State lawmakers reconvened in Sacramento this week for the final month of the legislative session. Facing down an August 31 deadline, the fate of hundreds of bills remains to be determined.

The Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees are considering legislation that originated in the opposite house that has a fiscal impact. Typically, any bill with a fiscal impact exceeding $150,000 is placed on the fiscal committee’s Suspense File. The fiscal committees must pass these bills by August 12, and then they will be considered during floor sessions scheduled between August 15 through August 31. The Governor will have until September 30 to sign or veto any bill passed by the Legislature and in his possession after September 1 (he has 12 days to sign or veto any legislation in his possession before September 1).

Below is an update on key bills of interest to counties:

• AB 1608 (Gipson) – OPPOSE. This bill eliminates the existing authority of our county boards of supervisors to consolidate the duties of the sheriff with the duties of the coroner. Additionally, the bill would require a county where the offices of sheriff and coroner were consolidated before January 1, 2023, to separate those offices. The separation would become effective upon the conclusion of the term of the person elected or appointed, on or before January 1, 2023, to the consolidated offices of sheriff and coroner. CSAC and the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) are jointly opposed to AB 1608 as the bill would create unavoidable, significant costs to counties, while removing the existing authority of the 58 elected county boards of supervisors. The bill is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on August 8.

• AB 1951 (Grayson) — OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED. This bill would expand, for five years, the current partial sales and use tax (SUT) exemption for manufacturing and research and development equipment to include local SUT, including Bradley-Burns, Prop. 172, both realignments, transportation, and local add-ons. Current law applies this exemption only to the statewide 3.9375% SUT rate. Due to the substantial impact AB 1951 will have on county revenue, CSAC opposes this measure unless it is amended to apply only in years that an appropriation to backfill cities and counties for their anticipated sales and use tax losses is included in the Budget Bill. The bill is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on August 8.

• AB 2201 (Bennet) – OPPOSE. AB 2201 started as a bill to require a groundwater sustainability agency (GSA) in a critically over-drafted basin to establish and implement a process to issue permits for groundwater extraction facilities by July 1, 2023. CSAC engaged with the author and committee to discuss implications of shifting well permitting away from the counties. However, amendments shift substantial procedural burdens from the well permittee to the local government. CSAC opposes AB 2201, which will be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on August 8.

• SB 897 (Wieckowski) – OPPOSE. Amongst a variety of provisions, this bill seeks to increase the height maximum of accessory dwelling units (ADU’s) from 16 to 18 feet for parcels with an existing multistory building or 20 feet for a multifamily or single-family parcel located within a half mile of transit. This bill also adds a provision that sets a minimum height requirement of 25 feet for ADUs that are attached to a primary single-family residence. Finally, this bill places many restrictions or prohibitions on county abilities to enforce existing building code requirements on the types of ADU’s impacted by this bill. The bill is scheduled to be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on August 10.

• SB 1127 (Atkins) – OPPOSE. This bill reduces the timeframe for employers to investigate workers compensation claims, increases penalties on employers for “unreasonably” denying claims, and significantly increases the duration of temporary disability for cancer presumption claims. Although recent amendments to the bill partially reverse some of the shortened timeframes for employers to investigate workers’ compensation claims, CSAC, along with a large coalition of public and private employers, remains opposed to SB 1127 due to the financial burden and liability it would place on counties. The bill was approved by the Assembly Insurance Committee and was placed on the Assembly Appropriations Committee’s Suspense File on August 3.

• SB 1338 (Umberg/Eggman) – CONCERN. Sponsored by Governor Newsom, SB 1338 would create the new Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program designed to provide effective treatment and long-term plans for those suffering with psychotic disorders. Under the proposal, counties would play a key and substantial role in implementation as the state’s partners in providing critical behavioral health, social services, and housing resources. CSAC and county affiliates submitted a joint letter outlining continued concerns with the proposal, as the amount of funding and resources provided for the program remains unclear, and the new duties and responsibilities as outlined in the bill are estimated to cost at minimum in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Additional policy provisions remain unresolved, including a deliberative phase-in schedule for counties, sanctions, and housing access and availability for participants. The bill was referred to the Suspense File of the Assembly Appropriations Committee on August 3.