Adminstration of Justice
For more information, contact Elizabeth Howard at 916/327-7500, ext. 537 or ehoward@counties.org or Rosemary Lamb at 916/327-7500, ext. 503 or rlamb@counties.org.
Legislative Policy Committee Hearings
Due to the requirement of the Proposition 58 extraordinary session to address the state’s budget crisis, the Legislature has not begun holding policy committee hearings. It is expected, however, that once a budget is adopted, Senate and Assembly policy committees will begin holding hearings to review bills. Therefore, no committee hearings are scheduled for any measure, including those discussed in this Bulletin. The bill introduction deadline for the 2009 legislative session is February 27.
Personal Information: Social Security Numbers
SB 40 (Correa) – Watch
As Introduced on January 6, 2009
SB 40, by Senator Lou Correa, would make changes to the Civil and Family Codes limiting the display of Social Security numbers (SSN) on certain legal documents to the last four digits of a person’s SSN. Further, SB 40 requires county recorders to reject any document presented for recording that has more than the last four digits of a person’s SSN.
It is our understanding that the measure will be amended to clarify that its provisions are prospective. SB 40 is sponsored by Orange County and is intended to offer technical clarification to SB 644 (Correa) of 2008. CSAC will keep counties informed as this measure moves forward.
Public Contracts: Claims
AB 216 (Beall) – Request for Comment
As Introduced on February 3, 2009
AB 216, by Assembly Member Jim Beall, seeks to create a dispute resolution process for claim disputes over $100,000 between contractors and local agencies. A similar measure was introduced last year by Senator Yee, but was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 216 creates a process by which contractors can seek resolution to unresolved claims. Specifically, it outlines a process by which a contractor first requests a “meet and confer” session with the local agency. If the parties are unable to resolve the dispute through this process, the claimant can request mediation to resolve the dispute. If mediation is unsuccessful, both parties shall submit the dispute to binding arbitration. Additionally, the measure sets time frames in which each party must provide requested documentation and when meetings must occur.
CSAC is requesting that counties examine this measure and submit feedback to Rosemary Lamb at rlamb@counties.org as soon as is practical.
Juvenile Justice
Counties should be aware that two reports have recently been issued regarding juvenile justice: one from the State Commission on Juvenile Justice (SCJJ) and the other from the Prison Law Office, an advocacy group for the incarcerated. The first report, the Juvenile Justice Operational Master Plan, issued by the SCJJ makes a number of recommendations including:
1) create an outcome-oriented juvenile justice system;
2) create the capacity to develop and operate key components of the system; and
3) consolidate state juvenile justice funds into a stable annual general fund allocation administered by a Board of Juvenile Justice.
The second report, issued by the Prison Law Office, Juvenile Justice at a Crossroads, examines implementation of SB 81 and makes a number of recommendations for counties and the state as we move forward in the transition of responsibility. CSAC intends to discuss these reports and issues around juvenile justice in general at our policy committee meeting during the 2009 Spring Legislative Conference. In the meantime, we encourage counties to review the reports.
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