February 14, 2019

The White House recently released the American Broadband Initiative Milestones Report, providing a roadmap for how the federal government can increase rural broadband access and highlighting actions that federal agencies are taking to promote private-sector investment in broadband infrastructure.

The report’s recommendations are grouped into three categories:

January 31, 2019

Counties that contract with CalPERS for retirement or health care benefits are strongly encouraged to participate in their Stakeholder Perception Survey and share feedback across a wide variety of metrics, such as customer service, fund sustainability, and communication.

January 31, 2019

California Complete Count – Census 2020 invites you to participate in a webinar about State, Federal, and local efforts to achieve a complete count in California’s rural communities. Participants will learn about the unique challenges facing rural communities due to the first ever “digital census,” and other factors impacting hard-to-count communities in rural regions.

January 3, 2019

The official transition from the Brown administration to the Newsom administration will take place next week. Governor-Elect Newsom will be sworn in on January 7 at the State Capitol with the release of the Governor’s January Budget required no later than Thursday, January 10.

The California Supreme Court heard oral argument last week on a controversial case dealing with pension benefits for government workers. The case, Cal Fire Local 2881 v. California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), challenges a provision in the Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) that eliminated the option for employees to purchase service credits (also known as “airtime”). This issue is highly significant for local agencies since it could potentially affect future pension liabilities and collective bargaining agreements.

The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) recently issued a new ruling, effective April 1, 2019, that will require out-of-state retailers selling above certain thresholds to collect use taxes, or sales tax based on where a good is used, including locally levied use taxes. Currently, consumers are responsible for paying the use tax on merchandise from out-of-state retailers. Under the new ruling, CDTFA is shifting the responsibility for remitting the use tax from the consumer to the retailer, consistent with the authority granted in the South Dakota v.

Late last week, the State Complete Count Office released its funding plan for the $90.3 million provided in the 2018-19 State Budget for Census outreach. Counties are critical partners in the complete count effort and are trusted as the fiscal agents for nearly one-third (approximately $26 million) of the funds.

Nov. 1, 2018

Counties will receive notice on November 9 about the potential funding from the State in support of outreach activities related to the 2020 U.S. Census (Census). A letter addressed to the County Administrative Officer will include information about the potential award amount, steps for accepting the allocation, timelines, and other contracting parameters.  Counties should be aware they will have 90-days to pass a Board Resolution agreeing to the terms of the funding if they choose to accept the award.

Oct. 18, 2018

The Legislature and California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) are ramping up efforts to collect sales and use tax from out-of-state online retailers, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Wayfair v. South Dakota. The Legislature recently held an informational hearing examining the state’s authority under the Wayfair decision and CDTFA is hosting a stakeholder meeting (which counties are invited to attend) to collect feedback as they prepare to issue guidance materials.

Oct. 18, 2018

An initiative to scale back Proposition 13 protections for commercial and industrial properties is now eligible for the November 2020 ballot. Specifically, the initiative seeks to assess commercial and industrial properties at fair market value while leaving homeowners’ Proposition 13 protections in place, a concept known as “split roll.”

County supervisors and auditor-controllers have an opportunity to serve on an advisory committee established under the State Controller’s Office that helps improve accounting and reporting procedures on behalf of local governments. Currently, there is one vacancy for a county supervisor and two vacancies for county auditor-controllers.

Sept. 27, 2018

The Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) recently issued their quarterly newsletter with information highly pertinent to counties and other government agencies. The issue includes a Q&A with the GASB Chairman on the upcoming financial reporting model proposal, a video on the User Guide Series, and more.

Sept. 20, 2018

After a slight dip in July, state revenues are back on track, beating budget estimates by $1.047 billion for the month of August. Additionally, California enjoys impressive job growth, accounting for almost a third of the nation’s job growth in July.  These factors, in addition to others described below, show that California’s economy remains on strong footing.  

CalPERS is currently holding an election for the public agency seat on their Board of Administration. The public agency board member represents all active county, city, and special district employees on critical issues that directly impact the health of the CalPERS system. All public agency employees enrolled in CalPERS are eligible to vote and should have received the necessary election materials in the mail by now, in a bright blue envelope.

Sept. 6, 2018

CSAC and California Government Operations Agency (CalGovOps) co-hosted a meeting on Wednesday to discuss counties’ role in the 2020 Census. Counties across the State attended the meeting to learn about ways in which they can organize their efforts effectively.  Counties hold the potential to significantly drive participation in the 2020 Census and foster the necessary collaboration to ensure a complete count.

Sept. 6, 2018

County supervisors and auditor-controllers have an opportunity to serve on a committee established under the State Controller’s Office (SCO) that helps improve accounting and reporting procedures on behalf of local governments.

Aug. 16, 2018

With total state revenues missing Budget Act estimates for July by $178 million (or 2.4 percent ), Fiscal Year 2018-19 is unfortunately off to a lackluster start. As shown on the latest Department of Finance (DOF) cash flow report, $480 million in unrealized sales and use tax is the primary reason for the shortfall. However, DOF maintains this could be due to receipts expected in July being shifted into August.