Assessed Value Drops Statewide; First Time Since Recordkeeping Began in '33
By Paul McIntosh, Executive Director
pmcintosh@counties.org
For the first time since recordkeeping began in 1933, Board of Equalization Chair Betty Yee reported that year-over-year growth of California’s assessed property values was negative. The hardest hit counties include Merced (-13.4%), Riverside (-10.5%), and San Joaquin (-10.2%). The total statewide growth from 2008-09 to 2009-10 is -2.4%, which represents $107.2 billion of value, bringing California’s assessed roll down to $4.448 trillion.
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Major County Issues Still on the Table as End of First Year of 2009-10 Session Approaches
The end of the first year of the 2009-10 Legislative Session is Friday, September 11, and it will be a busy next two weeks for counties as there is a sizeable list of issues left to resolve. They include:
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Healthy Families Program Changes Co-Pays, Delays Disenrollments
The California Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB), which oversees the state’s Healthy Families Program, met on August 27 to approve some increases in co-payments for select services. Additionally the Board adopted a resolution to move back the October disenrollment date for all participants.
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Restoring the Williamson Act Subventions -- Action Needed!
A coalition of county advocates, the agricultural community, environmental interests, and resource landowners is pursuing support for the restoration of the Williamson Act subventions in the 2010-11 State Budget. The coalition has met and continues to meet with members of the Governor’s cabinet to ensure that the budget released in January includes, at the very least, the $27.8 million that the Governor vetoed in the 2009-10 Budget.
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Administration of Justice
As reported in last week’s Bulletin, one of the key issues facing the Legislature in the closing weeks of session is a method for achieving substantial cost savings in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
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Employee Relations
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) heard testimony from actuaries and others on August 26 regarding changes to pension accounting rules for public defined benefit plans.
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Government Finance and Operations
SB 10, by Senator Mark Leno, would allow counties to put a measure before their voters to impose an assessment on vehicles owned by county residents.
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Health and Human Services
AB 217, as amended on July 1 by Assembly Member Jim Beall, would allow the state to draw down federal funding for providing confidential alcohol and drug screening and brief intervention services to specified Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
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Housing, Land Use and Transportation
As previously reported, there are a number of transportation budget related items that need to be addressed before the end of the legislative session in order for counties to be able to withstand the Highway User Tax Account (HUTA) and Prop 42 deferrals.
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