax has been a declining source of revenue to maintain roads and bridges in California since it was last increased in 1994. We have lost approximately 50 percent of the buying power of the fuel tax due to the fact that it has not kept up with inflation and advancements in fuel efficiency. Even more drastic is the actual reduction of revenues in the past two years, amounting to an annual loss of more than 30 percent of the funds used to maintain roads and bridges in California. We are seeing this loss in dramatic fashion here in Stanislaus County.
Read more

CSAC Advocacy Spotlight Video: Tree Mortality

Over the past few weeks, we’ve sent you two videos that spotlight CSAC’s advocacy efforts on Transportation Funding and Homelessness. Today we offer this look at our efforts related to Tree Mortality, another long-term, ongoing issue affecting many of our counties.

Every level of CSAC Staff has been part of the effort to raise awareness and develop solutions and coordinate efforts. We are working closely with the Governor’s Tree Mortality Task Force as the primary vehicle to advance important work on this issue.

Please take a couple of minutes to watch a video at this link regarding CSAC’s advocacy work on Tree Mortality. And please feel free to share it with others who might find it valuable.

The Advocacy Spotlight videos on Transportation and Homelessness, are available in our video library.

Job Openings

Click here to see the latest county and local government job postings.